ETO Software® helps the Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Services
manage its WIPA project in 67 counties
ETO WIPA in Action
The Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) is the state’s lead agency serving individuals with disabilities. DRS helps people with disabilities find and keep jobs. Their goal is to help their customers find quality employment that pays a living wage and offers a chance for advancement.
DRS is one of 104 WIPA Projects in the country. They contract with Social Security to provide information and planning services about work and Work Incentives. Work Incentives are special rules that make it possible for people with disabilities receiving Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to work and still receive monthly payments and Medicare or Medicaid.
DRS needed help tracking the eligibility of those they served and needed a more efficient solution. They decided that a web based, flexible software solution would best fit their needs and so they selected ETO Software from Social Solutions.
The Challenge
Like most WIPA projects, DRS needed an information system to manage their project. DRS determined it would be best to have a web-based solution because they serve 67 counties and the work is performed in locations throughout the state. A web-based system alleviates the need to install multiple instances of the software and allows secure access via a browser from any location with an Internet connection. They also needed the system to keep Personally Identifiable Information completely secure and help to collect accurate data, track referrals, remind staff when an individual’s Trial Work Period (TWP) was ending, and produce WIPA reports on the activities in all 67 counties individually and together.
The Illinois Division of Rehabilitation found ETO WIPA by Social Solutions to be the best software to meet its WIPA case management and reporting needs.
The previous system used by WIPA projects acted as a one-way portal simply storing the data. “ETO is interactive and operates as a tool to help us reach our goals,” says Michelle Lawrence, WIPA Program Coordinator. ”The best part of ETO software is that it helps us manage our cases. It can be accessed anywhere through the Internet. We
can meet beneficiaries 50 miles from our office and dial in through Wi-Fi to access the case files and notes.”
The Implementation
In addition to customizing the system to track state and program-specific WIPA data, like TWP Assessments, benefit calculations, outreach activities and referrals, ETO guards from duplication of client data and protects Personally Identifiable Information. ETO is simply designed to make your work easier.
“ETO sends me a message on my To-Do List 30 days later as a reminder to call the customer and ask them how much they earned that month -- it’s great! I do not have to worry about my beneficiaries going into overpayment anymore,” said Michelle Lawrence.
The Results
“ETO Software has made our reporting easier. We service 67 counties in the state of Illinois, and now with ETO software I can monitor exactly where our referrals come from. I can run a report that tells me how many people have been served in each county. This is a huge help because it lets us know where we need to focus our outreach,” said Michelle Lawrence.
Social Solutions and ETO Software
Imagine. You have a client in front of you and you want to look up what they qualified for and all services delivered to this individual across multiple programs. You click a button and see the entire case history, across programs right in front of you! We deliver this and over 300 reports at the click of a mouse.
Your work is impacting lives. You and your case workers deserve a break. Do what you do best – serve your clients – and let ETO serve you.