The National Training and Data Center (NTDC) Initial Training and Certification program is the only Social Security-funded benefits counseling training and certification program and has trained thousands of benefits counselors in all 50 states and territories who assist disability beneficiaries to expand their employment opportunities and reduce their dependence on federal disability benefits. We provide the Community Work Incentives Coordinator (CWIC) certification for benefits counselors working in Social Security's WIPA programs, as well as the Community Partner Work Incentives Counselor (CPWIC) certification for individuals working in Employment Networks, Vocational Rehabilitation, employment service organizations, and other community agencies.  

Providing training to CPWICs as well as CWICs expands the availability of benefits counseling and offers beneficiaries more opportunities to access this valuable service.  

One Community Partner dedicated to making benefits counseling available in her home state of West Virginia is Audra Spenia. Audra has worked at Job Squad Inc., a Community Rehabilitation Program (CRP), since 2014. In her time at Job Squad she has worked as a Career Counselor, taken on oversight of their Employment Network, and most recently become the agency’s first Benefits Counselor. In February 2024, Audra participated in the CWIC and Community Partner Initial Training. She has since successfully completed the first part of the certification process and has begun providing benefits counseling statewide in West Virginia. Job Squad is the first CRP agency to participate in the West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) new benefits counseling model. 

The new benefits counseling model, which allowed Job Squad to begin offering these services, began in 2023. The West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) benefits counseling model allows Vocational Rehabilitation counselors to refer individuals to CRPs for benefits counseling. The service focuses on each consumer’s needs and provides ongoing follow-up. Only CRPs accredited through the Social Security Administration (SSA) and certified as a CPWIC can receive DRS funding for these services. 

Audra could see the need for benefits counseling to help beneficiaries reach their employment goals. She often encountered people who were afraid to earn more than the “magic number” because of the unknown impact on their benefits. She knew there were work incentives to help but she was not confident counseling beneficiaries on the complexities of those work incentives. After completing NTDC’s training, she stated “the training has prepared me to provide the detailed information beneficiaries need to feel confident pursuing work.” 

In October, the West Virginia Association of Rehabilitation Facilities recognized Audra’s efforts promoting and providing benefits counseling with the 2024 State Use Excellence in Rehabilitation Programming award. 

Before DRS began providing funding for benefits counseling, the entire state relied solely on the West Virginia WIPA project for those services. As Vocational Counselors and employment service providers increasingly recognized the value of benefits counseling and began seeking it for their clients, the demand for these services grew, creating a need to expand capacity within the state.

CRPs are also able to provide benefits counseling at an early stage in a beneficiary’s employment journey. This includes beneficiaries who are not sure if they are ready to begin working. Audra shared that she has already seen the positive impact of providing counseling at this stage. Many of the referrals she receives from the Division of Rehabilitation Services are for individuals who are still deciding if they should move forward with employment. Almost all the individuals Audra has provided with benefits counseling have chosen to move forward with their employment goals.

The program is already growing, another CRP employee completed the Initial Training this May and has started providing benefits counseling as well. Expanding access to benefits counseling from certified professionals will empower more beneficiaries confidently pursue employment opportunities and achieve greater independence. 

For more information about NTDC’s Initial Training and Certification program visit: https://vcu-ntdc.org/