Job Opportunities
Are you a Nebraskan with a disability interested in obtaining, maintaining or advancing in employment?

• To view available job orders,
• complete a job application,
• upload a resume and/or cover letter 

Visit or contact an Employment Network or a Department of Labor Career Center to access the Nebraska Ticket to Work Employer/Job Seeker E-Services.

Employment Supports
Fear of losing critical cash benefits and health insurance prevents millions of beneficiaries from attempting to obtain employment or return to work.  As a result, many individuals with disabilities remain unnecessarily dependent on government benefits as their sole source of financial security, according to the National Council on Disability. 

Community-Based Developmental Disabilities Medicaid Waivers for Adults
Over 4,200 people with developmental disabilities will get the support they need to find employment as a result of federal approval to amend the Comprehensive Services and Day Services Home and Community-based Medicaid waivers for adults. “The federal government has OK’d our request for flexibility in funding more service options and to also rename the services to reflect a...

Success Stories
Read about the successes your peers have had in hiring workers with disabilities, and how they've evolved the workforce for the better. And if you have a story of your own to share, we'd love to hear it!

Career Connection Series: Ready to Choose Work? You May Already Have a Ticket
By Dan O’Brien, Acting Associate Commissioner, Office of Employment Support Programs, Social Security Administration.         

Disability Benefits Checklist
This checklist will help you gather the information you may need to complete the Internet Disability Benefits Application and the Disability Report. Please print this page to use while you gather your materials.

Direct Express Card for Beneficiaries Who Do Not Have a Bank Account
If you receive SSI or SSDI benefits and don’t have a bank account, you may wait for your benefit check each month and even pay check cashing fees in order to receive your money. An option for receiving your benefits – the Direct Express® card – may help you get your money more quickly without having to pay check cashing fees. Those who opt to use the Direct Express® card first receive the card in the mail.

Get Your SSA Payments Electronically
If you apply for Social Security benefits on or after May 1, 2011, you must receive your payments electronically. If you did not sign up for electronic payments when you applied for benefits, we strongly urge you to do it now. You must switch to electronic payments by March 1, 2013. If you don't, the U.S. Department of the Treasury may send your benefits via the Direct Express® card program to avoid an interruption in payment.

Individual Development Accounts (IDA)
If you are working and have limited income, you may be eligible for an Individual Development Account (IDA) through the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program or an Assets for Independence Act (AFIA) grant. An IDA is a trust-like bank account that helps you save your earnings to go to school, buy a home, or start a business. When you make a deposit to the account, a participating non-profit organization matches your deposit. The typical match is one dollar for each dollar that you deposit. The Federal government adds an additional match, limited to $2,000 for an individual or $4,000 for a household over the life of the program (usually five years).

If you have an IDA through TANF or an AFIA grant, we do not count any earnings you deposit into your account, any matching deposits, or any interest earned as SSI income or resources. As a result, your SSI benefits may increase. Note: IDAs that are not federally funded are not exempt from SSI and will be counted under the income and resource rules of SSI.
The Social Security Administration does not determine whether you are eligible to have an IDA. For more information about IDAs and to locate a program in your area, visit: www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/afi/index.html.

In Nebraska contact:

Community Action of Nebraska, Inc.
1120 K StreetSuite 100
Lincoln, NE 68508

Partners for this network include Voices for Children in Nebraska, Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraska, Lincoln Action Program, Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, and Family Housing Advisory Services, which administer IDA programs locally; and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services ? Division of Children and Family Services, which administers State and Federal aid programs and provides outreach and referral services for the AFI project.

The Residential Care Consortium
1237 South 110th Street
Omaha, NE 68104
(207) 221-6774
Partners for this grant include foster and residential care systems in Savannah, GA;,Easton, PA;,and Louisville, KY.