Lucy Miller

Bio:

Lucy Miller has been providing high quality training and technical assistance on SSA disability benefits and associated work incentives for more than 20 years.  As one of the first people nationally to recognize the importance of work incentives counseling, her early written explanations of the work incentives formed the basis of Cornell University’s original training manual for benefits specialists which was first published in the late 1980s.

In 2000, Lucy was hired as one of the original technical assistance liaisons with the SSA funded training center for the BPAO projects and has continued to be a leader in this role through the conversion to WIPA to the present time.  She has provided training and support to many of the WIPA projects and CWICs in SSA Region 4 continuously for more than 9 years and has a deep understanding of their needs and preferences.  As a Technical Assistance Liaison with VCU, Lucy has distinguished herself by developing an extensive library of user-friendly written material about SSA disability benefits and work incentives.  Lucy was the principal author and editor of the current WIPA training manual and developed more than 35 fact sheets and briefing papers currently posted on the WIPA NTC website.  Lucy is unparalleled in her ability to translate the POMS into detailed explanations of complex work incentive provisions in a way that WIPA personnel can understand and apply in their day-to-day work.

Lucy’s work incentives knowledge was developed as an adjunct to her original career as a Supported Employment professional which began in 1985.  She many years of experience directly providing employment services and supports to SSA beneficiaries with severe developmental disabilities and is a recognized expert in effective job development and representational strategies.  Lucy has also provided training and technical assistance in supported employment and customized employment in both urban and rural settings for more than 20 years. 

As a trainer, Lucy has utilized many distance learning techniques including classroom based sessions, teleconference training, live satellite broadcasts, webcasts, internet courses, and real-time interactive internet based training.  No matter what training modality is used, Lucy is a highly skilled presenter who is consistently able to engage and entertain training participants while imparting valuable information and developing technical skills.

Lucy has extensive experience working with SSA beneficiaries with developmental disabilities, individuals with severe mental illness as well as beneficiaries who have incurred traumatic head injuries.  She is the VCU staff expert on benefits issues for veterans of our armed forces and developed significant knowledge of individuals who experience homelessness by serving more than 10 years on the Board of Directors of the Louisville Coalition for the Homeless.