What is WorkWORLD?

WorkWorld is computer software that helps people and their benefits counselors or case managers to review and manage their income and healthcare benefits in ways that permit them to complete training and become employed. WorkWORLD is known as decision support software. That is, it functions to help people make their decisions. It records information, and can make calculations, but the decisions about the results are left in the individual's hands.

How does it work?

The first thing to know is that all information is kept confidential - only the person concerned can release the information. A person with a disability, working with his or her benefits counselor, provides information about himself or herself, such as name, age, marital status, and children. Then he or she will be asked what public benefits are received: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), housing subsidy, food stamps, veterans benefits, college scholarships, and so forth.

When WorkWORLD has finished asking all of its questions about current benefits, it should present a result that exactly matches what the individual currently receives. Once this is done, then the person and his or her counselor can ask some "what if" questions. "What if" I got a job at minimum wage - could I still keep my SSI and Medicaid. Figures for this situation are entered, and then WorkWORLD will show the impact on the person's benefits.

Suppose that the income from a job at minimum wage would mean the loss of some much-needed benefits, so the individual decides it is not worth it. Then another "what if" question can be asked. "What if" I got a job at minimum wage, but I also used one of the Work Incentives allowed by the Social Security Administration, such as a PASS plan? With a Plan for Achieving Self Support, perhaps the individual would discover, for example, that with certain income not counted because it is designated for work-related expenses, he or she could work and still receive full benefits.

This is how WorkWORLD supports a person's decisions - helping to make decisions in the "real world", understanding the choices he or she could make and what would be the consequences of each.

To find out more about WorkWORLD, visit the WorkWorld website. The Employment Support Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University sponsors this site. WorkWORLD was developed over a seven-year period of testing, under contract from the Social Security Administration. At this site, you can find a wealth of information about the software, download it to your computer and work through some tutorial materials to learn to use it.

Caution:

WorkWorld is a complex software application. It takes time to learn to use it. It takes even more time to learn about all of the regulations that affect public benefits. Using WorkWORLD with a benefits counselor or case manager trained in its use is highly recommended. See the "About Us" button to learn about the Kansas Benefits Counselors Network, and the "Contact Us" button to locate a benefits counselor near you.

WorkWORLD Training

The WorkWORLD website currently provides a few elementary training materials, in addition to the program that can be downloaded through the Internet. On the Download a main page and five case profiles are provided. These may also be downloaded and once WorkWORLD is running on your computer, they can be imported for reviewing. This page also contains a “WorkWORLD Case Worksheet,” which assists you in identifying the information you will need to gather to review your own benefit situation.

A second page is also provided. This page is accessible directly from the WorkWORLD Home Page and it concerns Distance Learning. Through these modules (two are currently available), the Employment Support Institute at Virginia Common-wealth University seeks to address various questions about the software and how it is being used throughout the country. Also, information will be available about the VCU/ESI training programs in Richmond, VA, that will result in certification as a WorkWORLD user.

Again, we feel we need to issue a caution that, while the availability of WorkWORLD software on the Internet may make the issues of benefits management seem simple, real-life situations are very complex. We recommend that, if you download WorkWORLD for use in reviewing your own benefits, that you consult a benefits counselor or a Customer Service Representative at the Social Security Administration before taking any actions.

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