Although special conditions on the job, for example, job coaching and like services,
are not technically “subsidies,” we must consider how they affect the value of the
work and the SGA determination. For example, special conditions and certain special
on-the-job assistance provided by an employer and/or organization(s) other than an
individual's employer must be considered whether or not the individual's employer
pays for the assistance directly. In determining SGA, we must count only those earnings
that are based on an individual's own productivity and exclude any income that is
not directly related to his/her own productivity.
Examples of special conditions include on-the-job-coaching and substitution during
which the job coach performs part or all of the individual’s job duties, or close
and continuous supervision. If the individual is not fully earning his/her wages because
the work is performed under special conditions, then we count only that part of his/her
wages that are “earned” by the individual. This is true whether or not the employer
or someone else provides the special (on-the-job) conditions.
In order to determine the amount an individual actually earns; follow the same procedure
found in DI 10505.010A. The value of the individual's services (i.e., work) may be determined by contacting
the individual, his/her employer, supervisor(s), work peers, job coach, and anyone
else who would have this knowledge. The value of the individual's actual services
may require contact with other employers or the Department of Labor to determine the
wages usually paid for such services. Stop development when there is sufficient information
to make a determination.
NOTE: Do not consider the salary paid to the job coach in calculating the individual's
countable earnings in determining SGA. Follow DI 13010.066C to compute average monthly wages when you know the hourly wage and the individual’s
employer is unable to provide a monthly breakdown of earnings. In the examples below,
we know the exact hours worked and the hourly wage.
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EXAMPLE A: Joe works 32 hours per week, and he is paid $6.25 an hour. Joe's gross monthly pay
is $867 ($6.25 per hour X 32 hours per week X 4.333 weeks). The employer pays for
a job coach who works with him 16 hours per week. The employer explains that the job
coach performs all of Joe's duties during those 16 hours, while Joe observes and practices.
When Joe is performing the job duties, his services are reasonably worth his wages
of $6.25 per hour. Joe receives wages for 138.65 hours of work a month (32 x 4.333),
but he performs the work for half of those hours. The job coach performs the other
69.28 hours of work for the month. Based on this information, we determine that the
portion of Joe's monthly pay attributable to the job coach's assistance is $434 (50%
subsidy). The portion of Joe's monthly pay attributable to his own productivity is
$434.
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EXAMPLE B: Jane’s employer explains that Jane is not fully earning her wages because the State
Vocational Rehabilitation Agency pays for a job coach for Jane, but is unable to tell
us the value of her work. Jane works 120 hours a month and she is paid gross wages
of $720 per month (120 hours at $6.00 an hour). The State Agency explains that the
job coach is with Jane 40 hours a month. For 10 of these hours, the job coach performs
the more technical work while Jane simply observes, and during the remaining 30 hours,
the coach just observes Jane working and verifies the quality of Jane's work. Based
on this explanation, we determine that Jane is fully earning her wages during these
30 hours. The amount of Jane's income not directly attributable to her own productivity
(due to a special condition) is $60 per month (10 hours at $6.00 an hour). The amount
of Jane's earnings attributable to her own productivity is $660 (110 hours at $6.00
an hour).