Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, Inc.
Michigan Protection and Advocacy
Service (MPAS) is the independent, private, nonprofit organization designated by the governor of Michigan to advocate for and protect the rights of people with disabilities in Michigan.
MPAS services include information and referral, short-term assistance, selected individual and legal representation, systemic advocacy, monitoring, and training.
The Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security program (PABSS) resides within MPAS.
Call Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service at 800.288.5923 (voice or TTY). There is no charge for the services we offer.
The U.S. Social Security Administration has reviewed this publication for technical accuracy; however, this should not be considered an official Social Security Administration document. This brochure is funded 100% by the U.S. Social Security Administration.
Revised 5/30/08
Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, Inc.
4095 Legacy Parkway • Suite 500
Lansing, Michigan 48911-4263
517.487.1755 • 800.288.5923
517.374.4687 (TTY)
Fax 517.487.0827
Protection and Advocacy for
Beneficiaries of
Social Security
Receiving Social Security Benefits? Would You Like to Work?
Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) assists people with disabilities who:
• Receive SSI or SSDI (Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance) and
• Want to return to work or to enter the workforce for the first time
◦ Have concerns about Social Security benefits
◦ Have problems getting workplace accommodations
◦ Have complaints about employment service providers
◦ Feel they are experiencing workplace discrimination
◦ Need to understand their rights in the employment process
PABSS Staff Provides:
Advocacy
PABSS staff advocates for Social Security beneficiaries who want to work. We can help you get workplace accommodations and assist you in accessing vocational
rehabilitation services. We will also help you get the community supports and services you
need to find employment or to keep your current job.
Information and Referral
We provide information and referral to SSI and SSDI beneficiaries and their families about community service providers, employers, Employment Networks (ENs), state vocational rehabilitation agencies, and disability support groups.
Technical Support
We help beneficiaries, employers, and community service agencies understand federal and state laws pertaining to disability and employment. We teach beneficiaries how to ask for workplace accommodations. We also advise employers on how to provide these accommodations.
Education
We provide training to individuals and groups on the Ticket to Work program, Social Security Work Incentives, employment rights, and much more.
Legal Support Services
We review, investigate, mediate, and help beneficiaries resolve complaints about inadequate or inappropriate services through employment service providers, employers, and community support providers.
The PABSS program works in collaboration with Work Incentive Planning and Assistance (WIPA) agencies in Michigan. These WIPAs can help you develop a return-to-work plan and explain how working will affect your Social Security benefits.
This written plan explains how working could affect your SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, Medicare and other benefits. WIPAs can also help you establish a relationship with an employment network, Michigan Works One- Stop Service Center, or your local Michigan Rehabilitation Services, or Michigan Commission for the Blind office.
Work Incentive Planning and Assistance Organizations for Michigan
The following organizations can help you understand your Social Security benefits and how employment affects your benefits.
Eastern and Northern Michigan:
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) Michigan
320 N. Washington Square, Suite 60
Lansing, MI 48933
800.828.2714
Central and Southern Michigan:
The ARC Michigan
1325 S. Washington Avenue Lansing, MI 48910
800.292.7851
Wayne County, including the City of Detroit:
Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit
3111 Grand River Avenue Detroit, MI 48208-2962
888.232.4140
Lapeer, Macomb and Oakland Counties:
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) Detroit
23077 Greenfield Road, Suite 205
Southfield, MI 48075-3745
800.827.4843