NENA News
September 2023
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August 9, 2023 A Reminder About Documenting Discussion Summaries in Individual Work Plans As a reminder to Employment Networks (EN), the Social Security Administration (SSA) has summarized the requirements for documenting discussion summaries with your Ticketholders. Your services must include engaging in a one-on-one, individualized discussion involving career planning, goal development, and EN support and services. You must document the discussion and include it on the Individual Work Plan (IWP), or in a separate document attached to the IWP. At a minimum, the discussion summary should include: Date of the discussion Modality of the discussion (e.g., face-to-face, telephone, etc.) A synopsis that includes:
You have two options for documenting the discussion summary: 1. Use IWP Form SSA-1370 or your EN’s own IWP template If you’re using the SSA-1370, you can add the discussion date and modality in Part Two, Documentation of the EN-Ticketholder Discussion, Section 1, under “Discussion Arrangement”. If no other terms and conditions are identified, you can add the discussion summary under Part Three, number 15, of the same form. If you’re using your EN’s own IWP template, you should update it to include a discussion summary section. 2. Create a separate document attached to the IWP for the discussion summary In addition to the discussion date, modality, and summary, this document should include EN Name, EN Provider Identification number (PID), Ticketholder Name, and Social Security number. Signatures are not required. The discussion summary must be maintained with all other Ticketholder records and be available upon request by SSA or the Ticket Program Manager. For additional details, please refer to the July 17, 2023, TPA, Section 4.A.1. If you have any questions about completing this requirement or general questions about the discussion summary, contact Program Integrity at ProgramIntegrity@yourtickettowork.ssa.gov
August 28, 2023 July 2023 All Employment Network (EN) Payments Call Material Now Available The July 25, 2023, All EN Payments Call post-conference material has been posted to the service provider website’s Events Archives page Material Now Available: Webinar Presentation Audio Presentation Transcript Recap & Highlights Reminder: The next All EN Payments Call is scheduled for Tuesday, October 31, at 1:00 p.m. ET. Here is a link to the Calendar of Events, where you can find the full schedule of the 2023 National calls.
August 30, 2023 SSA proposed rule regarding SSI This SSA rule is still in the proposed stage so it is not final. We will monitor it as it progresses and let you know if a final rule is issued: The proposed rule makes it easier for all SSI recipients to avoid an In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM) reduction in benefits, which applies if an SSI recipient receives what SSA considers to be subsidized rent, usually due to help from friends and family. If an SSI recipient is paying rent or shelter expenses below current market value, SSA generally reduces the individual’s SSI benefits. However, due to litigation, in seven states (Connecticut, New York, Vermont, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Texas) SSA applies a more lenient threshold about what counts as subsidized rent. SSI recipients in these states are only considered to be receiving rental subsidies if their rent is below 1/3 the federal SSI benefit rate, which is almost always lower than the current market value. Under the new proposed rule SSA seeks to extend this more lenient policy to all SSI recipients nationwide. As a result, SSI recipients will be able to receive more help with housing costs from friends and family without losing some of their SSI benefits. Comments on the NPRM are due on October 23, 2023. Social Security Administration Proposed Rules Expansion of the Rental Subsidy Policy for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Applicants and Recipients FR Document: 2023-18213 Citation: 88 FR 57910 From SSA: “We propose to revise our regulations by applying nationwide the In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM) rental subsidy exception that is currently in place for SSI applicants and recipients residing in seven States. The exception recognizes that a “business arrangement” exists when the amount of required monthly rent for a property equals or exceeds the presumed maximum value. This proposed rule would improve nationwide program uniformity, and, we expect, improve equality in the application of the rental subsidy policy.” Regulation Change: “2.In § 416.1130 revise paragraph (b) to read as follows: § 416.1130 Introduction * * * * * (b) How we define in-kind support and maintenance. In-kind support and maintenance means any food or shelter that is given to you or that you receive because someone else pays for it. Shelter includes room, rent, mortgage payments, real property taxes, heating fuel, gas, electricity, water, sewerage, and garbage collection services. You are not receiving in-kind support and maintenance in the form of room or rent if you are paying the amount charged under a business arrangement. A business arrangement exists when the amount of monthly rent required to be paid equals or exceeds the presumed maximum value described in § 416.1140(a)(1). If the required amount of rent is less than the presumed maximum value, we will impute as in-kind support and maintenance the difference between the required amount of rent and either the presumed maximum value or the current market rental value (see § 416.1101), whichever is less. In addition, cash payments to uniformed service members as allowances for on-base housing or privatized military housing are in-kind support and maintenance.”
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