[nabs-l] Means Testing for College Students

Elizabeth lizmohnke at hotmail.com
Thu Jun 3 20:30:20 UTC 2010


Hello Al,
 
Thank you once again for responding to my message. I am not speaking from any particular personal situation, but rather on a broader basis as the Michigan Commission for the Blind looks at changing their overall policy for delivering services to college students. I am simply trying to find arguments to prevent the agency from adopting a means test despite what they want to call it when and if it comes up in a public meeting set for Monday, June 21, 2010. I am simply trying to do my part to make sure that the Commission adopts a new policy that actually follows federal regulations and favors the rights of blind college students.
 
Do you know who I could contact off the list that might be able to clarify some of the grey matters on this issue? As I write this response, I am wondering if it is right for the Commission to basically take away a student’s Social Security benefits and provide them with a monthly living allowance, or force a student to take out a loan to pay for a state sponsored college that does not charge the highest rates among state sponsored colleges in Michigan? I am currently not a client of the Commission, so I cannot say for sure what their current practices are in regards to providing services to college students, but these are a few things that I have heard as I try to gain a better understanding of the problems blind college students are facing in the state of Michigan
 
Thanks,
Elizabeth.

 
> From: aspooner at blindinc.org
> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date: Thu, 3 Jun 2010 08:41:46 -0500
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Means Testing for College Studentsþ
> 
> Hi Elizabeth,
> 
> Well, I would hope that this thread might be helpful to other students that
> may be faced with this situation sometime in the future, but if you would
> like to e-mail me directly, that would be just fine too. My e-mail address
> is: aspooner at blindinc.org
> 
> Without having all of the details of your situation, current living
> arrangements and more specifics regarding your current college status and
> situation, etc., I can only give you some general parameters.
> 
> The law is quite clear, as an adult receiving SSI you are not obligated to
> contribute financially, regardless of what the VR agency wants to call it. 
> 
> They cannot include your parent's income. They may argue that you are
> living with them (I do not know if you are or not), but if you are, they see
> this as you being supported by this family income. This is a little grey
> area, but ultimately if you can provide evidence to them that you are
> self-supporting, (using your SSI as your means of support) then this
> evidence is the proof that you are not receiving financial support from your
> family. 
> 
> If you are using only your SSI for support, and living in an apartment or
> dorm during college, the time that you spend in the summer with your parents
> should not be considered as financial support either. You can avoid this
> possibility even further by paying your parents a small amount for rent
> while you are there.
> 
> Al Spooner
> Assistant Director
> Outreach and Marketing
> Blindness Learning In New Dimensions, Incorporated (BLIND, Incorporated)
> 100 East 22nd Street
> Minneapolis, MN 55404
> Office: 612-872-0100 Ext. 226
> Toll Free: 800-597-9558
> Fax: 612-872-9358 
> Web Site: www.blindinc.org
> Office E-mail: aspooner at blindinc.org
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Elizabeth
> Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2010 8:16 PM
> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Means Testing for College Students
> 
> 
> Hi Al,
> 
> Thank you for your response. These regulations should come in handy when
> making the argument against a means test. But how exactly do you make this
> argument when the agency isn't exactly calling it a means test though? and
> I'm still not quite sure if this answers the question as to whether or not
> the income of the student's parents would count as a comperable benefit for
> services as the agency seems to be claiming. I don't know, perhaps I'm
> posting this on the wrong list, but I just thought I would give it a try I
> guess. 
> 
> 
> 
> Elizabeth
> 
> 
> 
> 
> > From: aspooner at blindinc.org
> > To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> > Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2010 15:03:27 -0500
> > Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Means Testing for College Studentsþ
> > 
> > Hi Elizabeth,
> > 
> > The Federal RSA regulations state that if you are a SSI recipient, that
> they cannot require you to contribute financially. Please see below, taken
> from the Rehabilitation Act Regulations:
> > 
> > Sec. 361.54 Participation of individuals in cost of services based on
> financial need.
> > 
> > . . . (3) The designated state unit may not apply a financial needs test,
> or require the financial participation of the individual . . .
> > . . . (ii) As a condition for furnishing any vocational rehabilitation
> service if the individual in need of the service has been determined
> eligible for Social Security benefits under Titles II or XVI of the Social
> Security Act.
> > 
> > [Note: Title II (2) is Social Security Disability Insurance, and Title XVI
> (16) is SSI.] 
> > 
> > Al Spooner
> > Assistant Director
> > Outreach and Marketing
> > Blindness Learning In New Dimensions, Incorporated (BLIND, Incorporated)
> > 100 East 22nd Street
> > Minneapolis, MN 55404
> > Office: 612-872-0100 Ext. 226
> > Toll Free: 800-597-9558
> > Fax: 612-872-9358 
> > Web Site: www.blindinc.org
> > Office E-mail: aspooner at blindinc.org
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Elizabeth
> > Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2010 12:10 AM
> > To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> > Subject: [nabs-l] Means Testing for College Students?
> > 
> > 
> > Hello List,
> > 
> > The Michigan Commission for the Blind is currently reviewing the policy
> they use to provide services to college students. After reviewing the
> proposed changes, it appears as though the biggest change they want to make
> to the policy is implementing a means test as a provision of services. Since
> I live in Michigan, I am not familiar with the various policies that are
> carried out in different states. Does anyone know if there are any state
> vocational rehabilitation programs that use means testing for college
> students, and if so, how means testing impacts the quality of services
> college students receive from their vocational rehabilitation agency?
> Additionally, does anyone know where I might be able to find more
> information about the use of means testing as a provision of services? 
> > 
> > One of the main arguments the agency is using to justify a means test is
> the fact that in most cases the income of the student’s parents is used to
> determine federal financial aid. They seem to believe that if the parents
> income is used to determine federal financial aid then the parents income
> should also be used to determine how much money the student can contribute
> to his or her vocational rehabilitation program. However, this does not seem
> right to me, as I believe the main purpose of the vocational rehabilitation
> program is to serve the individual, in this case the college student, and
> not necessarily the family as a whole. 
> > 
> > I also understand that the vocational rehabilitation agency cannot require
> individuals to use Social Security benefits to pay for services. Does anyone
> know if this applies to providing services to college students as well? The
> Michigan Commission for the Blind claims that by implementing a means test
> for college students that they are not violating this policy because the
> student can choose to pay for their portion of services any way they see
> fit. However, if the only means of income available to the student is
> through their Social Security benefits, then how else is the student
> expected to pay for their portion of services? 
> > 
> > Their answer to this argument is that if a student chooses to use their
> Social Security benefits to pay for their portion of services, then that is
> the students choice. But what they do not seem to understand is that in most
> cases the student does not have a choice when that is their only source of
> income. They also seem to believe that this burden should fall on the
> parents if the student cannot pay their portion of services. But this
> statement only leads me to believe that they are out of touch with the real
> world where many people in Michigan are struggling to keep their job, put
> food on the table, and make the mortgage payments on time if at all.
> > 
> > Any information you might be able to provide on this subject would be
> greatly appreciated. 
> > 
> > Thanks,
> > Elizabeth
> > 
> > 
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