Resources for
People with Special Needs
In Blair County
Benefits Counseling
C.A.R.E.S. of Central PA
Community And Residential Empowerment Services
C.A.R.E.S. of Central PA provides in-depth counseling to individuals on the effect that work has on federal disability benefits. By using work incentive programs provided by the Social Security Administration, disability beneficiaries will be assisted in expanding their employment opportunities in order to reduce their dependence on federal disability benefits. The following is covered in this service: Inform and educate on the impact of CIE on SSI and SSDI. Inform on work incentives that enable individuals in CIE to maintain their SSI, Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps, and other benefits. Ticket To Work, Student Earned Income Exclusion, Plan to Achieving Self-Support, etc. Inform on income reporting requirements. Inform on work incentives counseling and planning services.
To Learn more or begin recieving these services.... Organization Address: 2013 Sandy Drive State College, PA 16803 (Admin Office and Employment Headquarters). Hours of Operation: All office hours for each service are 8am to 4pm. Phone Number: Monica Miller 570-225-5514, she handles all referrals for each service Email Address: mmiller@caresofcentralpa.org Eligibility Requirements: To participate in services, the individual needs to be at least 18 years old and in most cases, needs a physical/TB test within the last year to start services. We provide our services all through the Central PA region. The individual's location is most pertinent to day program services as location would determine which day program the individual attends and what zone transportation they are located in. They would need funding through a waiver or they could private pay to attend services. Cost: The cost would depend on which service the individual is interested in and the amount of hours/days they would be attending that service. For day program purposes, it depends on the amount of days the individual attends, if they need transportation, and what zone they are located in for transportation. Most services are often waiver/county funded or can be billed through private pay. Individuals would contact their county's intellectual disabilities and mental health office to have a case opened and work with a case worker to work on obtaining funding. Help paying for services: Individuals would contact their county's intellectual disabilities and mental health office to have a case opened and work with a case worker to work on obtaining funding. Funding is needs based and sometimes there are waiting lists. Benefits counseling: We provide benefits counseling through our Employment Coordinator/Benefits Counselor, Emily Martin. Referrals for this service go through Monica Miller. Private insurance: For the services we offer, we would not use/bill an individual's insurance. Steps to begin receiving services: Any individual that is looking for day program services, lifesharing/respite services, employment services, or benefits counseling in the Central PA region would reach out to Monica Miller at 570-225-5514 or mmiller@caresofcentralpa.org to discuss the referral process for a CARES of Central PA service. While determining which resources are the best for you or your loved one, this organization would like you to know: At C.A.R.E.S. of Central PA we are all about individual's choices and we are person centered. For day program, individuals are an integral part of their community. We are in the community at least 75% of the time at program working on building community connections, volunteering at local non-profit agencies, participating in educational and recreational activities, and working on skills that are important to each individual. Individuals help choose their daily activities each day to work on important skills such as time management, decision making, and team building skills. Many of our fun activities for day program can be seen on our "CARES of Central PA Inc," FaceBook page (Link Below). Our employment service has a high success rate of people obtaining employment and getting out into the workforce. Day program also helps prepare individuals for employment by volunteering, building community connections, and working on various skills to help them in the job seeking process. All Service Categories C.A.R.E.S. of Central PA is Listed Under: Day Program Finding Employment Employment Training Life Sharing Services Respite Services Benefits Counseling
The Learning Community of PA
Benefits Counseling is a new service that assists understanding SSI, SSDI, Food stamps, assisted housing funding, and how working can affect benefits.
To Learn more or begin recieving these services.... What steps does someone need to take to begin receiving services/attend your program? If a person is not already signed up with an ODP waiver they can Self-refer to Southern Alleghenies Services Management 814-949-2912. A person can also Self-refer to Office of Vocational Rehabilitation 814-946-7240 Address: 125 Maple Hollow Road Duncansville, PA 16635-7920 Hours of Operation: Office hours are Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Program Hours varies by plan development. Phone Number: 814-949-1905 Email address: clansberry@tlcofpa.org Eligibility Requirements: We are currently only providing services in Blair County. We accept Office of Developmental Programs, ODP, waivers, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, OVR, or private pay. What is the cost for the people you serve? Cost is predetermined by ODP and OVR. In most cases there is no cost to service seekers. Is there any help to pay for services? Funding through ODP and OVR Is there benefits counseling? Yes, we are certified to provide benefits counseling. Do you accept private insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare? Private insurance does not cover the services we provide. Medicaid and Medicare are built into ODP waivers. To learn more, go to: https://tlcofpa.org/ FOR DAY PROGRAMS Is one-on-one assistance available? Yes Is there transportation to and from the program? Is there a fee for this? Transportation is part of all services with the exception of once a person is employed at a location. We will assist with connecting to public transportation where available. Schedule/Activities: Activities are customized to the person and their interest. While determining which resources are the best for you or your loved one, this organization would like you to know: There are other options for most services. Picking the provider should be a matching fit that works for the service seeker and the provider. Other Service Categories the Learning Community is listed under: Finding Employment Employment training Independent Living Group Homes Assisted Living Benefits Counseling