Rob McClain Success Story Transcript


Don Jenin, Rob’ s employer: He drives 108 miles one way to work. To both sites, same amount of time. Uh... snowstorms? Robby is still on time. 
He's got a tremendous amount of pride in his work and in himself.

Michelle Brigham, Rob’s girlfriend: Robby's just a go-getter. He just, he wants everything. 
He wants to try everything. He wants to be able to do everything and healing is a part of that, you know? 
With the sickness, it really hindered him. To be able to get back into the workforce and to get back to work and traveling and everything has just- 
it's been a wonderful thing for him.

Rob McClain: Pretty much, I was overweight and I was always doing something. I was always, in order to keep five businesses going, you know, it was 
just something I needed to keep going.So, my weight problem was deteriorating my health. I had some history of kidney failure and then I got sick 
when I was in the middle of that and that's when I had to shut everything down.
Finally, my kidneys completely failed. The only way to get a kidney transplant was I needed to lose the weight. I went from like around 550 to 250 [pounds].
I had a transplant and it was scary.It was really, I didn't know what to expect. I had bills. I didn't know what, you know, how to transition from work and tell Social Security.
So, finally I went and I got on to Social Security through my doctor's office, and at that time too then I went back to school as well. To college.

Eric Craver, Academic Advisor, University of Wisconsin at Green Bay: What was clear with Rob immediately is that he was not comfortable where he was. He knew that he had uh... 
he had to get back to work and it needed to be meaningful work and... Now in the process he was going to do anything that he needed to do to make that 
happen within the context of his existing circumstances.
He knew that he had health issues that need to be addressed and he knew that in order for him to be able to get back into some work that was meaningful, 
that really did uh... serve him but also put him in a position where he could earn a living that was gonna support him, that he needed a college degree. 
He was also very active as any EMT in the mountain area and that was something that meant a lot to him.

Rob McClain: And then after I got that degree, it was like, one of the biggest accomplishments because I worked during my sickness and I wanted to get myself back into life,
to where I can enjoy it, and I don't have to be reliant on a government program. I didn't want to keep living that way, on a fixed income in a limited area of being able to do things.
My DVR (Department of Vocational Rehabilitation) had said we have Ticket to Work program. After you..there's certain agencies that represent Ticket to Work and ERI
was the one that was most uh...suggested by them.

Kate Kingree, Ticket to Work Program Manager, Employment Resources, Inc: Well, when Robby came to us, he had a lot of questions. First, Robby with very well-versed,
more than a lot of individuals who come to me, in understanding his benefits. He knew that he had work Incentives and he also knew that he was able to continue a lot of his,
continue with his medical insurance you know we worked together to talk to Social Security to ensure that the month that he actually was using trial work was accurately 
reflected in his Social Security record. Ticket to Work program offers individuals access to employment services for free. Work Incentives are given to an individual
through virtue of whatever their entitlement is. So, an individual who's receiving SSI has different Work Incentives versus an individual who has SSDI.
An individual does not need to assign their ticket in order to access Work Incentives. Anyone can go to work who has a disability and utilize Work Incentives.

Rob McClain: Anytime I had a question, she was available. She helped me through the programs. Any of my questions and concerns I had, we'd take them on, you know,
put them down. And we'd take one at a time until we got them accomplished. So anybody out there that has worries, it's only human nature to be worried.
But in all reality, until you start getting through it, you just take one day at a time. You’ll be just fine. You'll get through it. 
So if your health happens to keep you from working yet, you still can go back into the program and they're there to help the transition. Any which way you want to go;
they're there to help you.

Rob McClain: That one must've been my birthday huh? 

Marylain McClain (Rob’s Mother): Yeah, because you had a birthday cake in front of you, unless you stole somebody else's cake.

Marylain McClain: Oh, he was so happy because he could go back to work. And he started, uh, he got on the Internet and he started looking different places, 
what he could take and where there was jobs available and he came up on this, um, this one part where it was at the DMV. So then, then he started going. 
He went all over the country for the interviews.

Don Jenin: Uh, and Robby was hired as a part-time examiner down in the southwest corner of the state. Uh... when we opened up uh... the opportunity at Chilton 
[part of Wisconsin] Robby took a transfer up to Chilton. Um, at that time he was just part-time but we were able to get a 50/50 position where we could get him 
over to [inaudible] and allow him to be full-time. He is a kind of guy that when he's at work, he shows a deep appreciation for having a job. He is very dependable.
He wants to be out there doing his job. He wants to be accepted. He is, pretty much.

Steve Harkema (Chief, Fire Department): He operates as a firefighter also, and an engineer on the different apparatuses. I think actually overcoming a
profound illness, such as a transplant and being able to recuperate to the point where you can come back and be incredibly productive, not only for yourself, 
for self-esteem reasons and for your own pride and goals. But he really adds flavor to the general overall work environment. So I think he's a huge benefit 
and he's done a fantastic job in coming back.

Rob McClain: The Ticket to Work program has kept me stable, has kept me you know, to be able to stay with my job, to help support me. Any needs that I'll be having
in the future it will keep me going and keep me working.

Marylain McClain: He's my hero because of what he went through. He's always tried and he'd never complain and uh, and even all the days, you never hear him say,
you know, "Oh, I'm so tired." He just goes on right to work. He just never liked to be on Social Security [benefits]. So when he got his job, it was a real blessing for him. 


Rob McClain:I guess I'm not scared to keep taking steps forward. In my whole entire time here, I never took step back. I always took a step forward. I always maybe stopped
 a little bit to reassess my choices, but I never went back. I always went forward.

Rob McClain: Alright, you ready? Big smile now! 1, 2, 3. There we go.