Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS)

Legal Rights Service (LRS) is designated under the Social Security Act to provide information and advocacy services to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries to help them secure or regain gainful employment. This program also provides information and advocacy to SSI and SSDI beneficiaries on issues affecting employment networks, and other service providers under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act and the Work Incentive Planning and Assistance (WIPA) program.

In a collaboration with the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the National Disability Rights Network, LRS is visiting sites selected by SSA to interview people with disabilities who are employed by their representative payee.

Through the PABSS program, LRS may investigate and review any complaint of improper or inadequate services provided to a person with a disability by a service provider, employer or other entity involved in the beneficiary's return to work effort; provide information and referral to Social Security beneficiaries with disabilities about work incentives and employment; provide information and technical assistance on work incentives to individuals; advocate to identify and correct deficiencies in entities providing vocational rehabilitation services, employment services and other support services to beneficiaries with disabilities; and assist beneficiaries who are working with accommodations or discrimination issues.