Missouri manual section 6.3
Benefits planning
Official service name: Benefits Planning
Benefits Planning helps a person understand how work and earnings may affect SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, Medicare, housing assistance, SNAP, and other benefits. It supports informed decisions about starting, keeping, or advancing in competitive integrated employment and produces a written benefits analysis and work-incentive plan.
What the manual describes
What this service can help with
- Comparing expected earnings with changes to public benefits
- Understanding Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, housing, SNAP, ABLE, PASS, and other work incentives
- Planning income reporting and use of available work incentives
- Evaluating a job offer, promotion, self-employment opportunity, or benefits problem that could affect continued work
- Creating a Benefits Summary and Analysis and a Work Incentive Plan
Source-backed working pathway
To establish you'll probably need:
These steps translate the cited manual section into a practical review sequence. Confirm the current local process before acting.
Describe the employment or benefits decision with the support coordinator.
Identify whether the person is considering work, a job change, promotion, self-employment, or a benefits problem that could interfere with continued competitive integrated employment.
Seek the Missouri Work Incentives Planning and Assistance program first.
Ask for a Missouri-based Certified Work Incentives Counselor. If that service is not available within 30 calendar days, is inaccessible, or does not apply because of ineligibility, the support coordinator must document the reason before waiver-funded Benefits Planning is provided.
Gather current benefit, income, and employment information.
Provide the counselor with current benefit notices, earnings, proposed hours and wages, insurance information, housing or food-assistance information, and the specific decision that needs analysis.
Choose a qualified benefits counselor and authorize the service.
Confirm that the provider has a Department of Mental Health contract and that the counselor holds one of the current national work-incentive credentials identified by the manual. Record the service, delivery method, and authorized units in the person-centered service plan.
Review the written analysis and action plan.
Use the completed Benefits Summary and Analysis and Work Incentive Plan to decide what to do, what must be reported, and when updated analysis is needed. Confirm important conclusions with the affected benefit program when required.
Important boundaries
Limits that may affect fit or authorization
- A Missouri-based Social Security Work Incentives Planning and Assistance program must be sought first. The support coordinator must document that its Certified Work Incentives Counselor service is unavailable, inaccessible, or inapplicable because of ineligibility or a wait that would keep service from starting within 30 calendar days.
- The Work Incentives Planning and Assistance access check is required once per year and must be repeated if Benefits Planning is needed in a later year.
- The service may be delivered in person or virtually based on the person's informed choice and the manual's virtual-service requirements.
- The annual limit is 60 fifteen-minute units across initial planning, supplementary planning, and employment-maintenance problem solving. Additional units require approval by the Division of Developmental Disabilities regional director or designee in exceptional circumstances.
- Benefits Planning supplies analysis and options; it does not guarantee that earnings will leave every benefit unchanged or replace required reporting to benefit programs.
- Comprehensive and Community Support waivers remain under a temporary renewal extension through December 27, 2026, or until CMS grants final approval. Confirm the currently approved rules with the support coordinator; proposed renewal changes are not automatically active.
Do not assume this part
Questions to confirm locally
- Was a Missouri Work Incentives Planning and Assistance counselor sought during the current year, and what was the result?
- What exact work, earnings, or benefits decision needs analysis?
- Which benefit programs must be included, and are the records current?
- Does the person prefer in-person or virtual delivery, and can virtual-service requirements be met?
- How many units are authorized, and is an exceptional-unit request needed?
- Who will help the person carry out reporting and other actions in the completed Work Incentive Plan?