Iowa & Northwest Illinois WIPA

Home
United States
Des Moines, IA
Iowa & Northwest Illinois WIPA

Directions Website

WIPA is a grant-funded program sponsored by the Social Security Administration that provides work incentives planning to individuals receiving SSI/SSDI.

Serving the state of Iowa and the northwestern counties of Illinois. WIPA is a grant-funded program sponsored by the Social Security Administration that provides work incentives planning and assistance services to Social Security beneficiaries who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), who want to pursue gainful employment/self-employment. Disability Rights IOWA (DRI) staff members who provide WIPA services are called Community Work Incentives Coordinators (CWICs). Serving the state of Iowa and the following Northwestern counties of Illinois: Adams, Boone, Brown, Bureau, Carroll, Cass, DeKalb, Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Jo Daviess, Knox, LaSalle, Lee, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, Menard, Mercer, Morgan, Ogle, Peoria, Putnam, Rock Island, Schuyler, Scott, Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, Warren, Whiteside, Winnebago, Woodford. They focus on you, your choices, your future, and especially your work goals. CWICs disseminate accurate information to beneficiaries receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and the work incentives available under these programs. This information will help individuals to make informed choices about employment/self employment including:
How available work incentives can facilitate their transition into the workforce; and
Information on the impact of earnings on other support programs, such as:
– Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
– Food Stamps
– Federal Housing
– Unemployment Insurance
– Worker’s Compensation
– Earned Income Tax Credit
– Health Insurance

Work Incentives promote employment/self employment and greater independence for people with disabilities who are initially entering, or re-entering, the workforce. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Work Incentives:
1619(b) Continued Medicaid Eligibility
Student Earned Income Exclusion
Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS)
Earned Income Exclusion
Impairment Related Work Expense
Blind Work Expense
Expedited Reinstatement
Ticket to Work

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Work Incentives:
Trial Work Period
Extended Period of Eligibility
Extended Medicare Coverage
Impairment Related Work Expenses
Subsidies and Special Conditions
Expedited Reinstatement
Ticket to Work

WIPA is authorized in:
42 USC §1320b-21, P.L. 106-170
Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999
Pub. L. 108-203
Social Security Protection Act of 2004

WIPA is administered and regulated by:
Social Security Administration
Office of Acquisition and Grants
7111 Security Blvd., 1st Floor Rear Entrance
Baltimore, MD 21244
Telephone: 410-965-9469 / Fax: 410-966-9310

Legal Disclaimers
The information contained on this website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice;
Neither the information contained on the website nor the use thereof by a site visitor creates a contract or an attorney-client relationship;
Disability Rights IOWA makes no promise or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, adequacy, timeliness, or relevance of the information contained on the website;
And Disability Rights IOWA is not responsible for the content of any comments posted on Disability Rights IOWA’s website or any site accessible through a hyperlink on Disability Rights IOWA’s site.

09/12/2026

Hey Western Iowa!!

The WIPA team is coming your way!!

Work Incentives Planning & Assistance (WIPA): Fall 2026 Benefits Training

Location: IowaWORKS Sioux City - 2508 4th Street, Sioux City, IA 51101
Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., with break for lunch

Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) is a grant-funded program from the Social Security Administration (SSA) that provides individualized, in-depth, benefits counseling and work incentives planning to Social Security beneficiaries who are:Receiving a Title II disability benefit, including Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Childhood Disability Benefit (CDB), and Disabled Widow/Widower’s Benefit(DWB), or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) due to a disability,At least 14 years old but not yet reached full retirement age, ANDInterested in, actively looking for, or already engaged in work through wage employment or self-employment.

Disability Rights Iowa (DRI) serves all 99 counties in Iowa and 34 counties in northwest Illinois under the WIPA grant. The DRI WIPA team is excited to connect with both individuals and agencies in northwest Iowa this fall with a FREE benefits training.

The interactive, in-person training will include the basics of Social Security disability benefits and work incentives to empower beneficiaries, their families, and disability service providers on this critical but often confusing topic. Attendees will also learn how the DRI WIPA team can help SSDI and/or SSI beneficiaries reach their employment goals to become more self-sufficient through individualized benefits planning.

Learn more and register to attend by following this link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=7KBAVH5SuUaOoHnLvPy8SW7iuU770sxBrvbaXCp3yZtUMFA3ODcwMlA0TDhaVE5LSkk4QVpVRENETS4u&route=shorturl

ID: person standing on road with direction signs pointing to SSA, DHS, SNAP, HUD, and VA

02/03/2026

Join UpLift and Disability Rights Iowa for Medicaid 101, a Lunch and Learn webinar focused on the basics of Iowa Medicaid. Expert-Certified Benefits Counselors and a Litigation Attorney will give an overview of Iowa’s Medicaid program and walk attendees through the various ways people qualify, the roles and responsibilities of the Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), where Iowans can find assistance, and Medicaid appeal rights.

Date: February 24
Time: 11:30 AM
Location: Zoom
Register: https://vist.ly/4q7bu

12/22/2025

From our families to yours.. Happy Holidays!

Image: Christmas themed with gold and white.
Text that reads, Merry Christmas and Happy Mew Year. Wishing you a season full of love, peace, and happiness.

10/21/2025

Access Social Security services online with a personal my Social Security account
The federal government is currently shut down.

If you receive payments from Social Security, your benefits will continue without interruption, and payment dates will remain the same.

As a subscriber to updates on office closures, we want to update you about the current in-person service limitations. Offices are open, but not all services are available.

What Services Are Available Online?

We are constantly expanding our online services to give you freedom and control when conducting business with Social Security. Today, you can use your personal my Social Security account to:

Request a replacement Social Security or Medicare card
Access benefit verification letters
Apply for benefits
Check your application or appeal status
Access your Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) notice up to three weeks earlier than by mail (if you sign up for digital notices before November 20)
Change your address
Set up or change direct deposit
Print your 1099
View your latest statement
Review your earning history
Create Your Personal my Social Security Account

Go Digital! If you don’t yet have an account, create one today. If you are 18+, have a Social Security Number, and a valid email address, you can create an online my Social Security account. Watch this helpful, three-minute video https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery%26v=T1tTtn90iHQ/1/0101019a08e311e3-a45c36b1-7272-44da-a25b-57adb9516289-000000/BPh03__oY4Y5m6uIjkqt3C1VBFw2LiEDoFnSmISuJho=428before creating your account. If you already have a Login.gov or ID.me account, you can create an account even faster.

Go Digital! Create an Account or Log In

For more information, please visit our website. www.SSA.gov

To create a personal my Social Security account, you will first need to decide if you want to create a Login.gov or ID.me account. There is no wrong choice,...

07/08/2025

Cannot wait to be surround by fellow benefits planners, learn more about best practices and the latest in providing benefits planning services!

If you provide benefits planning to individuals who receive SSI and or SSDI benefits, this conference is for you!!

Watch out Denver, DRI's Iowa and Illinois WIPA is coming for ya! 😉😎

05/27/2025

🚨Iowa Workforce Development is going to be undergoing some improvements on their System.🚨

Full Schedule: Unemployment Modernization

Tuesday, May 27: The last day that any initial or weekly claim can be filed in IWD’s current unemployment system.
All claimants already on unemployment have been contacted throughout this month and were encouraged to file their weekly claims between Sunday, May 25, and Tuesday, May 27, before the scheduled downtime begins.

Wednesday, May 28-Monday, June 2: Schedule downtime of IWD’s systems (including both its claims system and existing functions on iowaworks.gov).

No new or weekly claims will be able to be filed during this period, and no new accounts will be added in iowaworks.gov.
However, Iowans will still be able to receive career-related services at IowaWORKS centers across the state.

Tuesday, June 3: The new unemployment system goes live on iowaworks.gov. As soon as the new system is live, claimants will be able to file initial or weekly applications and claim any benefits missed during the downtime.

Send a message to learn more

01/09/2025

Tax time is up on us!!

VITA sites are located throughout Iowa, including the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach offices listed below:

Allamakee
Black Hawk
Bremer
Carroll
Cass
Cerro Gordo
Chickasaw
Clarke
Clay
Dallas
Floyd
Fremont
Hamilton
Jasper
Kossuth
Madison
Mitchell
Palo Alto
Polk
Tama
Warren
Wayne
Winneshiek
Wright
If a VITA site is not available in your county, enter your zip code on the IRS Free Tax Prep site or call the AARP volunteer tax preparers at 1-800-906-9887 to find a site near you.

Get your taxes done for FREE through VITA! Volunteer Income Tax Assistance provides free and accurate income tax assistance to qualifying low-to-moderate income individuals and working families, older adults, limited English speakers, and persons with a disability. Some guidelines apply.Certified co...

12/20/2024

Our office will be closed from 5:00pm Friday, December 20th until 8:00am January 6th for a holiday break. If you have immediate benefits questions, please call the Ticket to Work Helpline Monday through Friday, 8:00am - 8:00pm at 1-866-968-7842.

From our entire WIPA team (Mistie, Jenny, Tammy) we hope you have a wonderful holiday and Happy New Year!

12/06/2024

This will be a fantatsic conference for those who provide benefits planning services!

Address

606 Walnut Street, Suite 2220
Des Moines, IA
50309

Website

http://www.disabilityrightsiowa.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Iowa & Northwest Illinois WIPA posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your organization to be the top-listed government service in Des Moines?