New Hampshire's WIPA program is also known as NH BEST--New Hampshire Benefits and Employment for Self-Sufficiency Transition.

Understanding the impact of earnings on your benefits can help you make informed choices on employment. Granite State Independent Living's Community Work Incentives Coordinators in the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) program work one-on-one with individuals to outline available options. Our Community Work Incentives Coordinators (CWIC) also make group presentations to professionals and individuals with disabilities.

Being employed and maintaining benefits
If you have a disability and receive SSDI and/or SSI benefits, working will not immediately eliminate these benefits, housing subsides or medical coverage. Our staff can provide information on work incentives and health care options, including Medicaid for Employed Adults with Disabilities (MEAD) and keeping Medicare benefits while working. We also can help you develop a clearly defined path to achieve your employment goals while maintaining your benefits.

To be eligible for WIPA services you must:

• Be age 16 to full retirement age,  to be working, ready to work or considering working and,

• Receive federal benefits, such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or,

• Receive state benefits, such as Medicaid, Medicaid for Employed Adults with Disabilities, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and housing subsidies.

How to access WIPA services
To learn more about work incentives, email WIPA@gsil.org  or call the WIPA voicemail 877-809-7023. The voicemail is checked by staff several times a day.  We will review your current benefits, explain your options in easy-to-understand terms and provide easy-to-read support materials. If you need more in-depth information, you can request to meet with a CWIC* for a Work Incentives and Benefits Summary. For a printable PDF of the WIPA brochure, click here.

*If you are a consumer of NH Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) and would like to meet with a CWIC, please discuss it with your VR counselor