For those receiving Social Security Disability benefits, an Individualized Plan for Employment is a written plan regarding how you will become qualified for work which you will be able to perform with your disability. You may write an individualized plan for employment yourself and submit it to the Social Security Administration for approval, but in most cases, a Vocational Rehabilitation Agent will help you.
The individualized plan for employment includes descriptions of what kind of work you intend to do eventually, what training you need before you will be able to perform that work, what steps you will take to get the training and eventually a job, who is offering the training, how the training will be funded (often, the SSA will cover the costs for those receiving Social Security Disability benefits), and what responsibilities are expected of you regarding your individualized plan for employment.
If you choose not to write your individualized plan for employment by yourself, you may have family, friends, a vocational rehabilitation agent, or community organizations help you fill it out. In some cases, the organizations which provide the work training can also help you put your individualized plan for employment together.
In order to be approved, an individualized plan for employment must be plausible and feasible. Stated simply, this means that you must convince your vocational rehabilitation agent that you are actually capable of completing the training and that you will be capable of performing the work once you have completed your training. The object of an individual plan for employment, in most cases, is to eventually move you off Social Security Disability and towards independence.
If you are receiving SSI benefits, you can generally count on having the cost of your training covered. In some cases, the SSA will also cover the cost for those receiving SSDI. This includes not only the direct cost of the training itself, but also many residual costs, including books, materials, transportation to and from training, any modified equipment you need to perform your job or complete your education, and other services which your disability demands.
Those receiving Social Security Disability benefits will generally find the SSA eager to work with them on an individualized plan for employment. Completing your individualized plan for employment move you towards independence and helps you to get off Social Security Disability benefits, creating a win-win situation. The following article further discusses returning to work when on disability benefits.
