ADEN MEMBER TOOLS
BENEFICIARY OUTREACH
EVENT PLANNING GUIDE
As an ADEN Member, your mission is to serve
SSA disability beneficiaries that receive either
SSI or SSDI, or both benefits, and who are
between the ages of 18 – 64. The purpose of this
guide is to assist you in taking next steps in
finding disability beneficiaries, aka potential
ADEN Participants, and the steps required in
developing successful Beneficiary Outreach
Events.
Set the Date & Time – This part is obvious, but
setting your date also requires that you have the
right venue for the training event, and requires
consideration of the numbers of attendees you
are expecting. If holding your event in a space
that requires reservations, your first order of
business will require that you look at when the
space is available, which may be the deciding
factor in the date you choose. Beneficiary
Outreach events will include the use of the ADEN
approved presentation materials which provide
Participants with detailed information about how
SSA disability benefits are impacted by the return
to work. You should plan on 2 hours for this
event. Suggested times that seem to work for
these events are 10AM-12PM, or 1-3PM. You
should plan your event at least one month in
advance, so you will have time to properly
advertise.
Joining the Monthly ADEN Beneficiary
Outreach Event remotely - If you will be building
your Beneficiary Outreach Event around the
scheduled ADEN monthly live presentations,
these will occur the fourth Wednesday of each
month. You will be provided a link to join these
trainings remotely, and will need to provide a way
to project materials on a screen large enough for
viewing by potential Participants. Additionally, if
joining the events remotely, the ADEN POC will
need to facilitate the local event, in order to take
questions from Participants in your audience.
Marketing Flyer – Whether you are an ADEN
Member who is now presenting information
locally, or utilizing the ADEN live streaming
option, you will need to promote your event. In
order to do that, you should use the ADEN
approved Beneficiary Outreach marketing flyer.
Each Member will enter their local contact
information, the date of the event, and how to
register. POC should keep a running list of
individuals who have registered, including their
contact information.
Promote your Event - Promoting a Beneficiary
Outreach event can be done in a variety of ways.
Here are some suggested avenues:
•
Newspaper article describing event with
registration logistics
•
Local classified Ads/newspaper
•
Email List-Serves in your area
•
Local cable stations often offer free
advertising (text) for community events
•
Connecting with local SSA office, and
other Human Service Agencies with a
flyer
•
Radio advertisement (radio stations offer
free PSA’s)
Two weeks before your event – As you get
closer to the time of your event, you will want to
know if you have the number of attendees
registered that you were hoping to reach. If you
do not, you will need to repeat some of your
promotional efforts again, as some will hear or
read the announcement the second time around.
844.687.2336 • Deaf & Hard of hearing: 711 • [email protected] •
AmericanDreamEN.org
American Dream Employment Network, a division of National Disability Institute, is an authorized Social
Security Ticket to Work service provider.
The day before your event – On your
registration list, you should collect at least a name
and phone number, email is also very useful.
The day before you event, you should call each of
the individuals who have registered, and remind
them of the event, or leave a message for them
reminding them of the time and location.
Materials for your Event – The purpose of
ADEN Beneficiary Outreach Events is to educate
SSA disability beneficiaries about the benefits of
returning to work, and the work incentives that
are in place to make that happen. Many
beneficiaries have received misinformation about
how returning to work will impact benefits, and
therefore, may have decided it is too risky to
attempt. While the purpose of this event is to
inform beneficiaries about resources that can
assist them in the return to work, such as ADEN
services, State VR, and other supporting
programs such as Medicaid Buy-In Programs, the
primary goal is to provide accurate information
about how both SSI and SSDI benefits are
impacted by the return to work. By providing
detailed information about how SSA Work
Incentives can help both SSI and SSDI
beneficiaries, you will have provided a solid
foundation for each potential Participant, which
you can build on, for those that wish to move
forward with gainful employment. This will also
make subsequent meetings with each beneficiary
who is interested in moving forward easier for you
as you (or ADEN staff) have already covered all
the basics of how work incentives support the
transition to work.
Reminder - The purpose of a Beneficiary
Outreach event is to get beneficiaries excited
about possibilities they may not have known
existed, which will be revealed through a detailed
discussion about SSA Work Incentives, health
care options, and employment support services
ADEN Members can provide. Building upon that
excitement, you should have potential
Participants who are interested in a follow up
meeting, complete a follow-up form which will
provide you with at least their name and number.
Materials you should consider making
available to each participant, at the training:
•
Printed copy of power point, with space
for notes
•
SSA Red Book
•
ADEN Flyer for Participants
•
State VR brochure
•
Follow up demographics sheet – Have
participant complete if they would like a
follow up call and/or scheduled meeting
•
Other relevant information
Follow up with Attendees – At the conclusion of
your event, you have collected information from
attendees who want an appointment with you.
This is the purpose of the event, to get an
opportunity to meet with potential ADEN
Participants one-on-one. Your individual follow
up meeting will allow you to further evaluate
whether ticket assignment to ADEN is a good
move for both the potential Participant, and you,
the ADEN Member.
The follow up meeting is also your opportunity for
an initial screening for additional services the
potential ADEN Participant might benefit from.
Refer to the ADEN Ticket Assessment Guide for
assistance in evaluating potential ADEN
Participants.
Start planning for the next event – Beneficiary
Outreach Events allow ADEN Members an
opportunity to provide accurate information to
beneficiaries about “how SSA benefits work”.
This is also one of the most effective ways to find
prospective ADEN Participants that we can
assist. In order to build, and maintain an active
caseload, these events need to be regularly
scheduled. Depending on the number of
beneficiaries in your service area, recommended
timing of these events may vary from every
month, to quarterly, and should be ongoing.
844.687.2336 • Deaf & Hard of hearing: 711 • [email protected] •
AmericanDreamEN.org
American Dream Employment Network, a division of National Disability Institute, is an authorized Social
Security Ticket to Work service provider.