Understanding Immigration Status: When Non-Citizens Can Legally Work and Get Public Benefits

October 1^st and October 8^th

11:00 am – 12:30 pm

Registration: Members – Free   Non-Members $150

Virtual

Facilitators:

Lisa Lorraine and Michael Dalto

Overview:

Immigration status significantly impacts access to employment

opportunities and public benefits for individuals with disabilities.

Disability service professionals often encounter clients who are

immigrants or noncitizens, yet many providers lack clear, accurate,

and timely information about eligibility rules, work authorization, and

the intersection of immigration status with disability-related services.

This knowledge gap can lead to missed opportunities, misinformation,

and barriers to essential supports.

This training is critical in today’s political climate, where shifting policies

and heightened enforcement create uncertainty for immigrants and service

providers. Equipping disability professionals with accurate, timely information

ensures equitable access to benefits and empowers them to support immigrant

clients effectively amid these challenges.

This two-part series is designed to equip benefits counselors, entitlement

coordinators, employment service providers, and other disability service

professionals with the tools and understanding needed to navigate these

complex issues confidently.

Session Details

Part 1: Immigration Status and Core Benefits

• Differences between immigration statuses (e.g., lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, undocumented).

• Which immigrants are authorized to work.

• Eligibility for noncitizens for Social Security Disability benefits, SSI, Medicaid, and Medicare.

• Practical guidance for advising clients accurately.

Part 2: Additional Programs, Pathways, and Current Issues

• Eligibility for HUD/housing programs, SNAP (Food Stamps), Temporary Cash Assistance, Unemployment Insurance, Workers Compensation, Veterans’ benefits, state vocational rehabilitation services, and other programs.

• Understanding “public charge” and its implications.

• Pathways to immigration status and current trends in

• enforcement (ICE and deportation concerns).

• Strategies for supporting clients.

Facilitator: Michael Dalto

Michael Dalto is a big, old benefits geek. He has delivered presentations on

benefits and work incentives to thousands of people with disabilities, family

members, and professionals since 1989. He created state certification for

Maryland benefits counselors and provided training and technical assistance for

the certification. He oversaw benefits counseling for the PROMISE project, a

research grant that served youths who receive SSI and their families.

Michael also consulted with the Institute for Community Inclusion of the

University of Massachusetts Boston on the SGA Project, a research effort that

tested interventions to support vocational rehabilitation consumers in Kentucky

and Minnesota to work their way off Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

benefits. He has written training materials about benefits and provided technical

assistance to Virginia Commonwealth University’s National Training and Data

Center. He now consults with Cornell University and the National Association

of Blind Merchants.

Facilitator: Lisa Lorraine

Lisa Lorraine manages Jubilee Association of Maryland’s Breaking Barriers Program, where she helps individuals and families overcome complex access barriers and navigate Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) and other local, state and federal systems to obtain needed supports and services. She also co-chairs the Maryland Equity Coalition for People with Disabilities, a statewide coalition of nearly 40 organizations advancing equity and inclusion in disability services. Drawing on more than a decade of experience working with Maryland’s immigrant communities, Lisa brings specialized expertise on the intersection of immigration status, public benefits, and disability services.