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Parent Focus: Four Ways Benefits Support WorkThe Basics
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The Basics1) Medicaid Covers People With Disabilities Who Work2) A Job + SSI = More Money3) Your Child Can Save More4) Your Child Will Stay Connected to SSINext Steps

Parent Focus: Four Ways Benefits Support Work

  • The Basics
  • 1) Medicaid Covers People With Disabilities Who Work
  • 2) A Job + SSI = More Money
  • 3) Your Child Can Save More
  • 4) Your Child Will Stay Connected to SSI
  • Next Steps

Try It

    updated April 3, 2025
    Parent Focus: Four Ways Benefits Support Work

    The Basics

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    Your child can work, even if he or she has a disability and gets benefits from Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). In fact, Medicaid and SSI are designed so that people who work end up better off.

    With a job, your child can:

    1. Keep Medicaid health coverage no matter how much the job pays
    2. Have more total income and keep getting SSI
    3. Save up some money and keep getting SSI
    4. Get back on SSI if it stops and is needed later

    You can help your son or daughter plan for work. Get started by understanding these four ways benefits programs and a job can work together.

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    • Next

    Learn more

    Benefits for Young People

    Find out how benefits support young people who work.

    Getting Past the Myths: The Truth About Working

    Get the facts about how benefits support work.

    School and Work Estimator

    Are you a young person? See how working and staying in school can help you.

    Parent Focus: Four Ways Benefits Support Work1) Medicaid Covers People With Disabilities Who Work
    OpenClose
    The Basics1) Medicaid Covers People With Disabilities Who Work2) A Job + SSI = More Money3) Your Child Can Save More4) Your Child Will Stay Connected to SSINext Steps

    Parent Focus: Four Ways Benefits Support Work

    • The Basics
    • 1) Medicaid Covers People With Disabilities Who Work
    • 2) A Job + SSI = More Money
    • 3) Your Child Can Save More
    • 4) Your Child Will Stay Connected to SSI
    • Next Steps

    Try It

      Parent Focus: Four Ways Benefits Support Work

      Medicaid Covers People With Disabilities Who Work

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      These rules mean your child can keep Medicaid even while making a lot of money at work:

      • If your child gets SSI benefits while working, Medicaid will continue automatically.
      • If your child used to get SSI benefits, but now makes enough money that SSI benefits ended, SSI's 1619(b) rule means Medicaid will continue automatically even if your child makes up to $43,627 per year.
      • If your child doesn't get SSI, but is under 22, gets Medicaid based on a disability, and is also regularly attending school, the Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE) means that if your child gets a job, Medicaid coverage will probably continue.
      • Freedom to Work lets your child pay a monthly premium to get Medicaid coverage.
        • When applying, your child's countable income must be at or below $3,260 per month, but earned income and unearned income are counted differently, so your child could work and make more than the limit and still qualify.
        • After coverage starts, it doesn't matter how much your child earns and your child can have up to $75,000 in resources — your child can still have Freedom to Work coverage!
      • If your child's income is even higher than that, he or she can get private health coverage through work or on HealthCare.gov. Private insurance companies cannot deny coverage to your child.
      The bottom line

      Your child can get health coverage after getting a job.

      Learn more about Freedom to Work and SSI 1619(b).

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      • Previous
      • Next

      Learn more

      Benefits for Young People

      Find out how benefits support young people who work.

      Getting Past the Myths: The Truth About Working

      Get the facts about how benefits support work.

      School and Work Estimator

      Are you a young person? See how working and staying in school can help you.

      Parent Focus: Four Ways Benefits Support Work2) A Job + SSI = More Money
      OpenClose
      The Basics1) Medicaid Covers People With Disabilities Who Work2) A Job + SSI = More Money3) Your Child Can Save More4) Your Child Will Stay Connected to SSINext Steps

      Parent Focus: Four Ways Benefits Support Work

      • The Basics
      • 1) Medicaid Covers People With Disabilities Who Work
      • 2) A Job + SSI = More Money
      • 3) Your Child Can Save More
      • 4) Your Child Will Stay Connected to SSI
      • Next Steps

      Try It

        Parent Focus: Four Ways Benefits Support Work

        A Job + SSI = More Money

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        Getting a job doesn’t mean your child will stop getting Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. SSI makes sure your child will be better off when working.

        SSI Rules that Help Young People who Get Jobs

        SSI is based on financial need. That’s why people worry that if they get jobs, they’ll lose their SSI benefits. These rules show why you don’t need to worry:

        • The Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE) means that if your child gets a job while in school, his or her SSI benefit probably won’t go down. That means your child will get money from work and SSI at the same time.
        • With the SEIE, anyone under 22 and regularly attending school can make up to $2,350 per month up to a total of $9,460 in a year, without having that money reduce their SSI benefits at all!
        • If your child doesn’t qualify for the SEIE, working is still a good idea, because SSI counts less than half of what a person earns at a job when calculating his or her benefit.
        The bottom line

        If your child is in school and under 22, the SEIE means he or she can work and keep getting as much SSI as ever. For every additional dollar your child earns that is not excluded by the SEIE, your child’s SSI benefits amount will only go down by 50 cents. No matter what, SSI's rules mean that your child will have more money overall while working.

        Learn more about the SEIE.

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        • Previous
        • Next

        Learn more

        Benefits for Young People

        Find out how benefits support young people who work.

        Getting Past the Myths: The Truth About Working

        Get the facts about how benefits support work.

        School and Work Estimator

        Are you a young person? See how working and staying in school can help you.

        Parent Focus: Four Ways Benefits Support Work3) Your Child Can Save More
        OpenClose
        The Basics1) Medicaid Covers People With Disabilities Who Work2) A Job + SSI = More Money3) Your Child Can Save More4) Your Child Will Stay Connected to SSINext Steps

        Parent Focus: Four Ways Benefits Support Work

        • The Basics
        • 1) Medicaid Covers People With Disabilities Who Work
        • 2) A Job + SSI = More Money
        • 3) Your Child Can Save More
        • 4) Your Child Will Stay Connected to SSI
        • Next Steps

        Try It

          Parent Focus: Four Ways Benefits Support Work

          Your Child Can Save More

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          As your child makes more money, he or she can start saving for bigger goals, like college, a car, or someday buying a home. Building assets will be a key to comfort and security for your child’s entire life.

          SSI and Medicaid Rules Help People Who Work and Save

          Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and SSI-related Medicaid have resource limits. However, your child can save way more money if they get a job.

          SSI resource rules for people who work:

          • Not all resources are counted, so your child can own a car or get certain types of financial aid for school that won’t be counted against the resource limit.
          • An ABLE account will let you and your child put money into a special account where the first $100,000 will not count against the SSI resource limit.
          • Savings in a Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) are not counted. This is a way for your child to save for specific expenses, like school tuition.
          • Assets in certain types of trusts do not count.

          Medicaid resource rules for people who work:

          • The SSI resource rules also apply to Medicaid.
          • None of the money in an ABLE account is counted against Medicaid resource limits.
          • If your child has income from a job, your child can pay a premium to get coverage through the Freedom to Work program.
            • When applying, your child's countable income must be at or below $3,260 per month and your child's resources must be less than $9,660.
            • After coverage starts, the amount of earned income doesn't matter and your child can have up to $75,000 in resources (or more, if your child puts money into retirement accounts).
          • There is no resource limit for income-based Medicaid, no matter how old your child is.
          The bottom line

          Saving money for the future is important. Talk to a Benefits Planner to figure out which asset-building strategies will let your child keep getting SSI.

          Read more about asset-building strategies.

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          • Previous
          • Next

          Learn more

          Benefits for Young People

          Find out how benefits support young people who work.

          Getting Past the Myths: The Truth About Working

          Get the facts about how benefits support work.

          School and Work Estimator

          Are you a young person? See how working and staying in school can help you.

          Parent Focus: Four Ways Benefits Support Work4) Your Child Will Stay Connected to SSI
          OpenClose
          The Basics1) Medicaid Covers People With Disabilities Who Work2) A Job + SSI = More Money3) Your Child Can Save More4) Your Child Will Stay Connected to SSINext Steps

          Parent Focus: Four Ways Benefits Support Work

          • The Basics
          • 1) Medicaid Covers People With Disabilities Who Work
          • 2) A Job + SSI = More Money
          • 3) Your Child Can Save More
          • 4) Your Child Will Stay Connected to SSI
          • Next Steps

          Try It

            Parent Focus: Four Ways Benefits Support Work

            Your Child Will Stay Connected to SSI

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            The more your child works, the more money your child can make. If he or she makes enough, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits may stop, but overall your child will be much better off!

            SSI Has a Safety Net for People who Lose Benefits and Need Them Later

            Even if your child makes a lot more money than he or she ever got from SSI, you will probably worry about what would happen if the job ended due to a disability. Would your child be able to get back on SSI if needed?

            Yes.

            SSI’s 1619(b) rule helps people who stop getting SSI start getting them again. If a job ends or earnings go down, your child can just report the change to Social Security and SSI benefits will start up again. He or she will not even have to reapply.

            1619(b) is for people earning less than $43,627 in a year. If your child earns more than that, other rules can help your child start getting SSI benefits again if they are needed.

            The bottom line

            If your child stops getting SSI benefits due to work income and then that income goes down, he or she can get back on SSI.

            Learn more about getting back on SSI.

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            • Previous
            • Next

            Learn more

            Benefits for Young People

            Find out how benefits support young people who work.

            Getting Past the Myths: The Truth About Working

            Get the facts about how benefits support work.

            School and Work Estimator

            Are you a young person? See how working and staying in school can help you.

            Parent Focus: Four Ways Benefits Support WorkNext Steps
            OpenClose
            The Basics1) Medicaid Covers People With Disabilities Who Work2) A Job + SSI = More Money3) Your Child Can Save More4) Your Child Will Stay Connected to SSINext Steps

            Parent Focus: Four Ways Benefits Support Work

            • The Basics
            • 1) Medicaid Covers People With Disabilities Who Work
            • 2) A Job + SSI = More Money
            • 3) Your Child Can Save More
            • 4) Your Child Will Stay Connected to SSI
            • Next Steps

            Try It

              Parent Focus: Four Ways Benefits Support Work

              Next Steps

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              Learn More on DB101

              Use DB101’s School and Work Estimator to get a sense of how work could impact your child’s benefits.

              For more about these and other ways benefits support work, read DB101’s articles about:

              • If You Get SSI and Are Turning 18, which looks at how your child's benefits might change at age 18.
              • Benefits for Young People, including details about many different benefits and how rules change as your child gets older.
              • Supplemental Security Income, which covers SSI’s rules in detail.
              • How Health Benefits Work, which covers detailed health coverage rules for people with disabilities.
              • Building Your Assets and Wealth, an introduction to asset-building strategies.
              • Plans to Achieve Self-Support, an in-depth look at the ways a PASS can help.
              • Individual Development Accounts, a detailed look at IDAs and how to set them up.

              Ticket to Work

              Social Security’s Ticket to Work Program helps people with disabilities who get Social Security benefits re-enter the workforce and become more independent. The Ticket to Work Program offers free access to employment-related services, such as training, transportation, and vocational rehabilitation.

              Benefits Planning Services

              If you're currently on SSI, SSDI, or DAC benefits, and you're looking for a job, a trained Benefits Planner can help you avoid problems with your job plan. If you need help or have questions about your situation, you can call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY) Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. EST.

              View DB101's full list of experts who can help you understand different benefits.

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              • Previous

              Learn more

              Benefits for Young People

              Find out how benefits support young people who work.

              Getting Past the Myths: The Truth About Working

              Get the facts about how benefits support work.

              School and Work Estimator

              Are you a young person? See how working and staying in school can help you.