The Basics

For people with disabilities, work is more of a possibility than ever before. Many people with disabilities are successful at meaningful jobs that they enjoy. With the right kind of training, preparation, and workplace accommodations, you can have a successful career.

A job can let you earn your own money and help you meet more people and make new friends.

But, you might worry that you will lose your benefits if you work. There are many myths about how working affects disability benefits and health coverage. You may also hear rumors about how hard it can be to get your benefits back if you stop working or need to work fewer hours.

We want to give you the facts about those myths, so you will feel comfortable and safe if you start working, and so you won’t worry about losing your benefits before you are ready.

The Social Security Administration and the state of Kentucky have built many safeguards into their benefits programs that will let you begin working without losing your benefits. These safeguards let you keep your cash benefits and health benefits, if you still need them, when you go to work or change how many hours you work.

In this section, we discuss seven common myths about working, explaining how they are misleading, and how they can discourage people with disabilities who want to work.