To recieve benefits counseling, a referral from the New Jersey Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services is required. Find out more about DVRS here.
Your DVRS counselor will talk with you about making benefits planning a part of your Pre-Employment Transitioning Service Agreement or your Individualized Plan for Employment. You and your counselor will decide which components of benefits planning are right for your individualized needs.
Benefits Counseling will:
- Help you establish an earnings goal
- Help you understand how work can impact current state assistance you may be receiving and keep those benefits while working, such as
- SSDI and SSI
- Housing assistance
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/food stamps
- Healthcare benefits, including Medicare and Medicaid
- Keep in touch as you progress towards your employment goal
- Help you report your earnings to Social Security
- Help you identify supports after your DVRS case is closed
When your DVRS counselor refers you to the RCAAS, our Benefits Counselor will become a part of your support team. Your Benefits Counselor will work with you throughout your DVRS case and will assist you in connecting to additional resources after your DVRS case is closed, all at no cost to you.
Your Benefits Counselor at the RCAAS will be RebeccaMae Bowers, the RCAAS Business Manager. RebeccaMae earned her Master’s degree in Public Administration with a concentration in budgeting and financial management from Rutgers-Newark. Prior to her earning her Master’s, she had earned her B.A. in Labor Relations from Rutgers, New Brunswick and an Associate’s Degree in Accounting from Middlesex Community College. RebeccaMae is currently working towards her CPA.