Meet Eric

At 16, Eric was in his junior year of high school. He had cerebral palsy (CP) and so had an Individualized Education Program (IEP) at his school. During high school, his IEP team worked with a Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) counselor to develop a transition plan that would help prepare him for adulthood. Since Eric wanted to go to college, this team helped him take the necessary steps to succeed academically.

When he turned 18, Eric began to qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). By the end of his freshman year of college, Eric was showing a lot of talent with computers and got offered a summer job at his university’s computer lab. Eric had never had a job before, but now had an opportunity to work and make $1,500 per month. However, he worried that his earnings could affect his benefits, so he spoke with un/a consultor/a de incentivos de trabajo who explained that a special SSI rule called the Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE) would let Eric take the job without losing any of his SSI benefits or Arizona Health Care Cost Contaiment System (AHCCCS) health coverage.

Meet Eric
In high school:
Age:	16
Disability:	Cerebral palsy
Occupation:	High school student
Income:	None
Resources:	None
Health coverage:	AHCCCS
First year of college:
Age:	18
Disability:	Cerebral palsy
Occupation:	College student
Income:	$522.00 per month from SSI
Resources:	None
Health coverage:	AHCCCS
Second year of college:
Age:	19
Disability:	Cerebral palsy
Occupation:	College student and computer lab consultant
Income:	$1,500 per month from a summer job and $522.00 per month from SSI
Resources:	$1,000 in savings
Health coverage:	AHCCCS