Beginning November 2003 many Pennsylvanians who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) due to disability, will receive information in the mail about Social Security’s Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency program.

What is the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency program?

The Ticket to Work program is one of three major initiatives included in the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act (TWWIIA) of 1999. It expands the universe of service providers who can assist SSI and SSDI beneficiaries return to work by providing them with supports and services needed to obtain or advance in employment.

How does the Ticket program work?

• Eligible SSI/SSDI beneficiaries are identified by Social Security and sent packets of information in the mail including a “ticket” (click here to see an image of the ticket), and information about MAXIMUS, the Program Manager for the Ticket, who can provide beneficiaries with additional information about the program and participating service providers.
  
  
• The beneficiary then contacts and meets with service providers to find out if they are able to provide the services and supports she/he needs in order to go to work.
  
  
• Once the beneficiary and the service provider agree to work together, they complete an Individual Work Plan (IWP) that outlines the services and supports that will be provided as well as benchmarks for the achievement of outcomes that will result in employment.
  
  
• The IWP is signed by the beneficiary and the EN and sent to MAXIMUS for approval. Once the beneficiary is determined eligible to use her/his ticket, and once the IWP is signed and all accompanying paperwork submitted to MAXIMUS, the ticket is assigned.
  
  
• The end result of ticket use will be employment of the beneficiary at a level that eventually causes her/his SSI or SSDI cash benefits to stop.

Who are the service providers under the Ticket program?

Service providers under the Ticket program are called Employment Networks or ENs. ENs are any public or private entity that has entered into agreement with Social Security to function as an EN under the Ticket program. All ENs must meet and maintain certain criteria including, but not limited to, ensuring the confidentiality of beneficiaries, being accessible, providing services that are nondiscriminatory, having the resources needed to carry out the activities prescribed in its agreement with Social Security, utilizing qualified staff in accordance with the services being offered to beneficiaries as an EN, and implementing procedures and operations necessary to carry out and monitor the Ticket program. Some possible ENs are traditional community-based agencies who already provide extensive services to individuals with disabilities, religious organizations, for-profit entities, employers, transportation services or schools.

The Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) is also a provider under the Ticket program. OVR has a long history with Social Security in providing rehabilitation, training, and other employment support services to SSI and SSDI beneficiaries. Beneficiaries assign their ticket to OVR by completing and signing an Individual Employment Plan (IEP) that is sent to MAXIMUS. OVR is just one of the provider options from where a beneficiary can receive services under the Ticket program.

If I get a ticket in the mail, do I have to use it?

The Ticket program is completely VOLUNTARY. Receiving a ticket in the mail does not mean you have to go to work. It does not mean that Social Security will stop your benefits if you don’t participate in the program. If you get a ticket, you don’t have to use it. Or, you can choose to use it now or save it for a later time when you’ll need it.

There is some confusion about what the ticket can do for beneficiaries. A ticket is not a guarantee of employment. A ticket does not “pay” for goods and services you might need in order to work. What the ticket can do for you is:

• Expand the number of providers in your community that you can access to receive employment services, vocational rehabilitation and training, and support services you may need to become employed or increase employment
  
  
• Suspend Social Security’s medical continuing disability reviews while you’re using your ticket
  
  
• Because using a ticket means that you access and use FREE services provided by an EN or OVR, the ticket program can prepare you for employment, or assist you to advance in employment, so that you can become more self-sufficient and move off of SSI and/or SSDI cash benefits in a relatively short period of time
  
  
• You can utilize all applicable Social Security work incentives, and any other work incentives for which you may qualify, while using your ticket, thereby protecting needed cash and healthcare benefits as you work toward self-sufficiency (click here for information about the PASSABCO project and how a Benefits Specialist can help you understand how work will impact your SSI/SSDI benefits)

How do I choose an Employment Network?

Call MAXIMUS, the Program Manager for the Ticket, at 1-866-968-7842 and ask them to send you a list of ENs in your area. Or, visit MAXIMUS online at www.yourtickettowork.com/programs_resources to obtain a list of ENs in Pennsylvania.

Once you get the list, call the Employment Networks in your area. Speak with someone who handles the Ticket to Work program for the EN. One EN will not be exactly like the other. Some ENs will be non-traditional in the sense that they may not typically serve individuals with disabilities. However, they signed agreements with Social Security because they believe they have services that can help ticket holders return to work. Other providers may have a long history of working with people with disabilities. Some ENs may only accept tickets from individuals with certain types of disabilities while others will serve a broader-base of ticket holders. IT IS IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO FIND OUT FROM THE EN WHAT SERVICES THEY CAN OFFER YOU SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE!

When you contact ENs, they will probably have questions for you about your Social Security benefits status, employment history, and goals. This is so they can determine if their services match your needs.

REMEMBER: A good match will depend on how well the EN matches your service needs and your employment goals. You have a choice as far as who you decide to assign your ticket to. Likewise, ENs DO NOT have to accept your ticket. Do not be discouraged if this happens. An EN may not be able to work with you for a number of reasons unrelated to your ability to work. The bottom line is that you want to choose an EN you feel comfortable with and who can provide you with the services you’ll need to become employed and self-sufficient.

Once you and an EN decide to work together, you will develop your Individual Work Plan (IWP). The IWP is the guiding document that you and your EN use to develop the services and supports you’ll need to become employed. It also will set benchmarks for service completion and employment and earnings expectations. Completion and fulfillment of the goals in the IWP are as much your responsibility as that of the EN. PARTICIPATE FULLY IN THIS PROCESS! If you and your EN cannot agree on a plan, you may want to consider assigning your ticket to another provider.

What happens after I complete my IWP with the EN that I’ve chosen?

Make sure you agree with everything that’s in your IWP. Let your EN know if something is not right or is unclear. Once the IWP is agreed upon, you and your EN will sign it. The signed IWP will be sent to MAXIMUS. If you meet all other ticket eligibility requirements, your ticket will be assigned to the EN the date you signed your IWP.

Once your ticket is assigned to an EN, you will be expected to participate in the goals outlined in your IWP. MAXIMUS and Social Security will periodically evaluate your progress toward meeting the goals in your IWP. You will have time to receive training, education, or other non-work services you’ll need that will help you become employed. However, eventually you will have to work to a point where your SSI and/or SSDI cash benefits will stop. You can talk with MAXIMUS or a PASSABCO Benefits Specialist about the details of the ticket “timely progress” requirements.

You should know that ENs are only fully paid by Social Security for services they provided to you once you work at a level that cause your SSI/SSDI cash benefit to stop. OVR can be paid as an EN, or can be reimbursed for helping you become employed at Social Security’s substantial gainful activity level* for nine months.

What happens if I’m unable to make progress with my IWP goals?

The ticket “timely progress” requirements allow some flexibility to account for periods during your ticket assignment and use that you may not be able to fully participate in your IWP:

• During the first 24 months your ticket is “in use”, you can ask MAXIMUS to make your ticket inactive if you’re unable to proceed with your IWP for any reason. YOU ARE NOT OFFERED MEDICAL CDR PROTECTION DURING THE TIME YOUR TICKET IS INACTIVE. However, your ticket remains assigned to your EN, and you can pick up where you left off when you’re ready without any negative impact toward your timely progress requirements for the initial 24-month period. THERE IS NO WORK REQUIREMENT DURING THIS TIME.
  
  
• After your 24-month initial period is completed, your IWP must contain a goal of at least 3 months out of 12 in which you are working at Social Security’s non-blind SGA level (at least $810.00 gross per month for 2004). These months do not have to be consecutive. You may continue to receive a SSI or SSDI cash benefit at this time depending on your eligibility for other SSA work incentives. If there are some months you are unable to work at SGA level, it will not adversely affect your timely progress as long as you’ve worked at least 3 months at SGA level during this time.
  
  
• The next 12-month work requirement includes 6 months out of 12 at SGA level. Subsequent 12-month work requirements include 6 months out of 12 in which work is significant enough that cash benefits stop.
  
  
• YOUR INABILITY TO MEET TIMELY PROGRESS REQUIREMENTS DOES NOT MEAN THAT SOCIAL SECURITY WILL STOP YOUR SSI/SSDI BENEFITS! However, if you’re unable to meet timely progress requirements, Social Security may decide that your ticket is not in use. Regular medical Continuing Disability Reviews may resume. YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO ACCESS ALL OTHER WORK INCENTIVES FOR WHICH YOU ARE ELIGIBLE EVEN IF YOU’RE NO LONGER USING YOUR TICKET!
  
  
• You can reassign your ticket to another EN or OVR. You must make a request in writing to MAXIMUS. If MAXIMUS and Social Security decide that you are eligible to reassign your ticket, you have 3 months to find and assign your ticket to another EN or OVR. During these 3 months your ticket is still in use. If you do not reassign your ticket within the 3-month extension period, your ticket will be considered no longer in use, and you could be subject to medical Continuing Disability Reviews.

What do I do if I have a dispute with my EN or OVR?

You and your EN are equal partners in the success of your employment under the Ticket program. If you have a dispute with your EN, you can utilize the dispute resolution process offered by Social Security. If your ticket is assigned to OVR, you have access to their dispute resolution process pursuant to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and its amendments.

You also can access protection and advocacy services offered by the Protection and Advocacy for Vocational and Employment Services (PAVES) program. PAVES is funded by Social Security to provide advocacy and legal services to SSI and SSDI beneficiaries under the Ticket program and other initiatives under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999. You can contact PAVES at:

1901 Law and Finance Bldg.
429 Fourth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
1-800-692-7443, x114

For more information on the Ticket program and other Social Security work incentives, contact PASSABCO at 1-866-541-7005. Toll-free TTY at 1-866-541-7001. Email: cnelson@yourgoodwill.org.

The PASSABCO project is funded by the Social Security Administration (SSA). The contents of this web page are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official views of SSA.