FAQS FOR PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS

What is the Ticket to Work pro­gram?

The Ticket to Work pro­gram is an em­ploy­ment pro­gram de­signed to de­crease con­cerns about los­ing health care cov­er­age or in­come from be­ne­fits by re­turn­ing to work and to in­crease op­por­tun­it­ies and choices for So­cial Se­cur­ity Dis­ab­il­it­ies be­ne­fi­ciar­ies to ob­tain em­ploy­ment from pub­lic and private pro­viders, em­ploy­ers and other or­gan­iz­a­tions.

Do I qual­ify for the Ticket to Work pro­gram?

If you are age 18 through 64 and re­ceive So­cial Se­cur­ity Dis­ab­il­ity In­sur­ance (SSDI) or Sup­ple­mental Se­cur­ity In­come (SSI) be­ne­fits, then you qual­ify.

Does it cost any­thing to par­ti­cip­ate in the Ticket Pro­gram?

No. This is a free and vol­un­tary pro­gram for people re­ceiv­ing So­cial Se­cur­ity dis­ab­il­ity be­ne­fits.

What is a Ticket?

Tick­ets are ad­min­istered to eli­gible in­di­vidu­als who are re­ceiv­ing cash be­ne­fits under the So­cial Se­cur­ity In­come or So­cial Se­cur­ity 
Dis­ab­il­ity In­sur­ance pro­grams. 

The tick­ets are as­signed to ap­proved ser­vice pro­viders called Em­ploy­ment Net­work in order to ob­tain ser­vices.

Tick­ets allow be­ne­fit re­cip­i­ents to ac­cess vo­ca­tional train­ing, edu­ca­tion, job place­ment ser­vices, and other sup­ports to help them reach their em­ploy­ment goals.

How do I get a Ticket?

When a per­son is de­term­ined to be eli­gible for Sup­ple­mental Se­cur­ity In­come or So­cial Se­cur­ity Dis­ab­il­ity In­sur­ance be­ne­fits, they also re­ceive a paper Ticket in the mail along with a let­ter ex­plain­ing the pro­gram.

If you re­ceive these be­ne­fits, but did not re­ceive, or do not have your ticket, con­tact the Ticket to Work hot­line at 866-968-7842 to get a re­place­ment ticket.

Is it Necessary to Have a Paper Ticket?

No, the Social Security Administration (SSA) recently stopped mailing paper Tickets to your home.  At this time, a “Ticket” is considered to be a symbolic document.  You can verify whether or not you have a useable “Ticket” by calling 1-866-968-7842 or by contacting Worknet at 866 872 1743.

 

Should I Re-Assign My Ticket to an Employment Network After I Close My Case with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)?

Yes!  After your Vocational Rehabilitation case is closed, you will have a 90-day grace period before you are subject to Continuing Disability Reviews.  If you are working to achieve self-sufficiency, you should re-assign your Ticket to an Employment Network in order to stop future Continuing Disability Reviews and to receive job retention and Work Incentives Counseling services.

How Long is My Ticket Good For?

Most “Tickets” are good for three to five years of follow along services from an Employment Network once employment is achieved.  Services received prior to employment are not time limited.

What is an Em­ploy­ment Net­work? How do I find in­form­a­tion about Em­ploy­ment Net­works in my area?

Em­ploy­ment Net­works are or­gan­iz­a­tions and agen­cies that provide em­ploy­ment ser­vices, vo­ca­tional re­hab­il­it­a­tion ser­vices, and other sup­ports to people re­ceiv­ing So­cial Se­cur­ity dis­ab­il­ity be­ne­fits under the Ticket to Work pro­gram.

Worknet is an Em­ploy­ment Net­work that provides employment services on behalf of the Social Security Administration. Be­ne­fi­ciar­ies can talk with mul­tiple Em­ploy­ment Net­works be­fore as­sign­ing the Ticket.

How does the pro­gram work?

The Ticket Pro­gram al­lows be­ne­fi­ciar­ies to re­ceive vo­ca­tional ser­vices and sup­ports at no cost. By re­ceiv­ing these ser­vices, be­ne­fi­ciar­ies are work­ing to­ward em­ploy­ment, in­creased self-suf­fi­ciency, and greater in­de­pend­ence. As be­ne­fi­ciar­ies achieve cer­tain mile­stones and out­comes, So­cial Se­cur­ity com­pensates the Em­ploy­ment Net­work for provid­ing ser­vice.

Will I lose my So­cial Se­cur­ity be­ne­fits when I par­ti­cip­ate in the Ticket Pro­gram to get vo­ca­tion ser­vices and sup­ports?

Be­ne­fi­ciar­ies will con­tinue to re­ceive be­ne­fits until they begin earn­ing wages or self-em­ploy­ment in­come above the ap­plic­able earn­ings limit for the Sup­ple­mental Se­cur­ity In­come or So­cials Se­cur­ity Dis­ab­il­ity In­sur­ance pro­gram.

So­cial Se­cur­ity can­not per­form a med­ical “Con­tinu­ing Dis­ab­il­ity Re­view” to de­term­ine if be­ne­fi­ciar­ies con­tinue to have a dis­ab­il­ity while par­ti­cip­at­ing in the Ticket Pro­gram, in­clud­ing re­ceiv­ing ser­vices from the State Vo­ca­tional Re­hab­il­it­a­tion agency, and pro­gress­ing to­ward your em­ploy­ment goal.

Only earn­ings can af­fect be­ne­fit eli­gib­il­ity and how much a per­son can earn be­fore it af­fects monthly be­ne­fits var­ies for each per­son. Be­ne­fi­ciar­ies can also take ad­vant­age of So­cial Se­cur­ity Work In­cent­ives that allow be­ne­fi­ciar­ies to sub­tract cer­tain amounts from their gross earn­ings.

 

What are Work Incentives?

Work Incentives are Social Security Administration disability program rules that allow you to reduce your countable income so that you can continue to receive a cash benefit while you explore work or look for a job that is right for you. Examples of such Work Incentives include the extension of Medicare and Medicaid coverage while working, Impairment-Related Work Expenses, and Plans for Achieving Self-Support. In addition, if your work attempt is unsuccessful, Social Security has made it easy for you to get back on benefits when and if needed.

 

What is “Timely Progress”? What Does it Mean for Me if I Use My Ticket?

As long as you are participating in the Ticket to Work Program and are making the expected progress toward your employment goal, the Social Security Administration (SSA) does not perform a medical “Continuing Disability Review” on you.  Every 12 months after you assign your Ticket to an EN, the SSA reviews your employment goals and looks at your progress in completing certain educational goal or getting and keeping a job. SSA refers to this as a “Timely Progress Review”.

What Happens if I Fail My “Timely Progress Review” While I Have My Ticket Assigned to an Employment Network (EN)?

The only thing that changes if you have your Ticket assigned and you do not meet “Timely Progress” requirements is the fact that you will then be subject to a Continuing Disability Review at your next scheduled Disability Review date.  

Disability review dates are pre-scheduled at the time you are determined eligible for disability benefits and usually occur at 1, 3, 5 or 7 year intervals depending on your type of disability.

Is there someone who can help me un­der­stand the dis­ab­il­ity pro­gram rules and Work In­cent­ives?

Be­ne­fits and Work In­cent­ives Prac­ti­tion­ers cer­ti­fied through the Dis­ab­il­ity and Em­ploy­ment In­sti­tute at Cor­nell Uni­versity are avail­able by ap­point­ment to an­swer ques­tions about Work In­cent­ives and how part-time, full-time, or sea­sonal work would af­fect your be­ne­fits.

How do I ac­tiv­ate my Ticket?

As­sign­ing your Ticket to Worknet is an ac­tiv­a­tion of a work part­ner­ship. We can help you com­plete the steps of ac­tiv­at­ing your ticket:

1. If you are the be­ne­fi­ciary of Sup­ple­mental Se­cur­ity In­come or So­cial Se­cur­ity Dis­ab­il­ity In­sur­ance, call Max­imus (866.968.7842) an or­gan­iz­a­tion that will give you in­form­a­tion about Em­ploy­ment Net­works and ser­vices.
   
2. If you choose Worknet as your Em­ploy­ment Net­work, we will call Max­imus to verify your ticket eli­gib­il­ity. We will then work with you to de­velop a ca­reer path plan and send that plan to Max­imus.
   
3. Max­imus will re­ceive and re­view the ca­reer path plan and as­sign your ticket to us. Next, you will re­ceive a no­ti­fic­a­tion of your Ticket as­sign­ment from So­cial Se­cur­ity.
   
4. Then you can begin im­ple­ment­ing your ca­reer path plan at Worknet.
   

 

More in­form­a­tion

For more in­form­a­tion about the Ticket to Work pro­gram, click here