24. Can I qualify for EAEDC as a Mass. Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) participant?
You can get EAEDC if you are actively participating in a training and/or rehabilitation program with the Mass. Rehabilitation Commission (MRC). 106 C.M.R. § 703.610(A). MRC provides training and rehabilitation services to persons who meet the MRC definition of disability and can benefit from MRC services. See 107 C.M.R. § 4.07 for rules on MRC eligibility. Participation with MRC starts from the point MRC decides you are an "eligible client" and ends when you start work or are no longer an active participant.
If you want to qualify for EAEDC as an MRC participant, DTA will ask you for a letter from MRC describing the program you will be participating in as well as a copy of the medical reports MRC used to decide you were disabled. 106 C.M.R. § 703.610(B).
Advocacy Reminders:
- Because the MRC's role is to assist persons with disabilities to access the services and training they need to be able to work, MRC often evaluates disability more broadly than EAEDC does.
- Persons denied disability by DES or the Social Security Administration may nevertheless qualify if MRC has accepted them as disabled for vocational rehabilitation services.
- You do not have to submit a disability supplement or medical report.
- MRC programs may include post-secondary education.
The first $130/month of a training stipend from MRC is noncountable income.
DTA Policy Guidance: