When

March 30 - June 23, 2023

Where

This is an online event via Zoom.

For more information on the Zoom platform, please visit https://youtu.be/hIkCmbvAHQQ prior to the event.

Contact

Susan Harrell 
susan@gowise.org 

Public Benefits and Work Incentives Course 


Washington State, in collaboration with Cornell University, is offering a Benefits Planning credentialling opportunity with the intent of developing Washington State benefits planning resources. 

Since the course is funded by the Washington State Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA), priority will be given to those working in roles which most directly benefit DDA clients; however, there will be additional seats available for other community partners. For additional information about this course, please see the “Curriculum Description". 

Course Enrollment 

Enrollment is limited to 30 seats. If you are interested in participating in the course, you must complete an application at the link, found below, by February 7, 2023. Applicants will be notified regarding course enrollment by February 10, 2023.  

Priority will be given to professionals interacting with public benefits in the service of WA State individuals including: 

  • Guardians and Representative Payees 
  • Government Agency Program and Policy Managers 
  • Financial Planners and HR Professionals 
  • Employment Networks and Vocational Providers 
  • Teachers, Special education and other High School and Transition staff 

Following the online Cornell Course, access to an on-demand Washington State-specific course totaling about 10 hours in duration will be provided. This course is required to get the comprehensive certificate of completion.  

About the Instructors 

  • Raymond Cebula received his J.D. from the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law in 1982. He spent a total of 23 years working with legal services providing direct representation to individuals with disabilities having legal issues with the SSA.  He became part of Cornell University’s Work Incentive Support Center in 2000, and in January of 2005, Ray accepted a position with ILR's Yang-Tan Institute on Employment & Disability where he now serves as the Program Director of the Work Incentive Support Center. 

  • Edwin J Lopez-Soto is an attorney who has been working in the Employment and Disability arena for 40 years.He has learned that getting an individual on disability benefits may be only the first step to helping the individual become self-sufficient. As a result, he has dedicated himself to training professionals to work with individuals with disabilities to become independent and get out of poverty. Edwin has been employed through the ILR’s Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability since 2009, where he now serves as a Senior Extension Associate. 

 

Class Schedule 

  • 2:30—4 p.m. March 30-April 25, 2023 (Tues. and Thurs.) 

  • 3-5 p.m. April 28th (Friday, overlapping with attorney and law professional training group) 

  • 2:30-4 p.m. May 2 -May 25, 2023 

  • 2:30-4 p.m. June 6 Exam review session (optional)  

  • June 19-June 23 Exam week (specific time to be determined by student)