Did you know that October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2009?

Can  you work if  you are disabled?
Absolutely!

October is National Disability Awareness Month and has been so since 1945, shortly after the end of the Second World War. A time when hundreds of thousands of unfortunately newly disabled veterans were returning home to try and get back to a normal life.
Today, hundreds of thousands of American Workers are disabled yet able to work. (See Brian Mittman's New Blog post)

Believe it or not, if you are out on New York Workers Compensation or seeking Social Security Disability, knowing how to try to get back to work if you are disabled is an important part of your life. Take this month to either help someone find work, or provide the resources and encouragement for those with disabilities to return to work.

Regardless of your politics, its encouraging to note that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has provided for disabled Americans by:

-  providing over $500 million to reduce Social Security Disability case Backlogs

-  provding $12.2 billion in funding to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

- providing $87 billion to States to bolster their Medicaid programs

- providing $500 million for vocational rehabilitation services to help with job training, education and placement.

If you have a disability, I want to see you return to work. However, if you have questions, contact us at Markhoff & Mittman so that we can let you know about what benefits and programs exist for you!