Social Security's Ticket to Work Program
President Clinton signed the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 on December 17, 1999. This new law increases beneficiary choice in obtaining employment services, vocational rehabilitation services, and other support services. It removes barriers that require people with disabilities to choose between health care coverage and work and ensures that more Americans with disabilities have the opportunity to participate in the workforce and lessen their dependence on public benefits.
Final Regulations were published in the Federal Register on December 28, 2001 (effective January 28, 2002) to implement the Ticket to Work program.
What is the ticket to work program?
The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act is a new program from the Social Security Administration. The Ticket to Work program provides that eligible Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries with disabilities will receive a ticket they can use to obtain employment services, vocational rehabilitation services, or other support services from an approved provider of their choice (Employment Network).
Who is eligible for a ticket?
Most Social Security and SSI beneficiaries with disabilities will receive a ticket. Disability-based beneficiaries who are age 18 or older and are not yet age 65 will be eligible for a ticket except those who:
- are medically expected to improve and have not had their first continuing disability review (CDR);
- are SSI recipients and are not receiving benefits based on the adult standard; and,
- are not receiving a federal benefit.
The selected beneficiaries will automatically receive a ticket and a brochure in the mail explaining how the program will operate. The first group of tickets will be mailed in Virginia around November 15, 2002. It will take approximately four months to complete the mailing of tickets to all current eligible individuals in Virginia. Tickets will then be mailed on an on-going basis to individuals as they become ticket eligible.
Do beneficiaries have to participate in the program?
No, the ticket program is voluntary. Beneficiaries do not have to participate. If beneficiaries choose not to participate in the program, this decision will have no effect on their benefits. As always, the Department will continue to provide vocational rehabilitation, employment support services, and all of our other services as we have in the past to eligible individuals regardless of whether they are a ticket recipient or not.
What are the advantages of participating in the ticket to work?
Beneficiaries who use the ticket do not have to undergo periodic disability reviews for the first two years while preparing for work and no reviews after two years if they are working. Also, once employed, medical benefits are expanded. Under the Ticket to Work program, SSDI recipients will keep their Medicare hospital insurance coverage at least 93 months after their nine-month trial work period. Under the Ticket to Work legislation, states now have the option to expand Medicaid coverage to working individuals with disabilities using income and resource limits set by the state.
Who provides the services to the beneficiaries?
Beneficiaries participating in the ticket program will receive employment services, vocational rehabilitation services, or other support services from organizations called Employment Networks (EN). Beneficiaries will assign their ticket to an EN when they agree to work together. These ENs are under contract to the Social Security Administration which will pay them for helping beneficiaries enter or return to work. ENs cannot charge beneficiaries for the services they provide.
The Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI), as the State public vocational rehabilitation agency, is also an EN.
Is there a time limit for using the ticket?
No, not as long as the beneficiary is eligible to participate in the ticket program. Basically, beneficiaries are eligible to participate in the ticket program as long as they are receiving a cash benefit from Social Security that is based on a disability. Beneficiaries can put the ticket away for a while and will still be able to participate in the program later.
Social Security has contracted with Maximus, Incorporated which will serve as the program manager for the ticket program. Maximus is a private organization that will help Social Security manage the program and to provide information about the program to SSI/SSDI beneficiaries.
You can find more information about employer networks (ENs) and obtain other ticket information by visiting Maximus's website or contacting Maximus at the toll-free numbers below:
Toll-Free Line Voice 1-866-YOURTICKET (1-866-968-7842)
Toll-Free TDD Line for Hearing and Speech Impaired:
1-866-TDD2WORK (1-866-833-2967)
Visit the Ticket program website: www.yourtickettowork.com
DBVI would like to be your EN of choice if you wish to enter or return to work. If you have any questions about how DBVI may serve you as an EN, please feel free to call a vocational rehabilitation counselor in one of the six regional offices using the toll-free number 1-800-622-2155.
