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Benefits Planning, Assistance, and Outreach Program (BPAO)

NOTE: In May 2006, the Social Security Administration (SSA) issued a new competitive Request for Application (RFA) for the former Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach (BPAO) Program. Because of an increased emphasis on work incentives, return to work supports and jobs for beneficiaries, the Program was renamed the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Program. It became effective September 30, 2006 with awards to 99 WIPA projects in 49 States. However, SSA did not receive sufficient qualifying proposals to provide full national coverage.

The ultimate goal of the new WIPA projects is to support the successful employment of beneficiaries with disabilities. Some of the differences in the new projects are as follows:

Benefit Specialists under the WIPA program will be referred to as Community Work Incentives Coordinators (CWICS) and will be focusing on improved community partnerships. One of the ways in which this will be done is by conducting periodic Work Incentives Seminars (WISE) to provide beneficiaries with disabilities the opportunity to meet directly with WIPAs, Employment Networks (EN), and public and private community-based organizations. Each WISE is expected to last approximately 2 hours and will provide beneficiaries with information about available work incentives and job supports needed to either assign their Ticket or pursue other employment options. The Program Manager for Recruitment and Outreach (PMRO) will plan the WISE, with assistance from the WIPA’s, CWICs and input from SSA.

The WIPAs will work with the PMRO to provide marketing services for SSA's work incentives programs, including the Ticket to Work Program.

See the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Program topic for complete information about the new program.

NOTE: Information below refers to the original Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach (BPAO) program, and is provided for archival purposes.

As authorized by the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999, the Social Security Administration (SSA) established a grant program called Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach (BPAO). Under this program, cooperative agreements (monetary awards) were granted to community-based organizations, called BPAO Projects, to provide all SSA beneficiaries with disabilities (including transition-to-work aged youth) access to free work incentives planning and assistance services.

The goal of the Benefits Planning, Assistance, and Outreach (BPAO) Program is to better enable SSA's beneficiaries with disabilities to make informed choices about work. Cooperative agreements were awarded to organizations throughout every State, the District of Columbia, and the US Territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Each BPAO Project has Benefits Specialists who will:

·        Provide work incentives planning and assistance to SSA beneficiaries with disabilities,

·        Conduct outreach efforts to those beneficiaries (and their families), who are potentially eligible to participate in Federal or State work incentives programs, and

·        Work in cooperation with Federal, State, and private agencies and nonprofit organizations that serve beneficiaries with disabilities.

SSA has contracted with Cornell University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the University of Missouri-Columbia, to provide technical assistance and training to all BPAO Benefits Specialists on SSA disability programs and work incentives, the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and on other Federal work incentives programs. Each local BPAO Program organization must provide training and technical assistance to their Benefits Specialists about their own State and local programs and their effects on other programs' eligibility and benefits.

These services are free to persons receiving Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income benefits based on disability or blindness.

You can locate the Benefits Planning, Assistance, and Outreach project nearest you by calling toll-free 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY/TDD) for the hearing impaired. You can also find a list with contact information for the local organizations in each State and territory on the Internet at: http://www.ssa.gov/work/ServiceProviders/BPAODirectory.html.

See Also:

Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Program

Work Incentive Liaison (WIL)

Area Work Incentives Coordinator (AWIC)

PASS Cadre

Disability Program Navigator (DPN)

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