Transition: Finance Resources
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“Secure Your Financial Future” Toolkit
The U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration has created the “Secure Your Financial Future” toolkit for individuals with disabilities. The toolkit provides clear and accurate financial information based on where you are in your employment journey.
The toolkit is designed to help you meet your financial goals when you are:
“Should I Use a Special Needs Trust or an ABLE Account?”
The Arc’s Center for Future Planning has created this free resource to help you decide whether a special needs trust or ABLE account is right for you.
“What You Need to Know About Your Supplemental Security Income (SSI) When You Turn 18”
This publication helps youth prepare for the transition from school to adult life. It provides information about SSI work incentives that primarily affect youth, as well as information about common programs and services that parents, guardians and youth may find helpful. Specific programs covered include the Student Earned Income Exclusion, SSI Continued Payments (Section 301), vocational rehabilitation and the Department of Education’s Parent Centers. Information on Medicaid, the importance of keeping health insurance and having a primary care provider are also included.
ABLE Accounts, which are tax-advantaged savings accounts for individuals with disabilities and their families, were created as a result of the passage of the Stephen Beck Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014 or better known as the ABLE Act
The ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience Act) National Resource Center provides information and best practices related to tax-advantaged ABLE savings accounts and federal and state-related ABLE programs and activities.
Benefits.gov is an online resource to help you find federal benefits you may be eligible for in the United States. The Benefit Finder questionnaire can help you find benefits you may be eligible to receive – such as healthcare and medical assistance, financial assistance, loans and disaster relief – and direct you to the agency to apply.
Developmental Disabilities Transition Resources for Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois Case Coordination Services (SICCS) provides this Developmental Disability Transition Resources guide to provide an overview of the person-first services and supports for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.
SICCS serves Alexander, Bond, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Edwards, Fayette, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Massac, Monroe, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Richland, Saline, Union, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White and Williamson counties.
Available services include PUNS (Prioritization for Urgency of Need for Services). PUNS is the name for the list of the people in Illinois with developmental disabilities who want or need services but do not yet have funding.
DSCC and Illinois LEND’s Transition Resources for Hispanic Teens in the Chicago Area
The transition to adulthood can be a challenging time for both adolescents and their parents. These challenges can be more difficult when the adolescent has a disability.
Illinois LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities) and the Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) partnered to provide helpful information about the unique challenges Hispanic families can face during the transition to adulthood. This resource list is aimed at transition-age teenagers and their families in the Chicago area:
DSCC’s Financial Skills Checklist
The Division of Specialized Care for Children’s (DSCC) Financial Skills Checklist provides information to help youth identify money management skills they have mastered, and the areas where they may need additional focus. Some of these activities may not apply to everyone.
DSCC’s Point of Entry to Services in Illinois for Individuals With Developmental Disabilities (PUNS) Tip Sheet
The Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) created this tip sheet to help youth with special healthcare needs and their families learn about registering for PUNS. PUNS stands for Prioritization of Urgency of Need for Services. It is the point of entry to services in Illinois for individuals with developmental disabilities.
The Illinois Department of Human Services’ Division of Developmental Disabilities uses the PUNS database to identify who needs services and what services they need.
Children, teens and adults with developmental disabilities who need or want services or supports can enroll in PUNS.
DSCC’s Using Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to Get Ready for Your Future Tip Sheet
The Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) created this tip sheet to help youth with special healthcare needs and their families learn more about Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSI can help pay for food, clothing and housing needs. It also helps you keep your medical benefits.
The tip sheet includes:
- Steps for applying for SSI
- Work incentives
- Where to look for more information
DSCC’s Using Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to Get Ready for Your Future Tip Sheet in English
DSCC’s Using Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to Get Ready for Your Future Tip Sheet in Spanish