Social Security and Transportation
Using incentives to help pay for transportation
Social security work incentives, including Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS) and the Impairment Related Work Expense (IRWE), may be used to help offset the costs of transportation.
Who Can Use Work Incentives
If you are currently receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI), you can use PASS. If you are not eligible for SSI, PASS can be used to qualify you.
You can use IRWE if you are on SSI or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
Time Limits
PASS plans must have a beginning and ending date, and have target dates for meeting milestones towards the employment goal. There are no time limit on IRWE plans.
Reimbursement Rate
PASS plans will reimburse the individual for the entire expense. For people on SSI, an IRWE will cover half the cost of an expense. For people on SSDI, the use of an IRWE can lower their earned income so that they continue to receive a SSDI check.
Transportation expenses for which a PASS can be used:
- Hiring of private or commercial carriers
- Hiring a driver
- Lease, rental, or purchase of vehicle, plus associated costs
- Public transportation and common carriers
PASS Plans must be used for the least costly alternatives.
Transportation expenses for which an IRWE can be used:
- The cost of structural or operational modifications to a vehicle used to commute to work, even if the vehicle is also used for non-work purposes.
- The cost of driver assistance or taxicabs due to disability rather than the lack of public transportation.
- Mileage expenses for an approved vehicle at a rate determined by the Social Security Administration. Limited to travel to and from employment.
Transportation expenses for which an IRWE cannot be used:
- the cost of a vehicle, whether modified or not
- the cost of modification to a vehicle not directly related to the impairment or critical to the operation of the vehicle (e.g. paint or pin striping)
- travel expenses related to obtaining medical items or services
This information is provided by the Social Security Administration, and is by no means comprehensive. Consult the SSA for more information about PASS and IRWE plans.
Blind Work Expenses (BWE)
If you are blind, you may be able to deduct certain transportation expenses related to work from income that is determined for SSI eligibility and payments.
Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS)
The following are excerpts from the Social Security Program Operations Manual, which is used by Social Security staff to administer programs. These excerpts are the exact text from the manual, and are being provided to assist in understanding the parameters for which a PASS can be used for transportation expenses.
Elements of a PASS
Each PASS must specify and clearly describe a single occupational goal. The work goal should be expected to increase the individual’s prospect for self-support. A person’s increased prospect for self-support is measured in terms of higher earnings potential upon completion of the PASS. Higher earnings potential may exist even if the person is working in the same job.
Filling out the PASS Application
The goal must be either the specific job (e.g. carpenter, mainframe computer programmer) the individual plans to have after completing the PASS or “VR Evaluation.” “Getting a degree” or “obtaining transportation to work/school” are not occupational goals (although they may be allowable expenses if they are necessary to achieve the goal).
Examples of Allowable Expenditures
The following list, which is not all-inclusive, contains examples of items and services for which expenses can be allowed under a PASS:
- modifications to buildings, vehicles, etc., for operational or access purposes for persons with disabilities
- transportation — hire of private or commercial carriers, or hire of person to drive the individual’s vehicle
- transportation — lease, rental, or purchase of a vehicle, plus associated costs for fuel, insurance, maintenance, registration, taxes, etc.
- transportation — public transportation and common carriers
Vehicle Purchase
The PASS must explain why other means of transportation (paratransit, other public transportation, cab, etc.) will not serve the individual’s needs. Possible reasons are that other means of transportation are not:
- available or available at the times and locations needed
- reliable
- safely accessible to the individual
- of use to the individual (e.g., no wheelchair access)
If purchasing a vehicle is the mode of transportation that meets your needs, you should select a vehicle that meets your transportation requirements for the duration of the PASS.
Some individuals with disabilities own a vehicle but cannot operate it. That is, they have someone else drive them. An inability to operate a vehicle does not preclude the purchase of a vehicle as an allowable PASS expense.
Items of Unusual Value
If the PASS calls for the purchase of an item of unusual value, such as a vehicle, you must explain why the item is necessary in order to reach your employment goal. You must also justify the cost of the item if it does not appear to be reasonable.
If you already own a vehicle, your explanation should address the need to purchase another vehicle. For instance, repairing and maintaining the current vehicle won’t be sufficient.
Vehicle-Related Expenses
Expenses related to owning a vehicle can be allowed under a PASS. Such expenses include, but are not necessarily limited to:
- registration and licensing fees;
- fuel costs, which must relate directly to travel for activities that are necessary in order to achieve the occupational goal; and
- maintenance and insurance costs.
Job Search Expenses
A PASS can include job search expenses including transportation, employment agency services, and resume development and distribution.
Resources
For additional information on using Social Security work incentives to help pay for transportation, contact:
Work Incentive Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Programs
BenePLAN – Center for Health Policy and Research
Serving the counties of Berkshire, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Worcester.
University of Massachusetts Medical School
333 South Street,
Shrewsbury, MA 01545
1 (877) YES-WORK
Contacts:
David Silva
(413) 532-4900 Ext. 100
email
Barbara Lee
1 (877) 937-9675 or (508) 856-2659
email
Brian Forsythe
1 (877) 937-9675 or (508) 856-2513
email
Project Impact – Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission
Serving the counties of—Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Nantucket, Plymouth, and Suffolk
27 Wormwood Street
Boston, MA 02210
Contact:
Joe Reale
(617) 204-3854
email
Social Security Administration Resources
PASS Plan Cadres
Experts on PASS plans
1 (800) 297-4291 or (781) 595-2301
