Companions On Your Journey, LLC

04/15/2026

ABLE accounts can promote financial health for people with disabilities. These accounts can be especially useful under certain circumstances:

The topic of ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) accounts has come up recently with several client families. Here is a quick refresher on the basics of ABLE. • A person is eligible to open and use an ABLE account if her/his disability meets the Social Security definition, whether or not s/he...

02/24/2026

A person with a disability may be eligible for more than one disability benefit through the Social Security Administration. Here is a guide to understanding how those benefits may interact with each other:

In my last two blogs, I talked about when applicants might or might not be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits. In this one, I will talk about what happens when an applicant is not only eligible for benefits, but eligible for more than one, either concurrently or sequentially. I will st...

02/16/2026

Eligibility for Social Security Disability is multi-faceted. A claimant needs to meet all the criteria to qualify for a particular benefit:

In my last blog, I shared examples of how a person who is applying for Social Security Disability benefits—either SSI or SSDI—must demonstrate that her/his conditions are expected to be long term and are significant enough to prevent the person from performing Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA),...

02/05/2026

If you have a significant disabling condition, you may think you are clearly eligible for Social Security Disability Benefits. However, there are multiple criteria and an applicant must meet them all:

My older son is applying for postsecondary programs. He does not have a lot of patience for administrative processes, so he requires a lot of handholding. He figures that since he has decent grades and since he will be getting his diploma, he meets the admissions criteria. My response is yes, but…...

01/22/2026

If you or a loved one receives Social Security Disability benefits and also works, you need to understand Impairment Related Work Expenses and Subsidies and Special Conditions:

“When is a door no longer a door? When it is ajar.” The old children’s joke could be rewritten for Social Security Disability in this way “When is earned income no longer countable income? When it is IRWE or Subsidy.” In my last blog, I said that people with disabilities, who work and rece...

01/15/2026

If you are on SSDI or SSI for disability, the new Automatic Wage Information System sounds good, but should you really rely on it or keep reporting on your own? https://www.companionsonyourjourney.com/post/i-m-from-the-government-and-i-m-here-to-help

06/27/2025

I'm pleased to share that I just passed the Social Security Administration's EDPNA exam as well as the Certified Medicaid Planner exam by the Board of the same name. The EDPNA certification attests to my capacity to guide my clients through the Social Security Disability application and appeals process and leverage Work Incentives. The Certified Medicaid Planner credential attests to my capacity to help clients access the Medicaid Long-term Care and Waiver services to support their quility of life.

04/28/2025

If you are applying for or receive Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) for disability or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you know that an unexpected letter from the Social Security Administration can be unsettling. Staying calm, finding all the information and talking to a professional can help: https://www.companionsonyourjourney.com/post/stay-calm-and-file-the-appropriate-forms

04/21/2025

If you are a youth or young adult with an intellectual disability who is thinking about college (or the family of one), consider coming to my session "What an Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSEP Program Can Do for You," at the ARC of Ilinois' 75th Annual Convention:

Featured April 22 @ 9:00 am - April 23 @ 4:00 pm 75th Annual Convention Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel & Conference Center 201 Broadway, Normal, IL, United States The Arc of Illinois 75th Annual Convention will be presented in a hybrid format! In-Person: The Convention will be held at the Marriot...

03/11/2025

Why deficit-based definitions of “disability” are self-defeating: https:

Work requirements have been raised in the past and are surfacing again in the context of Medicaid reform. In my nearly two decades of work with people with disabilities and their families, I have met few people with disabilities who do not want to work. Instead, I have met many people with disabilit...