Michael J. Van Essen
My blogs
| Location | Arcadia, California |
|---|---|
| Introduction | I became a Disability Benefits Advocate after being disabled for nearly eight years. I became employed by AIDS Project Los Angeles as a Social Security Administration trained Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach representative. Two years later I was employed by AIDS Service Center of Pasadena, in the position of Outreach Educator working primarily working with the incarcerated and Transitional Age Youth. I currently serve as the Director of Benefits Establishment at Pacific Clinics, a behavioral health non-profit organization, headquartered in Arcadia, California. In addition, I am affiliated with both the World Institute on Disability, contributing to the Disability Website www.db101.org as well as the California Health Incentives Improvement Project, www.chiip.org. I teach a Benefits Establishment class at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA. This three-unit class is part of a certified 33 unit Paraprofessional Mental Health Worker curriculum. It covers all aspects of public income and healthcare disability benefits with emphasis on Work Incentives that have been designed to protect benefits safety nets while transitioning from Disability into the Workplace. |