CRC Exam (Certified Rehabilitation Counselor) — All Questions

A client asks about the difference between SSDI and SSI. Which statement is accurate?

• a.SSDI depends on work history; SSI is needs-based on income and resources✓
• b.SSDI is needs-based on income; SSI depends on the client's work history
• c.Both programs require the same number of work credits to qualify
• d.Both programs pay a flat benefit regardless of prior earnings

SSA explains that SSDI is available to people with a disability who have enough work history, with payment based on their earnings record, whereas SSI is a needs-based program for people with limited income and resources. Reversing the two is incorrect, SSI has no work-credit requirement, and SSDI amounts vary with prior earnings.

An SSDI beneficiary starts a part-time job and earns more than the monthly trial work period threshold in some months. How does the trial work period work?

• a.Nine consecutive months, after which the SSDI benefits stop permanently
• b.Twelve months of work at any earnings level, counted within one calendar year
• c.Nine service months, not necessarily consecutive, within a rolling 60-month period✓
• d.Nine service months that apply the same way to SSI recipients who begin work

Under 20 CFR 404.1592 and SSA's published amounts, the trial work period lets an SSDI beneficiary perform services in 9 months, not necessarily consecutive, within a rolling 60-month period while benefits continue; SSA sets the monthly service threshold each year. The months need not be consecutive, benefits do not stop permanently afterward (the extended period of eligibility follows), and the trial work period does not apply to SSI.

After finishing her trial work period, an SSDI beneficiary earns above SGA for several months and then her hours are cut so her earnings drop below SGA. She is still within 36 months of the end of her trial work period. What happens?

• a.She must file a new application and wait five months
• b.Her entitlement ended permanently when she first exceeded SGA
• c.She receives SSI in place of SSDI for the remaining months
• d.SSA can restart her benefits without a new application✓

SSA's Red Book explains that the extended period of eligibility begins after the trial work period and its first 36 months are a re-entitlement period in which benefits are paid for months below SGA and can restart without a new application if earnings fall below SGA. A new application, permanent termination, or conversion to SSI do not describe the re-entitlement period.

An SSI recipient has no unearned income and gross wages of $465 in a month. Applying the $20 general income exclusion, the $65 earned income exclusion, and then excluding one-half of the remainder, what is her countable earned income?

• a.$190.00✓
• b.$200.00
• c.$222.50
• d.$380.00

The Red Book applies the $20 general exclusion to unearned income first and any unused part to earned income, then excludes $65 and one-half of the remaining earnings. With no unearned income: $465 - $20 = $445; $445 - $65 = $380; $380 / 2 = $190 countable. Skipping the $20 gives $200, skipping the $65 gives $222.50, and forgetting to halve gives $380.

An SSI recipient wants to save part of her income to pay for a certification course leading to a job as a pharmacy technician. Which SSA work incentive lets her set aside that income without reducing her SSI?

• a.Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE)
• b.A Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS)✓
• c.The trial work period
• d.Expedited reinstatement

Under 20 CFR 416.1180, SSA does not count income that a blind or disabled SSI recipient uses or sets aside for reasonable and necessary expenses under an approved plan to achieve self-support. IRWE deducts impairment-related costs of working, the trial work period is an SSDI provision, and expedited reinstatement restarts benefits after they end.

An SSDI beneficiary pays out of pocket each month for a personal attendant who helps him get ready for and travel to work. How does SSA treat this cost when deciding whether his work is substantial gainful activity?

• a.It is ignored, because the attendant also helps with daily living
• b.It is deducted only if an insurance plan has reimbursed him for it
• c.It is deducted from his earnings as an impairment-related work expense✓
• d.It is added to his earnings, since it is a benefit tied to the job

20 CFR 404.1576 lets SSA subtract the reasonable cost of items and services a person needs because of impairment to work, including attendant care for getting ready for and traveling to work, when he pays the cost himself; costs are deductible even if also used for daily living. Reimbursed costs are not deductible, and the expense is not added to earnings.

A 45-year-old SSDI beneficiary wants employment services from a provider other than the state VR agency. Under 20 CFR Part 411, which statement about the Ticket to Work is correct?

• a.He may assign it to several Employment Networks at the same time
• b.He is ineligible, because tickets go only to SSI recipients
• c.He is ineligible, because tickets end at age 40
• d.He may assign it to one Employment Network or VR agency at a time✓

20 CFR 411.125 makes title II or title XVI disability beneficiaries aged 18 through 64 eligible for a ticket, and 411.140 allows assignment to any participating Employment Network or to a state VR agency, but not to more than one provider at a time; the individual and an EN agree on an individual work plan. Tickets are not limited to SSI recipients or to people under 40.

A VR client disagrees with her counselor's decision to deny funding for a training program and wants help advocating for herself. Which program is established under the Rehabilitation Act to assist her?

• a.The Ticket to Work Program Manager
• b.The Client Assistance Program✓
• c.The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• d.The State Rehabilitation Council's budget office

34 CFR 370.1 establishes the Client Assistance Program to advise clients and applicants of services and benefits under the Rehabilitation Act and to assist and advocate for them in their relationships with VR and other Act-funded programs, and 361.57 requires VR agencies to tell individuals about CAP in the review process. The Ticket to Work Program Manager administers tickets, the EEOC enforces employment discrimination laws, and the State Rehabilitation Council advises the agency rather than representing individuals.

A job seeker with a disability registers at an American Job Center (one-stop center) and asks for VR services there. Under 34 CFR 361.41, how is this handled?

• a.A common intake application at the one-stop counts as a VR application✓
• b.She must reapply in person at the VR office before any processing
• c.One-stop centers may not accept referrals for VR services at all
• d.Her request is held until the one-stop exhausts its own services

34 CFR 361.41(b)(2) treats completing a common intake application form in a one-stop center requesting VR services as submitting an application (with the needed information and availability for assessment), and 361.41(a) requires standards for prompt handling of referrals made through the one-stop system under WIOA section 121. A separate in-person reapplication, refusal of referrals, or holding the request are not required.

An SSI recipient takes a job and her earnings reach the SGA level. She has been eligible for an SSI payment for at least one month before working at that level and still has a disability. Under Section 1619(a), what happens?

• a.She can keep receiving SSI cash payments while she meets the income rules✓
• b.Her SSI stops at once because she is performing substantial gainful activity
• c.She begins a nine-month trial work period under the SSI program
• d.Her SSI converts to SSDI benefits calculated from her new earnings record

SSA's Red Book explains that Section 1619(a) lets a person keep receiving SSI cash payments even when earned income is at the SGA level, if she was eligible for SSI for at least one month before working at that level, still has a disability, and meets the other rules; it removes the need for a trial work period under SSI. SSI does not stop solely for SGA-level work in this situation, and SSI does not convert to SSDI.