The Ticket to Work Program provides employment support services to Social Security beneficiaries with disabilities. Services include vocational rehabilitation, job training, coaching, counseling, and referrals. In addition to the assistance provided, a primary program benefit is that Social Security will suspend medical continuing disability reviews (CDR) while you are enrolled, if you are making sufficient progress towards your employment goal. The program is completely voluntary; there is no penalty if you decide not to use your ticket. The program does not guarantee that you will find a job.
Eligibility for the Program
You qualify for the Ticket to Work program if you meet all four of the following criteria:
Exceptions
- If you do not receive Social Security disability benefits, you do not qualify.
- If you receive payments under a vocational rehabilitation program (Section 301 payments), you do not qualify.
- If you are appealing a SSA ruling on your disability status and receiving benefit payments, you do not qualify.
- If your medical condition is expected to improve, you may not qualify.
- If you receive Social Security disability benefits based on the SSI childhood standard, you do not qualify.
- If you receive benefits while seeking expedited reinstatement, you do not qualify.
- If SSA determines that you have a high chance of being found “disabled,” they will begin benefit payments while your SSI application is still being reviewed. This is known as presumptive disability. If you receive presumptive disability or blindness payments, you do not qualify for the Ticket program.
- If you live an area not served by the Ticket program, you do not qualify.
- If you are a Title II beneficiary and don’t have a Social Security number, you do not qualify.
If you think one of these exceptions applies to you, contact Maximus
, the Ticket to Work Program administrator, to verify (866-968-7842; TDD: 866-833-2967).
How the Program works
If the Social Security Administration (SSA) determines that you are eligible for the Ticket program, they will send you a “Ticket to Work” in the mail. Your ticket allows you to access employment support services provided by Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies or Ticket service providers called employment networks (EN’s).
If you think you are eligible for the program, but have never received a ticket, you should also contact Maximus.
If you decide to work with an EN rather than the DOR, you can work with any EN that you choose (so long as they agree to work with you). You must, however, work with only one EN at a time. You and your EN should come to an understanding of the services needed to reach your employment goals. Once you have done so, this agreement will be formalized in a written plan called an Individual Work Plan.
You can use your ticket for a period of 5 years, sometimes longer. As long you are making adequate timely progress towards your employment goal, the Ticket is considered “in use,” and you will not be subject to a medical continuing disability review (CDR). This is significant. If Social Security conducts a CDR and determines that you are no longer disabled, you lose all your Social Security benefits. The fact that you are exempt from such reviews for five years under the Ticket program, assuming you make adequate timely progress toward your employment goal, is an important benefit.
Employment Networks (EN’s)
A variety of organizations can serve as Employment Networks, including:
- Employers
- Chambers of Commerce
- Non-profit Organizations
- One-Stop Career Centers
- Schools and Other Educational Institutions
- Staffing and Placement Agencies
- Development Disabilities Agencies
- Mental Health Agencies
- Independent Living Centers
- Community-Based Rehabilitation Organizations
Services vary from EN to EN. Be sure to contact the EN’s in your area, as well as vocational rehabilitation agencies, for a description of the services they provide. Ask them about languages spoken and the types of disabilities they have experience working with. Some EN’s may be strong in certain areas (i.e. – vocational rehabilitation or training) but not as strong in others (i.e. – job referrals or coaching). Some EN’s may assign you a counselor or caseworker to work with; others may not.
You are free to talk with as many EN’s as you like and you don’t have to work with an EN simply because you have had communications with them. If you start working with an EN and are not satisfied with their services, you can change EN’s or work with a vocational rehabilitation agency.
If you are having trouble deciding which EN to work with, contact MAXIMUS, your regional Area Work Incentives Coordinator (AWIC), or Protection and Advocacy, Inc.
For a listing of the EN’s in your area, click here.
Work Plans
You and your EN should work together to develop an Individual Work Plan (IWP). Your IWP should:
- Address your employment goals. What type of work do you want to do?
- List the services your EN will provide and how you will get those services.
- Note what you can do if you are not satisfied with your EN or your plan.
- Note your right to change your plan if you need to.
- Note when your plan begins and ends.
If you choose to work with a DOR vocational rehabilitation agency, you will have an Individual Plan for Employment (IPE), as opposed to an IWP. Both serve the same purpose—they outline your employment goals and provide a plan of action for reaching them.
Timely Progress
If you participate in the Ticket program, you must make timely progress towards reaching your employment goals. As long as you do so, you will not be subject to a medical continuing disability review (CDR). During the first two years of your program, timely progress is defined as “active participation in your IWP or IPE.” From Year 3 forward, income requirements must be met. Maximus will conduct timely progress reviews at the end of the second, third, fourth, and fifth years of your plan.
Timely Progress Review Guidelines
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Years 1 and 2
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You must adhere to the basic steps outlined in your IWP or IPE. You don’t have to work during this period, unless your plan specifies that you do so.
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Year 3
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You must earn at least $940 per month—the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) level in 2008—for 3 or more months. (Note: If you earn $940 per month during Years 1 or 2, those months count too.)
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Year 4
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You must earn at least SGA for a minimum of 6 months.
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Year 5 (and subsequent years, if applicable)
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For 6 months, you must earn an income high enough so that you are no longer receiving SSI or SSDI.
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If, during one of your reviews, Maximus determines you are not making adequate progress, your ticket will be placed in inactive status and CDRs can resume. You can usually reactivate your ticket, however, if you meet certain requirements set forth by Maximus.
If you disagree with Maximus’s decision about your timely progress, you can request a SSA review of the decision within 30 days. In the meantime, you will be exempt from CDRs.
If you decide you want to work with a different EN, you can send Maximus a letter asking them to unassign your ticket. You will then have three months to assign your ticket with a new EN or vocational rehabilitation agency. Your ticket is considered to be assigned with the new EN when you sign your IWP with that EN.
If you are temporarily unable to participate in the plan during your first two years, you can write Maximus and ask them to place your ticket in inactive status. If your ticket is placed in inactive status under such circumstances, you can be subject to CDRs, but you will not lose any time in the program.
Example:
You are in the 15th month of your plan when you begin having health problems. You write to Maximus and ask that your ticket be placed in inactive status for six months. Assuming Maximus grants your request (and they usually do), your ticket will be placed in inactive status for those six months. While you may be subject to CDR’s during that period, you won’t lose those six months of plan time. When your plan resumes, you will still be in Month 15 (not Month 21).
Differences Between Employment Networks and the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR)
According to federal rules, the DOR’s vocational rehabilitation agencies are required to participate in the Ticket to Work Program. A vocational rehabilitation agency and an EN can decide to work collaboratively if they establish a written agreement before providing services.
The same basic Ticket rules apply whether you work with an EN or a vocational rehabilitation agency. You will still be expected to be make adequate timely progress on your plan and you will still be subject to review by Maximus.
As mentioned above, if you work with a vocational rehabilitation agency, you will draft an Individual Employment Plan (IPE) rather than an IWP. The two are very similar and serve the same purpose.
Becoming an Employment Network (EN)
There is no cost to become an EN. The application process is free and MAXIMUS provides consulting and technical assistance for organizations interested in doing so. For more information, contact Maximus at 866-968-7842 (TDD: 866-833-2967). You can also contact the Social Security Administration at 866-584-5180 or email
them.
Many organizations that want to become an Employment Network need start-up money to do so. The Employment Network Capitalization Project addresses this need. Visit their Resource Directory for information on how to access funding from government grants, foundations and private financial capital.
Other Employment Support Programs
There are a number of other employment support services available to people with disabilities. One is the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Program, which helps Social Security beneficiaries with disabilities make informed choices about work and benefits.
Each WIPA has Community Work Incentives Coordinators (CWICs) who provide incentives planning and assistance to beneficiaries with disabilities. They also conduct outreach efforts to beneficiaries who might be eligible for their programs, screen and refer people with disabilities to appropriate EN’s, and provide information on health coverage that may be offered by an employer and the extent to which other health coverage may be available in coordination with Medicare and Medi-Cal. They also provide information on the availability of Protection and Advocacy services.
To find a WIPA near you, click here. For more information on other employment support services, check out DB101’s sections on AB 925 and Workplace Personal Assistance.
Sources on Ticket
The following links are provided for those who want detailed information on the Ticket to Work Program. For those looking for more general information, please go to DB101’s Ticket to Work Resources page.
Maximus is the program administrator for Ticket to Work. Their website provides information on program basics, eligibility requirements and the Inside Ticket Quarterly newsletter.
The California Department of Rehabilitation provides an overview of the Ticket program and contact information for local DOR offices and vocational rehabilitation agencies.
Social Security holds regular Work Incentive Seminars (WISE) to provide beneficiaries with information on how to go to work for the first time, return to work, or reach other employment goals. Seminars include information on the Ticket to Work program and other work incentives. For registration information, click here.
The National Employment Network Association (NENA) works with Employment Networks and other stakeholders to help support the Ticket to Work Program's public-private partnership.
DisabilityInfo.gov provides numerous Ticket resources including links to evaluations of the program.
The Social Security Administration provides an overview of the program, including information on eligibility requirements and how to use your ticket.
Click here for text of the Ticket to Work and Incentives Improvement Act of 1999.
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