In Michigan, disabled people struggling to find work may soon have relief under a plan that would provide employment assistance. The plan was released earlier this month by state officials and disability advocates who want to address shortfalls in the disability safety network that make things unnecessarily difficult for the disabled.
A report released earlier this month by a coalition comprised of the Michigan Department of Human Services as well as advocates and employers, highlighted a number of a changes that need to take place in order to adequately address the issue. Among the issues the report mentioned were: the income level at which individuals become ineligible for Social Security disability payments; the difficulty employers have in understanding disability law and public policy; and the challenging young disabled adults face in finding work. These are only some of the issues the plan would like to address.
All of these and other issues are very real for the disabled community and the state does well to address them. Based on the comments of those involved in the initiative, Michigan is among the only states to address the problem in such a comprehensive way. Hopefully the good start reaches fruition in real, positive changes for disabled Michigan residents.
Disability doesn’t have to be an unnecessary struggle for those who live with it. Those who qualify for Social Security disability benefits are able to receive compensation appropriate to their disability. Those who feel they may qualify for SSDI should work with an experienced attorney in putting together a solid application.
Source: lsj.com, “Advocates push for more to be done to employ people with disabilities,” August 11, 2014.