Under current Title II program rules, disability beneficiaries who complete a trial work period (TWP) and subsequently engage in substantial gainful activity (SGA) go into suspense after a 3-month grace period.

POD participants’ had their benefits reduced by $1 for every $2 of earnings that were above the POD monthly threshold. The POD monthly threshold was the greater of either: (1) the current year TWP level; or (2) the total amount of a beneficiary’s itemized and approved monthly impairment related work expenses (IRWE). In 2017, the TWP level was $840. The TWP level increased in subsequent years. If approved IRWE was used as the POD monthly threshold, the IRWE amount did not exceed the SGA amount. In 2017, the SGA amount was $1170 (non-blind) and $1950 (blind). Auxiliaries receiving benefits on a POD beneficiary’s record continue to receive full benefits until the POD beneficiary went into full offset. See DI 60075.040G.

NOTE: The TWP and the extended period of eligibility (EPE) did not apply to participants during the POD participation period.

In order to minimize the impact the POD had on agency resources, SSA contracted with Abt to implement the POD. Abt designed the Information Data System (IDS) that sent data to SSA via the POD Automated System (PAS). As the implementation contractor, Abt’s staff was responsible for:

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  assisting POD participants with collecting proof of income and IRWE and transmitting it to SSA;

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  issuing receipts to POD participants for each work report received;

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  assisting with notice explanation; and

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  assisting with waiver, reconsideration, and hearing requests for POD overpayments.

A POD participant was exempt from work CDRs while participating in the demonstration. Instead, the POD evaluated earnings outside of eWork under the $1 for $2 offset rules.

NOTE: We did not evaluate a POD participant’s earnings for SGA for the period from their last recorded work review decision to the start of their POD participation.

The PAS maintained a record of the names and SSNs of POD participants randomly assigned to a treatment group. Treatment group participants were eligible to receive the $1 for $2 offset, whereas control group members were not. (For more information on POD groups, see DI 60075.010A). In addition, the PAS accepted a nightly file from Abt’s processing system, IDS, containing earnings and IRWE reports for the beneficiaries who were eligible for the $1 for $2 offset. The PAS processed the earnings and IRWE reports and automatically created a Manual Adjustment Credit and Award Data Entry (MACADE) action to adjust the monthly benefit. It also generated a notice to the beneficiary explaining the offset benefit.

Beginning January 2018, MPR sent recruitment packets soliciting potential POD participants using SSA’s list of SSDI-only and concurrent beneficiaries residing in the demonstration catchment area (See DI 60075.010). If a recipient of the recruitment package agreed to participate in the POD, MPR randomly assigned the beneficiary to one of three groups; Treatment Group 1, Treatment Group 2, or Control Group. (For more information about treatment groups, see DI 60075.010A.) If an enrollee’s assignment was to the Control Group, MPR sent the beneficiary a notice informing the beneficiary of the assignment. MPR did not send notices to Treatment Group members after random assignment; Abt Associates did this.

After enrollment, MPR administered a baseline survey, and sent a $25 check to participants that complete the survey. MPR also sent reminders to participants who opted in, reminding them of upcoming surveys they could take. Surveys were sent to members of both treatment groups and the control group.

NOTE: The recruitment packet and notices from MPR not stored in the Online Retrieval System (ORS).

If a participant is randomly assigned to a treatment group, Abt sent a welcome notice with the rules for that treatment group and information about the POD Work Incentive Counselor (WIC) assigned to the beneficiary.

In addition to the welcome notice, Abt sent the following:

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  Earnings Report Packet: Provides three monthly reporting forms;

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  Earnings Reporting Reminder: Reminds POD participant of reporting requirements;

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  Other reminders, as appropriate;

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  Off-boarding letter: Informed participant that their participation in POD will end in June 2021;

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  POD exit letter – end of the POD: Informed participants that they are no longer in the POD and have returned to current-law SSDI program rules; and

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  POD exit letter – withdrawal: Informed participants that they are no longer in the POD and have returned to current-law SSDI program rules.

SSA sent the following notices to a POD participant:

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  POD offset notice explaining monthly offset and new monthly benefit amount (MBA);

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  benefit rate increase (BRI) adjustment notice correcting the BRI calculation for those POD participants receiving reduced payment amounts due to the POD offset, see DI 60075.055;

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  end of year reconciliation (EOYR) determination notice comparing reported earnings with actual earnings, see DI 60075.060;

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  appeal notice providing a reconsideration determination for those wanting to appeal the monthly offset or EOYR determination notice;

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  termination notice for Treatment Group 2 beneficiaries who have been in full offset for 12 consecutive months;

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  reminder notice to report earnings if a beneficiary has gone three months without reporting earnings;

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  end date of POD participation notice explaining when POD participation ends; and

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  auxiliary notice explaining when payments are not payable, or to explain reinstatement of benefits.