Getting a good job without losing benefits
by Ben
Ben Trockman
In my last post I promised you I’d be back to explain how I found the M.E.D. Works program offered in Indiana and how that program allowed me to start my career at Old National Bank while continuing to receive Medicaid benefits.
Well, here you go: soon after I graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Public Relations, Old National Bank in Evansville offered me a position as a Community Outreach & Employment Specialist. A job offer right out of college — amazing, right?
The purpose of my role at Old National is to help make our community become a better place for hiring people with disabilities (PWD). This includes educating employers and making them more comfortable with those individuals with disabilities. I am also challenged with learning the never-ending list of resources available (people and programs) and helping those PWD with building their resumes and their job readiness skills.
Over the past few months, my boss and I have already helped three individuals network in our community, mend their resumes, and improve their understanding and attitude of the hiring process. The ultimate goal of our work is to match these individuals strengths with a caring employer that will not only give them a job, but start them on a path to a prosperous career.
I’ve also been meeting with numerous providers for PWD, including vocational rehab professionals and multiple passionate advocates. I’ve even met up with the disability coordinator at my alma mater, the University of Southern Indiana. I want to learn as much as I can about all the resources available for PWD in our community so that I may be able to direct a person with a certain problem to the right resource. Let’s get it right the first time!
One example of the programs available is the M.E.D. Works program I mentioned earlier. The “M.E.D.” stands for Medicaid for Employees with Disabilities, and after enrolling, it allows a person with a disability in Indiana to increase their income without losing the valuable resources offered by Medicaid.
Finding this M.E.D. Works program was very difficult for me, and I had to work with an attorney to understand the rules, and how to appropriately sign up for M.E.D. Works. It took me about three months to research and finally enroll in this program.
Now that I know how to sign up for the program and I’ve experienced the process myself, I will be able to help other individuals sign up for M.E.D. Works, too, so they won’t have to worry about losing their benefits. Believe me, before I enrolled in MED Works, the idea of losing my benefits was keeping me awake at night! I don’t want anyone to have to go through that!
I give you that example as just one of the many things I am starting to learn so that I can share them with others and help them be successful in their lives. Old National Bank and I are dedicated to helping individuals in our community, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be a part of this organization. I don’t think there are many businesses out there that would hire a guy like me to help their community in this fashion. I can only keep smiling about all of the tremendous change and positive outcomes that we are going to accomplish along the way.
Get advice from pros on how to launch a career when you have a disability.
November 1st, 2014 at 9:35 am
Hey, my grandson decided to go to job corp when he was 21. He wanted to become a chef…now, the job corp center he is in is closing…we are not sure whAt to do with him..is there anyone who can help him before he becomes homeless again??