-Grand Blanc View Article

Company has jobs for workers on SSI Benefits

May 20th, 2010 – Grand Blanc, Michigan

BY GARY GOULD 810-452-2650 • GGOULD@MIHOMEPAPER.COM

GRAND BLANC — Derek Lewis said he has jobs — about 400 to be exact — available for those who qualify. He just needs to find applicants who meet the specifications.

Lewis, a job placement specialist with Employment Options, Inc., is looking for people who are receiving Social Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability (SSDI) and are between the ages of 18 and 64, for a federally sponsored return to work program.

The jobs are work-from-home positions where the employee needs a computer with a high-speed Internet connection and a land-line phone.

“These are jobs working for national call centers, the kind of jobs that have been outsourced overseas for some time,” said Lewis. “These are customer service jobs, tech support jobs for Blackberries, Direct TV, even Sprint and AOL.”

The jobs are offered through a voluntary program that allows people on disability the opportunity to try to return to work without fear of losing their disability or healthcare benefits.

The rules are a little different depending on whether a person is receiving SSDI or SSI. Social Security Disability Recipients benefit from a trial work period that lasts nine months. During this time they can earn as much money as they want and still continue to receive cash benefits from the Social Security Administration as well as income from work.

Social Security Income Recipients benefit from work incentives and expedited reinstatement of cash benefits when they try to return to work. There is no penalty for trying to return to work and if they find out returning to work is not right for them, the individual’s cash benefits can be reinstated without any difficulty or questions during the expedited reinstatement period (36 months after completing the nine-month trial work period).

“if you can’t hack it or you get sick again, there’s a three-year leeway in there so you can still go back to your benefits,” said Lewis. “It’s really a win-win situation. There’s no risk, no cost to the worker and no cost to the employer. And it’s brining jobs back to America.”

The president of Employment Options, Inc. — Paula Reuben Viellet — has been helping people find jobs for 20 years, said Lewis. She has also written several self-help books on employment and job hunting.

Employment Options, Inc. screens all applicants first to see that they qualify for the federal program. The company also offers job placement for other jobs outside the government program.

The salary range for the jobs is $8-11 per hour and paid job training is available at home. There is no cost to the applicant.

“We don’t get paid until people get a job,” said Lewis. “And then they have to work for the company we put them with for several months before we get paid. It’s based on retention.”

Anyone interested in Employment Options, Inc., the SSI and SSDI jobs or other jobs offered through the staffing company can call 810-820-4862 or go to the company Website at www.myemploymentoptions.com.