Proyecto Visión

Would you like help getting off Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)? Would you like to work but not loose the benefit of having SSDI or SSI? Would you like help finding a job and keeping it? The new Social Security Administration’s Ticket to Work Program can help you do that! Read on to find out more information.

The Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program was established on December 17, 1999 when former President Clinton signed the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (TWWIA).

This act is directed at helping those receiving SSDI and SSI obtain, regain, or maintain jobs by helping them access rehabilitation and employment services that can help them find jobs. TWWIA also aims to provide those same people with health care and services that help individuals with disabilities prepare for jobs, and be placed in jobs.

This act also allows people with disabilities to maintain Medicare coverage even after they find employment. In other words, you do not have to choose between health care and having a job if you take advantage of the Ticket to Work Program!

In sum, TWWIA is aimed at getting people off of SSI/SSDI by gradually reducing their dependence on these funds, by helping them find and keep jobs without sacrificing the benefit of receiving health care.

The Ticket to Work Program will become available nationwide within the next three years, with more states and territories being added in each phase.

During Phase I of the Ticket to Work program, tickets will be distributed to eligible beneficiaries in the following 13 states in June 2002: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont and Wisconsin.

Phase II will take place by the end of 2002 and will include these 20 states: Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and the District of Columbia (Washington, DC).

Finally, Phase III will be implemented in 2003. People eligible to take part in the program will receive their tickets in the mail if they live in the following states and territories: Alabama, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

There are other guidelines that determine your eligibility for this program in the Final Rules and Regulations but these are the main criteria that everyone has to meet.

How do I access the employment services once I am eligible?
You can access the program’s services by having a ticket. The ticket will be mailed to you if you are eligible.

A ticket in the Ticket to Work program is a 6-by-9- inch, red, white and blue document that allows you access to a SSA-approved employment network (EN) or State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (VRA) free of charge.

You do not have to use the ticket if you do not want to. You can hold onto it until a later time, but you will only be issued one ticket. If you loose your eligibility for SSI/SSDI but then become eligible again at a later date, you can receive another ticket.

The ticket is your evidence of the Social Security Commissioner's agreement to pay for services you need to find a job. In order to access the services for free, you must give your ticket to one of these agencies.

SSA has approved various Employment Networks (EN) and State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies (VRA) for service to those with tickets. The SSA will only agree to pay for your services at these agencies. The ticket is your agreement for payment. You may go to either an EN or a VRA for service. However, to get service from a VRA, you must meet their particular eligibility rules for service. You must be eligible for vocational rehabilitation services. Check with your local VRA to determine eligibility.

SSA-approved Employment Networks and Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies are located throughout the country, ready to serve those with tickets free of charge.

So, I give an EN or VRA my ticket, and I can get services from them in finding a job?

You must give an EN or VRA your ticket to be able to use their services that you may need to go to work free of charge. You will then meet with a representative or a counselor who will help you determine what services you will need to get and keep a job, and help you make up a plan on how to achieve your goal.

You can change service providers at anytime, but you must notify Maximus, SSA’s project manager, of your change and give your ticket to the new agency of your choice. No more than one provider can have your ticket at a time.

There are, however, some rules that must be complied with in order for the SSA to pay for you to get services.

You must assign your ticket to a VR or EN, they must help you go to work, and they must comply with the requirements of the program.
If you give your ticket to an EN, you and your EP representative must agree to and sign an Individualized Work Plan (IWP). If you go to a VRA, you and your counselor must agree to and sign an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) and the required form for that.

The IWP or IPE outlines the services you need to achieve your vocational goal. Once signed, it will be sent to Maximus, the program manager. Your final eligibility will then be determined and you can start receiving the services on the IWP or IPE free of charge.

Does the Ticket to Work program offer any other services other than help finding and keeping a job?

TWWIA, the act that introduced the Ticket to Work Program has some other provisions besides the ticket which allows users to gain free access to approved employment and job related services.

People with disabilities can work and still get Medicare or Medicaid health coverage. On October 1, 2000, people with disabilities who have jobs received the option of getting Medicare or Medicaid coverage. States may permit working individuals with incomes above 250 percent of the federal poverty level to receive Medicaid coverage.
SSA is authorized to pay state and advocacy programs to provide their services to people with disabilities who receive SSA benefits.
In addition to those who have tickets, Social Security disability beneficiaries who have been receiving benefits for at least 24 months will not be medically reviewed because of work activity, as long as their earnings are not above the established limits.
Social Security or SSI disability beneficiaries who stopped receiving benefits because of earning income from a job can make a request to receive benefits again within 60 months without filing a new application, if they are unable to work because of their medical conditions. In addition, they may receive temporary benefits for up to six months while waiting for the SSA to review their case.
Those receiving Social Security benefits will also be provided with a community-based work incentives planning and assistance program, which will keep them informed about work incentives and other services. Work Incentives Specialists will also be at the disposal of those on SSI/SSDI to answer any questions they might have at SSA offices.

If I am no longer eligible for SSI or SSDI, can I still use my ticket?
No. If at any point, you fail to meet the eligibility requirements for the program, your ticket will no longer be of any use. One of the eligibility requirements is to be eligible for SSI or SSDI. If you are no longer eligible for SSI or SSDI benefits, the SSA will stop paying for your job-related services during that current month and thereafter.

A final determination of ineligibility for SSDI or SSI benefits based on disability or blindness.
SSA rejects your application for SSDI or SSI disability benefits
You reach retirement age
You become eligible for a Title II or Title XVI benefit that is not based on disability or blindness
SSA approves a new application and finds the beneficiary is eligible for SSDI or SSI disability benefits.
Beneficiary becomes eligible to receive another ticket as a result of benefit reinstatement

Remember if you loose your eligibility, but then become eligible again at some point, you can receive another ticket.

Where can I find out more information?
You can find more information about TWWIA and the Ticket to Work Program at the following websites: