Benefits Counseling as a Tool to Improve Employment Outcomes for Youth Who Receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 
Young people with disabilities, especially those who receive SSI, need policies, programs, and interventions that can help them make a smooth transition into adult life, particularly into employment. However, many youth receiving SSI benefits fall behind their peers when it comes to achieving economic success and independence as adults, which raises questions about the effectiveness of existing supports. This issue is of particular policy interest given the major growth in the number of youth receiving SSI benefits over the past decade. Part 1 of this five-part webinar series will explore how benefits counseling, when paired with other interventions, can improve employment outcomes for young people with disabilities.

This session will highlight:

• The effect that benefits counseling has on employment outcomes
• Best practices in benefits counseling, including strategies on when to provide benefits counseling to transition-age youth (such as before, during, or after employment)
• Lessons learned from large-scale studies on the provision of benefits counseling

Speakers:

Jeff Hemmeter, economist
Office of Research, Demonstrations, and Employment Support, U.S. Social Security Administration

Thomas Golden, executive director
Institute on Employment and Disability, Cornell University 

Ellie Hartman, project manager, WI PROMISE 
Department of Workforce Development
University of Wisconsin-Stout

Moderator, Kelli Crane, assistant research professor
College of Education
University of Maryland, College Park 

• Date: Wednesday, January 17, at 2 p.m. (EST) 60 minutes
• To register: Register in advance by clicking on the link below.
  https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/1568036/23D1DC53C5D4CFCDE5FC6CF9F90AA315