The goal of this article is to give you new information and resources that can help you become more comfortable and confident. Here we’ll begin with some basics about who can help you and what laws protect you, focusing on several important resources:

• Disability Hub MN
• MinnesotaHelp.info
• Independent living centers
• Your doctor
• Personal Care Assistants (PCA)
• Your rights

Later in this article, we’ll go into detail about different health care programs, cash benefits, job adjustments and training that can help you.

Disability Hub MN and MinnesotaHelp.info

Disability Hub MN links Minnesotans with disabilities to information and community resources to stay independent, support work, and explore benefits. The Hub helps people with all types of disabilities, including health conditions, drug or alcohol problems, or mental health needs. The Hub is statewide, free, and private (confidential).

MinnesotaHelp.info can also help you find many social services, ranging from benefits applications to job counseling.

What they offer

If you call Disability Hub MN, a counselor will answer your call, listen to your needs, explore possible options, and supply you with the information you need to make informed decisions.

Disability Hub MN specializes in disability questions related to:

• Work and work planning
• Benefits and services
• Housing
• Accessibility
• Assistive technology
• In-Home services
• Disability rights

MinnesotaHelp.info is an online directory that can help you find social services near you. These services can include help with benefits applications, job counseling, and finding support groups.

How you find them

You can call Disability Hub MN at 1-866-333-2466. To see MinnesotaHelp.info’s wealth of information, click here.

When they’re a good option

Minnesota offers many great resources for people with disabilities. Disability Hub MN and MinnesotaHelp.info can help you connect to the counselors, organizations, and programs that can support you as your disability progresses. They should be your first point of contact as you look for services and support.

Independent Living Centers

Independent living is one of the most important concepts for people with disabilities. Independent living means that you decide how you want to live. It does not mean that you have to know all the answers or do everything by yourself; it means that you need to learn how to find resources that can help you reach your goals. You also need to learn to be in charge of how you use these resources.

Independent living centers are a one-stop shop that can help you learn how to live independently.

What They Provide

Independent living centers were created by people with disabilities. They offer many types of information and support that can help you think about the decisions and opportunities facing you.

They can help you find things like work, housing, transportation, or personal care assistance services. They also provide counseling related to benefits, health care, finances, and even your social life.

How You Find One

There are independent living centers throughout the country, including 8 in Minnesota. The Minnesota Association of Centers for Independent Living (MACIL) can help you find an independent living center near you.

When They’re a Good Option

If you haven’t already contacted your local independent living center, you should now, just to get yourself familiar with the sorts of resources, activities, and programs they offer.

Your Doctor

It's important for you to have good communication with your doctor, because the two of you will be working together to come up with ideas and solutions that work well for you.

What Your Doctor Provides

Your primary care doctor is a central partner for you who will help you better understand your disability. Your doctor will help diagnose your condition, figure out what sort of treatment is available, and refer you to other specialists who can help you. Your doctor also documents your health conditions and maintains your medical record, which can be important if you apply for benefits like Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and Medical Assistance (MA).

That means that it is important for you to regularly visit your doctor, in order to make sure that your medical record is kept up to date. When you apply for disability benefits, you can also ask your doctor to provide a letter that describes your health conditions and disability.You can send that letter with your application. You can also request your own copy of your medical records and send it with your application.

How to Get the Best Help from Your Doctor

Communication is the most important part of your relationship with your doctor. You need to clearly tell your doctor about how you feel. You also have to explain what your needs are. At the same time, you need to understand the recommendations that your doctor makes. If you don’t understand something, ask your doctor to explain it in a different way.

If you find you don’t understand some information — for example, if you are hard of hearing and the doctor wants you to watch a video that doesn’t have captions, insist that your doctor provide you a copy of the video with captions or provide the information in an alternate form. If your first language isn’t English and you want an interpreter to help you understand your doctor, ask for an interpreter. Health care providers are required to provide interpreters and accessible documents.

By having a primary care doctor who you are comfortable with and with whom you have established clear communication, you will be able to deal with your medical issues much more effectively. Here is a website where you can learn more about establishing a good relationship with your doctor.

When Your Doctor Is an Important Option

Your doctor has specialized knowledge and knows a lot about your health conditions. Listen to your doctor and think about their ideas and suggestions. Make your doctor a part of your team that helps you figure out the many different ways in which you can adapt to your new disability.

Doctors are a great support in many ways but they are not experts about everything. Most importantly, you are the person who knows best about how you feel. That’s why you have the final say in any decisions involving your health. Their job is to support you, not tell you what to do.

Personal Care Assistance

Personal care assistants (PCAs) support people with disabilities to live more independent lives. An assistant works directly for the person with a disability.

What They Provide

The role of a personal care assistant is to help you be able to do what you need to do. Your assistant may help you with getting dressed, going from one place to another, preparing meals, bathing, or other activities.

Personal care assistants can also help you in the workplace to do different types of tasks. They can help with personal care, like in the restroom or at lunch breaks, or with job-related tasks, like help with reading, interpreting, lifting or reaching work materials, or with travel between work sites.

How You Find One

Some people with disabilities rely on family or friends for their personal care assistance. Others decide to hire individuals who work for an agency. You can find good PCAs in a number of different ways, including independent living centers, PCA agencies, or online.

If you qualify for Medical Assistance (MA) or Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities (MA-EPD), these programs can pay for personal care assistance services if you need them. When you apply for MA or MA-EPD, they will assess your situation and determine whether you need personal care assistance in addition to health coverage. The Minnesota Department of Human Services has a Personal Care Assistance Program website where you can read more about how MA or MA-EPD can help you pay for these services. Contact your county human services agency to apply.

When They’re a Good Option

Personal care assistance can be crucial to your ability to live independently. Personal assistants can help you at home or in the workplace, depending on your needs.

Read more about personal care assistance in DB101’s Job Supports and Accommodations article.

Home care

Personal Care Assistants are one type of “home care.” Home care, which may be provided by MA or MA-EPD, depending on your situation, can include skilled nursing, home health aides, and PCAs. The key thing about all of these types of home care services is that they can help you continue to live in your own home instead of in an institution or group home.

Your Rights

There are several major laws designed to help people with disabilities. The main one is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA is a federal civil rights law that makes it illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities. It also guarantees that disabled people have access to public services, such as transportation and voting, and to public places, such as restaurants, stores, hotels, and other types of buildings.

What They Mean

The first section of the ADA (often called Title I) applies to employment. It makes it illegal to discriminate against qualified jobseekers and employees with disabilities and requires employers to make reasonable accommodations available to jobseekers and employees with disabilities, unless they would result in undue hardship to the business. The law applies to all aspects of this employment, including the job application process, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, job training, and work-related events. In Minnesota, the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) also protects people with disabilities. You can read abou the MHRA on the DB101 Americans with Disabilities Act page.

Perhaps the key difference is that the ADA only covers employers with 15 or more employees, while the MHRA covers all employers, no matter how small the business. Both laws apply to private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies, and labor organizations. The ADA does not apply to tax-exempt private membership clubs or the United States federal government. However, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is another law that is almost identical to the ADA and does apply to federal agencies. That means that the federal government also cannot discriminate against job applicants and employees with disabilities.

How They Help You

The ADA and the MHRA are helping you all the time. Here are some examples:

• If you watch TV with closed captions, those captions are mandated by the ADA.
• If you go up a ramp when you enter a public library, that ramp has to be there thanks to the ADA.
• If you have a job and need a computer program that can read web pages, email, and other documents to you, the ADA requires that your employer provide this software.

The ADA can also help you if you are being discriminated against, since it allows you to file a complaint or even go to court.

When You Have to Take Action

If you are treated worse or unequally because of your disability, you are being discriminated against. The ADA makes discrimination illegal. Here are a few examples of how you could be discriminated against at your job:

• You could be intentionally denied opportunities or benefits, like a job, a promotion, or a competitive salary.
• You could be unintentionally denied these opportunities or benefits, because your employer uses a practice or a system that is not justified by the needs of the business.
• You could face coercion, intimidation, harassment, or interference from enjoying the same privileges and benefits of employment that others receive.

If you believe that you have been discriminated against because of your disability, you can file a complaint with either the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission EEOC or the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR).

Read more about the ADA and how to file a complaint or lawsuit in DB101’s Know Your Rights and Responsibilities article.

With a disability, a top priority is to make sure you have health coverage. Your financial situation and employment status determine what types of coverage you can get. These are the main options:

• Private health coverage, including employer-sponsored coverage and MNsure, the Health Insurance Marketplace for the State of Minnesota

• Minnesota public health programs, including Medical Assistance (MA), Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with a Disability (MA-EPD), and MinnesotaCare

• Medicare

These programs will be introduced briefly here. For more detailed information about them, see DB101’s Health Care Coverage section.

Private Health Care Coverage

Private health care coverage is the most common type of health coverage.

What It Provides

It pays for some of your medical costs when you see a doctor, go to the hospital, get medical exams, or get prescription medicine. You may need to pay copayments, premiums, or deductibles for these services. Depending on your coverage plan, it may pay for almost the entire cost of your medical expenses, or it may pay only a portion of those expenses. If you have low income and get private coverage through MNsure the government may help pay your premium.

How You Get It

The most common way of getting private health coverage is through your job or your spouse’s job. Many, but not all, jobs offer health care benefits. If you are still working and get health coverage through your job, your employer will continue to pay most of the expenses for your health insurance. Your spouse or parent (if you’re under 26) may also have a job that will provide health insurance for you.

You can also buy your insurance directly from a private insurance company, through an insurance broker, or on MNsure. You can buy private coverage for yourself and for your entire family. Insurance companies cannot reject your application or charge you more because you have a health condition. MNsure is the only place where people who have lower incomes can get government help paying for their individual coverage plan.

When It’s a Good Option

Private health coverage is best when you or your spouse (or parent) has a job where the employer will pay for it. Or, depending on your income and your plan, the government may help pay for your premium. To get government help paying your premium, you must buy a plan through MNsure. Note: There is no income limit for getting subsidies that help pay individual coverage premiums. (Before 2021, the limit was 400% of FPG.) To get subsidies, you still must meet other eligibility rules and the premium amount you pay depends on your income and your plan.

It’s important to also note that private health coverage doesn’t always cover everything – you may get private coverage and also be able to get public health coverage to cover whatever the private insurance doesn’t pay for.

Read more in DB101’s Individual Coverage article.

Minnesota Health Care Programs

Minnesota has several different public health coverage programs that you may qualify for. Three of the most important for Minnesotans with disabilities are:

• Medical Assistance (MA)
• MinnesotaCare
• Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities (MA-EPD)

What They Provide

MA, MinnesotaCare, and MA-EPD help pay medical expenses for people with disabilities, older adults, children, pregnant women, and people with low income.

If you qualify, these programs will help pay for your visits to the doctor, hospital stays, prescription drugs, medical equipment, and other medical services. You may need to pay copayments, premiums, or deductibles for these services.

There are a couple of differences between these programs:

1. They have different income and asset limits. Depending on your situation, it may be easier for you to qualify for one of these programs or the other.

2. You have to pay a monthly premium to get MinnesotaCare or MA-EPD, while MA has no premium.

How You Get Them

You can apply for Minnesota public health programs online at MNsure, or you can get help applying at your county or tribal human services office.

Note: The only way you can apply for MA-EPD is by filling out the Minnesota Health Care Programs Application for Certain Populations and taking it or mailing it to your local county or tribal human services office. You cannot sign up online.

When They’re a Good Option

If you or your spouse (or your parents, if you’re under 26) don’t have jobs where the employer will provide you with private health coverage, the public health care options listed here are your best bet. If you have low income, you may qualify for MA. If your income is a bit higher, you may still qualify for MinnesotaCare. If you are working and have a disability, you will likely qualify for MA-EPD. They can also help if your private health coverage doesn’t cover some of your medical expenses.

Read more about MA, MA-EPD, and MinnesotaCare in DB101’s section on Health Care Coverage.

Medicare

Medicare is another public health program, but it is run by the federal government, not by the state. While you work, some of the money you earn automatically comes out of your paycheck and goes into a Medicare fund. If you become disabled and start getting Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you will start getting Medicare 2 years after your SSDI benefit begins.

What It Provides

Medicare has different “parts” that each help pay for your medical care.

• Medicare Part A helps pay for medical care you get while you’re in a hospital.
• Medicare Part B helps pay for medical care you get outside of a hospital, like when you go to the doctor.
• Medicare Part C, also known as Medicare Advantage, is a way to get Part A, B, and sometimes Part D coverage through private companies.
• Medicare Part D helps pay for prescription drugs.

Each Medicare part has different rules for how you sign up, how much you have to pay in premiums or copayments, which medical costs it helps with, and how much of the costs it will help pay for.

How You Get It

People with disabilities get Medicare after being on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for 24 months. SSDI provides income for people have worked and earned enough work credits to qualify, but who can no longer work because of a disability. Once you’ve been getting SSDI for 2 years, you automatically qualify to get Medicare and will begin to get coverage without having to fill out an application.

In the two years before you qualify for Medicare, you’ll need to get coverage through one of the other health coverage options introduced in this article.

When It’s a Good Option

Medicare is always a good option if you qualify. Often it can also be combined with other programs, such as Medical Assistance (MA), so that your share of expenses is lower.

Read more about Medicare in DB101’s Medicare article.

There are several important benefits programs that can provide you with income support when you become disabled. Your work history, financial situation, and medical condition will determine which cash benefits you qualify for. These are the main options:

• Private Disability Insurance
• Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Workers' Compensation

These programs will be introduced briefly here. For more detailed information about them, see DB101’s Cash Benefits section.

Private Disability Insurance

Private disability insurance replaces some of your income if an injury or illness prevents you from working. Unlike workers’ compensation, to get benefits through disability insurance, your injury or illness does not need to be work-related.

What It Provides

There are two types of disability insurance:

1. Short-Term Disability (STD) insurance pays you a portion of your income for a short period of time after you run out of sick leave. Depending on your plan, STD generally will pay you for between 9 and 52 weeks.
2. Long-Term Disability (LTD) insurance pays you a portion of your income after you run out of both sick leave and STD. Depending on your plan, LTD may pay you for a specific number of years, like 2 years or 5 years, or until you turn a specific age, like 65.

With both STD and LTD, the amount of time you can get benefits and the dollar amount the benefits provide depend on how expensive your plan is. Generally, you will get a set percentage of the wages you were earning before you were disabled. Although the amount varies, payments are generally around 60% of your previous wage.

How You Get It

In order to get private disability insurance benefits, you must be covered by a Short-Term Disability Insurance (STD) or Long-Term Disability Insurance (LTD) plan. These are common ways you may be covered:

• Some employers offer this benefit
• Some other groups you may be a member of, such as a trade union, alumni organization, or other professional organization, may offer this benefit
• You may pay for an individual plan

If you had a job before becoming disabled, you should ask your employer’s human resources manager if you were covered by a policy. You may have been covered by disability insurance through your job and not even realized it!

If you are covered, you will need to file a claim through your employer, group representative, or insurance agent, depending on how you got your coverage.

When It’s a Good Option

Private disability insurance is always a good option if you are covered. The biggest problem is that most people don’t know about it and so often are not covered. If you are not covered and recently became disabled, you probably won’t be able to start getting disability insurance coverage because of your pre-existing condition unless you sign up through an employer or other group plan.

Read more about private disability insurance in DB101’s Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance article.

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

While you work, some of the money you earn automatically comes out of your paycheck and goes into a Social Security fund. If you have to stop working because of a disability, the Social Security Administration will take money from this fund and pay you a monthly cash benefit called Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).

What It Provides

SSDI provides monthly cash benefits to people who have worked, paid Social Security taxes, and now have a disability that prevents them from working. Your eligibility for SSDI benefits is based on your status as disabled. Because it's an insurance program, you do not have to prove financial need to qualify for SSDI and there are no income or asset limits.

How You Get It

There are 3 ways you can apply for SSDI after you become disabled:

1. You can apply online.
2. You can call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY: 1-800-325-0778) and the representative will take your application over the phone.
3. You can visit your local Social Security office and apply in person.

Whichever method you choose, you will need to complete an application form and an Adult Disability Report.

Once you’ve submitted this information, Social Security will check two things to see if you qualify for SSDI:

1. You must be insured. That means you must have worked long enough to be covered by SSDI.
2. Social Security must determine that you are disabled. They will look at 5 different criteria and if you meet all 5, they will consider you disabled.

When It’s a Good Option

SSDI is a great benefit for anybody who qualifies. The benefits can begin when you have been disabled for 5 months. Remember that with SSDI, you automatically become eligible for Medicare after 2 years, a very important health benefit described earlier in this article.

Read more about SSDI in DB101’s SSDI article.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

People who are disabled or blind may not be able to work or afford to live on their own. If you have a disability, don’t have enough money for your basic needs, don’t have much income, and have limited assets, you may be able to get Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

What It Provides

If you qualify for SSI, you get a monthly check. This money helps you pay your expenses, like food and rent. Many people who qualify for SSI also qualify for Medical Assistance (MA), Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA), and SNAP (formerly Food Support/Food Stamps).

How You Get It

You can apply for SSI at your local local Social Security office or by telephone (ph: 1-800-772-1213; TTY: 1-800-325-0778). If you need help applying for SSI, contact a Social Security Advocate.

When It’s a Good Option

SSI can be a huge help for you if you qualify. It’s very helpful for people with low income and low assets. Even people who have never worked can qualify for SSI.

Read more about SSI in DB101’s SSI article.

Workers’ Compensation

Workers’ Compensation is a type of insurance that provides you with benefits if you become injured or disabled while you’re at work. All employers are required to provide you with this insurance.

What It Provides

Workers’ Compensation pays for expenses related to an injury or disability that occurred while you were working. For example, if you are a truck driver and get in an accident that leads to you becoming disabled, Workers’ Compensation would pay for your medical expenses related to the accident and also pay you cash benefits for any time that you are unable to work due to your disability.

If your work-caused disability continues for many years and prevents you from working that entire time, you may continue to receive Workers’ Compensation cash benefits that entire time. If you can no longer work in your old job due to your disability, Workers’ Compensation may pay for you to get training for different work.

How You Get It

If you become injured at work, you need to notify your supervisor or human resources department as soon as possible. You should do so in writing (a letter or email), so that there is a record that you reported your work-related injury or disability. Your employer will then report your injury to the Workers’ Compensation insurance company.

It is extremely important to document everything, because the Workers’ Compensation program will not want to provide you with benefits if they think that your injury did not happen while you were working.

When It’s a Good Option

Workers’ Compensation is important if you have an injury or disability that happened at your work. If you have a disability that prevents you from working that was not caused by your work accident, you will not get Workers’ Compensation benefits.

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry manages Workers' Compensation claims. They have a brochure (PDF) that is an excellent guide to workers’ compensation in Minnesota.

Your job may change after you become disabled. Fortunately, there are standard procedures that mean that in many cases you and your employer can work together to make sure that you can keep working. Here we’re going to talk about 3 important ways that may help your transition to having a disability go smoothly at your job:

• Disclosing your disability
• Requesting reasonable accommodations
• Taking time off through the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

These processes will be introduced briefly here. For more detailed information about them, see DB101’s Going to Work section.

Disclosing Your Disability

Disclosing your disability means telling your employer or potential employer that you have a disability. You have the right to choose whether or not to disclose your disability and disclosing a disability may or may not make sense for you, depending on your situation. Your employer, or potential employer, does not have the right to ask you about it.

What It Provides

The main benefit of disclosing your disability is that it lets you request a reasonable accommodation during the hiring process (interviewing, employment exams, or application process) or after you are hired.

Another reason to disclose your disability is if you have an impairment that is visible to others. You are never required to discuss your disability, but if you address your disability upfront, even if you do not need a reasonable accommodation, you may be able to prevent stigma, discrimination, or misinformation related to your disability.

How You Do It

If you choose to disclose your disability, you should tell your human resources manager or your supervisor. If you also request a reasonable accommodation, your employer is allowed to ask for documentation of your disability to understand it and how to accommodate it. However, the employer is not allowed to disclose your disability to anybody else, unless it directly impacts another employee’s job.

How much information and detail you give your employer about your disability is your decision. Many people want to limit any medical information they give to their employers to just the information that is necessary to request an accommodation.

When It’s a Good Option

You decide if you want to disclose your disability and you base that decision on your personal needs, preferences, and comfort level with your disability. When you apply for jobs, start a new job, become disabled, or notice that the nature of your disability changes, you should consider whether or not disclosing is right for you.

Read more about disclosing your disability in DB101’s Job Supports and Accommodations article.

Reasonable Accommodations

A reasonable accommodation is any kind of change or adjustment to the hiring process, job functions, or work environment that makes it possible for a qualified jobseeker or employee with a disability to have equal access to employment and enjoy the same benefits of employment as their peers without disabilities.

What They Provide

To have the right to an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, you must:

• Be a person with a disability as defined in the ADA
• Need the accommodation because of your disability
• Work for a private employer with 15 or more employees or a state or local government
  • Additional laws called the Minnesota Human Rights Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 mean that almost all employers in Minnesota have to provide reasonable accommodations, including the federal government and employers with fewer than 15 employees.

Reasonable accommodations must be given to qualified employees regardless of whether they have part-time, full-time, temporary, permanent, or probationary status.

How You Get One

You can request an accommodation while applying for a job, after receiving a job offer, after acquiring a disability, or when the nature of your disability or job changes.

It is your responsibility to take the initiative to request an accommodation. If you do not request an accommodation and your job performance suffers, your employer has the right to fire you from your job or take disciplinary action.

To request an accommodation, you should first think about your individual needs and then identify reasonable accommodations that meet those needs. When you have an idea about what you want, request the accommodation from your supervisor or human resources manager. Your request can be in plain English and you don’t have to use any legal terminology.

An employer does not have to give you the exact accommodation you request. If more than one accommodation would work, the employer may choose which one to provide.

When They’re a Good Option

You should request a reasonable accommodation when there is a barrier that prevents you from performing your job or accessing other benefits of employment. Reasonable accommodations can be a key to success for you at your job.

Read more about reasonable accommodations in DB101’s Job Supports and Accommodations article.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

You may find that you can’t work for a while after you become disabled or that you want to work fewer hours. Both are possibilities that your employer can help you with. If you work for a private employer with 50 or more employees or in the state, local, or federal government, your employer is actually required to let you take some time off for a disability thanks to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

What It Provides

The FMLA requires private employers with 50 or more employees and all state, local, and federal government employers to give employees up to 12 work weeks of unpaid leave a year for specific reasons. In order to take the leave, you must have recently had a child, have a serious health condition, or be taking care of a family member with a serious health condition.

In these situations, the leave must be “job-protected,” which means that after the leave, you must be allowed to return to your original job or be given another job that is similar. The FMLA also requires that these employers keep you on group health care benefits during your leave.

How You Do It

To be eligible for FMLA benefits, you must:

• Work for an employer to whom the FMLA applies
• Have been employed by the employer for at least 12 months
• Have worked for at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period before you began your leave

It’s up to you how you take the 12 weeks off during the course of the year. You can choose to take all 12 weeks off at the same time or take off multiple shorter leaves. You can even take FMLA leave to work fewer hours per week or work just 4 days a week instead of 5.

If you want to take FMLA leave, let your employer know as soon as possible. You’ll need to give your employer enough information so your employer can find out if the FMLA applies to your leave request. Depending on the situation, such information may include that you have been hospitalized, that you are getting continuing care from a health care provider, or that you are pregnant.

When It’s a Good Option

The FMLA can be a great option for you if you need time to adapt to your new disability or need time for treatment. It’s also important to remember that if you need extra help from a family member such as a parent or spouse, that person can take time off with the FMLA to help you.

Read More about the FMLA in DB101’s Rights and Responsibilities article.

In this article we’ve already discussed various health and cash benefits that can help you when you have a disability. We’ve also covered what you can do to make sure that you can keep working at the same employer you had before you became disabled. Here we are going to look at how you can prepare yourself for work if you didn’t have a job before you became disabled or if you are no longer able to do the job you used to do.

In this situation, there are two major programs that can help you:

• Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS)
• CareerForce locations

These programs will be introduced briefly here. For more detailed information about them, see DB101’s Programs that Support Work section.

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS)

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) can provide you with a wide variety of counseling, training, job skills, and job placement services.

What It Provides

With VRS, you will get a counselor who can help you find work. If you have never had a job, your counselor will orient you to the possibilities that exist. If you had a job before but your disability means you can no longer do that job, your counselor will help you adapt to your new reality and find different work.

The exact services VRS provides are carefully chosen to match your individual needs. You and your counselor will work together closely to set goals and then develop a plan to help you reach them.

VRS does many things, including:

• Finding you the training or other services that you need to return to work
• Supporting you to enter a new line of work
• Helping you enter the workforce for the first time
• Doing vocational assessments
• Providing you with ongoing job coaching
• Performing other services that can help you prepare for, get, or keep a job

How You Get It

Eligibility for Vocational Rehabilitation Services is based mostly on whether you have a physical or mental disability that makes it difficult to prepare for, get, or keep work. How VRS defines a disability is different than how the Social Security Administration (SSA) defines a disability, so even if you don’t meet SSA’s definition of disability, you may qualify for VRS services.

If you get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you are automatically eligible for VRS through the Ticket to Work (TTW) program. If you’re in Ticket to Work, you can also choose to get similar services from other Employment Networks.

If you are not on SSI or SSDI, you can still apply to get VRS services. However, VRS sometimes does not have enough resources to provide services to every person who is eligible to get them. People who have the most severe disabilities will get services first and you may be placed on a waiting list.

To apply for services, call or visit a vocational rehabilitation counselor at a CareerForce location. Find a Minnesota CareerForce location near you, or call 1-651-259-7501.

When It’s a Good Option

Vocational rehabilitation is a good option if you don’t have a job and want to get one or if you want to get additional training and education in order to get a job. It’s especially good if you are on SSI or SSDI, because you will be guaranteed services without having to get on a waiting list.

Read more about Vocational Rehabilitation Services in DB101’s Programs that Support Work article.

Minnesota CareerForce

Minnesota CareerForce locations can help you with your job search or career planning.

What They Provide

CareerForce locations are places where you can get various things, including:

• Advice about local employers who are hiring
• The basics of how to do a job search
• Help with your resume
• Training on how to interview, network, and apply for jobs
• Instruction on how to use online jobs websites like the statewide MinnesotaWorks.Net website
• Help finding out about jobs and career fairs

CareerForce locations also have assistive technology to help people with disabilities use their services and resources. You can also just stop by if you want to try out these technologies.

How You Get Their Services

Find a Minnesota CareerForce location near you, or call 1-651-259-7501.

When They’re a Good Option

CareerForce locations provide these services to all jobseekers, whether or not you have a disability. This means that if you don’t qualify for Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) or if VRS puts you on a waiting list, you can still get a lot of good services that can help you get a job.

Read more about CareerForce locations in DB101’s Programs that Support Work article.