Integrating Benefits Planning into Employment Services
This Fall, members of the MTI team set out to connect with providers to learn how they are supporting people with benefits and work questions. We sat down with Kristie Heisler of Productive Alternatives to learn more about their proactive approach to integrating benefits planning into waiver funded employment services.
A little background:
Productive Alternatives provides waiver employment services in Clay County, which is receiving technical assistance from MTI as part of the Lead Agency Capacity Building Grant. With locations throughout Central and West Central Minnesota, the agency is committed to meeting the changing needs of the people they serve. Rooted in their mission to provide options and opportunities that promote quality of life and personal growth for both people receiving services and employees, program areas include employment services, vocational rehabilitation, crisis stabilization, mental health therapy, and more. Employment services represent the largest program at Productive Alternatives and is the sole focus for the team at the Moorhead location.
Benefits and Employment
The current approach at Moorhead to navigating benefits and employment was shaped by past experiences. According to Kristie Heisler, Moorhead Branch Manager, “benefits is the most frequent question we hear when working with our clients-whether it’s the thought that they can’t work or they will lose their benefits completely, or they just have no idea what it would look like”. Questions such as "How will work impact my benefits?", or "Will I lose my benefits if I work additional hours?" were common and often required a visit to the local Social Security office for clarification and guidance, a less-than-ideal process for those seeking answers.
Over time, Kristie recognized the role benefits played in the employment process and felt it was important to be able to respond “in-house” to questions as much as possible. Being able to answer questions and provide clarity on how benefits may be impacted by work was also seen as critical to ensure job seekers could make informed decisions.
Building Capacity
Integrating benefits planning into employment services requires building staff capacity. At Moorhead, Kristie explained, staff training is a priority and staff are supported in accessing the necessary time and resources to successfully complete all relevant training.
To build staff capacity specifically for benefits planning, the Moorhead team utilizes Disability Hub Benefits Counseling training program. To date, one staff member has completed the Level 3 training and is a Certified Benefits Coach, with the next staff member, a Case Manager, set to begin the training in early 2026. The key to success, according to Kristie, is making sure that staff have the time and space to complete the training successfully. In addition to benefits planning, Disability Hub is a primary source of core trainings for the Moorhead team, including employment services and Charting the LifeCourse.
Impact
Reflecting on the impact of integrating benefits planning into employment service delivery, Kristie shared, “Since the implementation of our benefits planning, we have seen the clients we serve confidently make informed choices, truly understanding how work will fully impact their financial situation. When the individuals understand the benefits of working and you take away those unknowns, they come to us confident and prepared and ready to begin the job search process. It’s been such a great experience for all involved.”
If you are interested in building your agency’s capacity for benefits and work planning, check out the Agency Strategies page in the Disability Hub MN Benefits Planning Toolkit. Complete the Supervisor training on that page. If your agency provides waiver employment services, you can also request Targeted Technical Assistance from MTI to build capacity for benefits and work conversations.