Employment & Work Supports
Explore Kansas employment programs that help individuals with disabilities prepare for, find, and keep meaningful work while protecting benefits and healthcare coverage.
This section will cover the following:
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Every section includes:
✓ Overview ✓ Eligibility ✓ How to Apply ✓ Helpful Resources
Work is more than just a paycheck—it’s a way to gain independence, build skills, and participate fully in the community. Kansans with disabilities have access to a variety of programs that provide training, career planning, and ongoing support to help them find and keep meaningful employment. These programs, offered through federal and state initiatives like Kansas Working Healthy, STEPS, WORK, Vocational Rehabilitation, and the SSA Ticket to Work Program, are designed to meet individual needs, protect benefits, and make the transition to work smoother and more successful. Understanding what each program offers, who qualifies, and how to apply can help families and individuals take the next step toward a fulfilling career.
Kansas Working Healthy (Kansas’ Medicaid Buy-in Program)
About
The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (P.L. 106-170), passed by the 106th Congress, created the Kansas Medicaid Buy-In Program, also known as Kansas Working Healthy. This program provides individuals with disabilities who are working or interested in working with the opportunity to maintain their Medicaid coverage while employed, even if their income or assets exceed the regular Medicaid limits.
Working Healthy enables individuals with disabilities to earn more, save more, pursue their career goals, and maintain their health coverage. The program is federally overseen by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and managed at the state level by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).
Eligibility
To qualify for Working Healthy and affiliated programs, a person must:
Be between 16 and 64 years of age.
Be employed (earning more than $65 per month, federal minimum wage or better, FICA withholding from wages or pay SECA if self-employed).
Have a total countable income of less than 300% of the Federal Poverty Level.
Not receiving Home and Community Based Services.
Not be an SSI recipient.
Not living in a nursing facility; and
Have countable resources that are less than $15,000.
How To
To apply for Kansas Working Healthy, individuals must submit an application form called the KC-1500. Individuals can apply by:
Contacting the benefits specialist in their region and requesting assistance with applying for the program.
Calling the KanCare Clearinghouse at 1-800-792-4884 and requesting an application.
Applying for Working Healthy online at Apply For KanCare.ks.gov
Kansas Supports and Training for Employing People Successfully (STEPS): Empowering Successful Employment
About
Enacted on July 1, 2021, Kansas Supports and Training for Employing People Successfully (STEPS) is a voluntary trial program within KanCare that helps individuals with disabilities and/or behavioral health conditions become employed and live more independently. The STEPS program is part of the larger Working Healthy initiative.
STEPS can serve up to 500 people who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and meet the eligibility criteria. The program is run by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). The goal of STEPS is to help people find and keep work without losing their Social Security benefits or health insurance.
Services offered through STEPS may include:
Job skills training (Pre-Vocational Services)
Independent Living Skills Training
Personal Assistant Services
Transportation help
Supported Employment
Assistive Technology
Community Service Coordination
Eligibility
To be eligible for STEPS, an individual must be:
A Kansas resident between the ages of 16 and 65
People who want to work and keep their employment
People who meet the Social Security Administration's definition of disability
People with income at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level
Individuals who have certain behavioral health diagnoses, such as:
Schizophrenia
Bipolar disorder
Major depression
Delusional disorders
Personality disorders
Psychosis not otherwise specified
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Substance use disorder (SUD) or co-occurring SUD
SSI recipients on Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waitlists for intellectual/developmental disability, brain injury, or physical disability, or those willing to leave their current HCBS waiver
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment may also request medical or mental health records to confirm that someone meets the requirements.
How To
To apply for STEPS, individuals can contact the STEPS Program Manager, Erin Sanders-Hahs, at erin.sandershahs@ks.gov. Individuals can also contact her for information on partnering with the program or to request a presentation about the STEPS program.
Resources
Work Opportunities Reward Kansans (WORK) Program
About
The Kansas Medicaid Buy-In program, Working Healthy, was enacted in 2002 and later amended in 2015 under the KanCare 1115 Demonstration Waiver. This program provides the legal foundation for the Work Opportunities Reward Kansans (WORK) Program.
The WORK Program lets people with disabilities work, earn money, and still keep Medicaid coverage, providing extra supports to help people stay employed and independent. Participants must work, or be actively engaged in, at least 40 hours of employment each month, and can earn up to 300% of the federal poverty level while keeping health insurance. Participants often earn over $2,800+ monthly, with potential for premiums, provided they meet specific criteria.
WORK supports include:
Personal Assistance Services (PAS)
Supported Employment Services
Assistive Technology
Independent Living Counseling (ILC)
Eligibility
To qualify for WORK services, individuals must:
Qualify for Working Healthy
Be employed
Be 16–64 years old
Be receiving, waitlisted for, or recently screened for one of the following:
Intellectual/Developmental Disability (IDD) waiver
Brain Injury (BI) waiver
Physical Disability (PD) waiver
Need help with at least two daily activities (like bathing, dressing, or eating)
How To
To apply for this program, individuals should:
Contact their local Working Healthy Benefits Specialist
If appropriate, the Working Healthy Benefits Specialist will send a referral to the WORK Program Manager
The Program Manager reviews waiver eligibility and may set up a WORK assessment
If approved, services are scheduled.
Before services can start, you must turn in these forms by the 18th of the month:
An Individualized Budget
An Emergency Backup Plan
A signed WORK Consumer Agreement Form
All required fiscal paperwork (for both you and your service providers), submitted to the Fiscal Management Services (FMS) provider
Resources
For more information on Work Opportunities Reward Kansans (WORK) Program contact sherri.marney@ks.gov or call (785) 296-8009.
Kansas Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)
About
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112) created the legal foundation for the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program. At the national level, VR is overseen by the U.S. Department of Education. In Kansas, it is run by the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) through Kansas Rehabilitation Services (KRS).
The goal of VR is to help Kansans with disabilities prepare for, find, and keep employment. Services are designed to fit each person’s needs, skills, interests, and abilities.
VR services may include:
Vocational assessments to help you identify your skills, abilities, and job goals
Vocational counseling and guidance
Physical and mental restoration services (including artificial limbs, psychotherapy, and physical therapy)
Training and education to learn new vocational skills
Rehabilitation technology, telecommunication aids, and other adaptive devices
Job placement services
Employment support for students transitioning after high school
Supported employment services
Referrals to and coordination with other helpful programs
Eligibility
To receive VR services, you must meet all three parts of the following eligibility requirements:
You must have a physical or mental impairment or disability; and
Your disability must result in a substantial impediment to employment; and
You must require VR services to prepare for, secure, retain or regain employment.
Individuals who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) are presumed to be eligible to receive VR services.
How To
To apply for VR services, an individual must:
Complete a VR application and contact the VR professional assigned to your area
Or, call the Toll-Free number: 1-866-213-9079 to be referred to your local VR office
If a person is found eligible, they will be paired with a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, a professional who provides guidance and helps design a plan for employment. Together, they will create an Individual Plan for Employment (IPE). The IPE will outline:
Job goals
Services the individual will receive
When the services will happen
How progress will be measured
Once the plan is created, individuals will choose a provider who will support them day to day in achieving the employment goal outlined in their IPE. Once they have successfully reached their job goals and maintained employment, their case is closed, marking the completion of Vocational Rehabilitation services.
Additionally, individuals exiting Vocational Rehabilitation services may qualify for a crisis exception, allowing them to be moved to the top of the Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) Waiver waitlist.
SSA Ticket to Work Program (Federal) / Trial Work Period (TWP)
About
The Ticket to Work (TTW) Program is a federal program offered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to help people with disabilities who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) return to work or increase employment.
It provides access to employment services, vocational rehabilitation, job training, and ongoing support while protecting benefits.
The Trial Work Period (TWP) is a provision under SSDI that allows beneficiaries to test their ability to work without losing benefits. During the TWP, beneficiaries can earn any amount of income for a set number of months while maintaining full SSDI benefits.
Eligibility
Must be receiving SSDI or SSI benefits.
Be between the ages of 18 and retirement age.
For TWP specifically:
Must be on SSDI.
SSA tracks months in which earnings exceed a “trial work threshold.” Typically, TWP allows 9 months (not necessarily consecutive) where you can test work activity without losing benefits.
How To
Ticket to Work:
Check eligibility: SSA automatically assigns eligible individuals a “ticket” or they can request one.
Choose an Employment Network (EN) or state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agency in Kansas to provide support services.
Work with the EN/VR to develop an employment plan.
Participate in training, career planning, and job placement.
Trial Work Period (TWP):
SSA automatically monitors earnings each month.
If earnings exceed the TWP threshold (adjusted annually, e.g., ~$1,120/month in 2026), that month counts as a TWP month.
After completing 9 TWP months, the Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE) begins, allowing beneficiaries to keep benefits for certain months even while working.
TITLE
About
A Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) is a Social Security Administration program allowing individuals with disabilities who receive SSI to set aside income/resources for a specified time to reach a work goal. It helps cover costs like education, training, equipment, or business startup, enabling recipients to become self-sufficient.
Eligibility
To be eligible, an individual must:
Be receiving, or qualify for, SSI benefits
Identify a specific job or self-employment goal that will enable self-sufficiency
List expenses needed to reach this goal, such as tuition, vocational training, equipment, or specialized transportation
Have income (other than SSI) or resources to fund the plan
Fill out the Plan to Achieve Self-Support form
How To
Fill out the Plan to Achieve Self-Support form, detailing a specific job goal, necessary expenses, and a timeline.
Then, submit to your local SSA office.