How Deanna Did It

Deanna went from living on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to getting a job and having a higher income. Then, she learned that a Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) could help her save up some money so that she could meet her long-term goal of getting a better job, which would eventually enable her to buy her own home. Thanks to AHCCCS, her medical expenses were covered the entire time.

To improve her life situation, Deanna:

• Read about disability benefits on DB101
• Applied for benefits at her local Social Security office and local DES/Family Assistance Administration office and got SSI, Nutrition Assistance, and AHCCCS
• Enrolled in the Ticket to Work program
• Got employment services from a Ticket to Work Employment Network, the Arizona Rehabilitation Services Administration (AZRSA)
• Learned about a part-time job possibility
• Used DB101’s Benefits and Work Estimator to get an idea of how the new job could impact her benefits
• Got help from a Work Incentive Consultant to make sure that with her job she would have more income than before and would not lose her health coverage
• Accepted the job and reported her new income to her local Social Security office and local DES/Family Assistance Administration office
• Started saving up money and thinking about long-term goals
• Learned that a Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) could help her save up money for a work-related goal without losing her SSI, Nutrition Assistance, or AHCCCS benefits
• Contacted the PASS Cadre to create her PASS and apply for approval from the Social Security Administration (SSA)

Once SSA approved her PASS application, Deanna started working on her master’s degree. Today Deanna is well on her way to completing it.