Ticket to Work Primer
TEN THINGS REHABILITATION
PSYCHOLOGISTS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE TICKET TO
WORK PROGRAM
 Thomas
Martin, Psy.D., Thomas Bounds, Ph.D., Shane
Bush, Ph.D., ABPP-Rp, ABPN, Kathleen Chwalisz,
Ph.D., ABPP, John Corrigan, Ph.D., ABPP (Ticket
to Work Subcommittee of the Practice Committee)
Colleagues,
The following Ticket to Work (TTW) primer is
provided by the Division 22 TTW subcommittee
of the Practice Committee. Our goal is to keep
the division abreast of this initiative and
its implications for rehabilitation psychologists.
I would like to thank the other committee members
for their work. It is our hope that this posting
will invite your perspectives about the TTW
program and how rehabilitation psychologists
can be optimally involved.
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Ticket to Work (TTW) is a voluntary program
launched by the Social Security Administration
(SSA) designed to provide individuals with
disabilities expanded opportunities and
services to assist them in finding and retaining
employment.
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The rules governing TTW were finalized
in 2001, and the first 13 states to implement
were Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida,
Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York,
Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont,
and Wisconsin. The second phase of states
(also in 2002) include: CT, NH, NJ, DC,
VA, GA, KY, MS, TN, IN, MI, AR, LA, NM,
KS, MO, MT, ND, SD, NV, and AK. The remaining
states will roll out in 2003.
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General eligibility requirements for the
TTW program include all SSI and SSDI cash
beneficiaries, aged 18 through 64. Ticket
recipients may take their tickets to their
State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency or
any Employment Network (EN) where a collaborative
individual employment plan outlining the
services to be provided to assist the beneficiary
in reaching their employment goal will be
developed.
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Ticket-holders are free to talk with as
many EN as they choose to find out which
one can help them the most with getting
or keeping a job and the supports they need.
Ticket-holders and EN must agree to work
together and a ticket-holder can stop working
with one EN and begin working with another
at any time.
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The SSA will award an unlimited number
of non-competitive contracts to qualified
EN beginning in 2001 through a Request for
Proposal (RFP) process. Any agency, instrument
of the state, or private entity that takes
responsibility for the coordination of or
the actual delivery of services is eligible
to apply to be an EN. Examples of organizations
that may wish to become EN include, but
are not limited to:
* Employers that offer (or arrange for)
job training, vocational rehabilitation,
support, retention, or other types of job-related
services and/or assistance for individuals
with disabilities.
* Any public or private entity that can
provide directly or arrange for appropriate
employment services including job readiness,
placement, VR, training, support and/or
retention services for individuals with
disabilities.
* One Stop delivery systems established
under the Workforce Investment Act.
* State VR agencies under Title I of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
* Organizations administering VR Service
Projects for American Indians with disabilities
authorized under special sections in Title
I of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as
amended.
* Alternate Participants (APs) currently
operating under contract with SSA.
* Public or private schools providing appropriate
employment-related skills training, VR services,
transitional education or career development
services or programs.
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MAXIMUS, Inc. has been selected to serve
as the Program Manager for the TTW program.
One of their primary responsibilities includes
the recruitment of EN. EN may choose to
be paid based solely on helping individuals
achieve self-sufficiency, or they may choose
to receive payments based upon the achievement
of different milestones. For more information
on EN enrollment go to the following MAXIMUS
website: http://www.yourtickettowork.org/selftraining/Module_6_ENRecruitment.htm
or contact MAXIMUS at 1-866-YOURTICKET (1-866-968-7842).
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The SSA will not conduct medical reviews
on disability beneficiaries who have started
working if that person is using a ticket.
However, regularly scheduled medical reviews
can still be performed and benefits can
be terminated if earnings are above the
limits.
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As of 9/24/02, over two million tickets
have been mailed. If only 10% of the 8 million
working age recipients of SSI and SSDI become
employed as a result of the new provisions,
$2.4 billion per year will be reimbursed
to providers.
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Because most recipients have disabilities
due to mental disorders, psychologists should
be active participants in the Ticket to
Work program, either directly or as contractors
of Employment Networks.
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TTW Resources:
* (Social Security Administration (SSA)
Site) http://www.ssa.gov/work/Ticket/ticket_info.html
* (SSA - Listing of participating networks)
http://www.ssa.gov/work/ServiceProviders/providers.html
* (SSA - State Chart of Work Incentives
Activities) http://www.ssa.gov/work/Beneficiaries/activity.html
* (MAXIMUS - TTW Program Manager) http://www.yourtickettowork.org/
Toll Free 1-866-968-7842 (1-866-YOURTICKET)
* (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
http://cms.hhs.gov/twwiia/default.asp
Golden TP. Enhancing supports for career development
and employment: the Ticket to Work and Work
Incentives Improvement Act. [Journal Article]
Brain Injury Source, 5(1):12-5, 2001 Winter.(9
ref)
Growick B. Gray matter. The political implications
of TTW-WIIA... "Ticket to Work-Work Incentives
Improvement Act". [Journal Article] Rehabilitation
Education, 15(1):89-93, 2001.(11 ref)
Hess DW. Legislative update. The Ticket to Work
and Work Incentives Act. [Journal Article. Questions
and Answers. Website] SCI Psychosocial Process,
14(3):161-3, 2001 Fall.
Golden, Thomas P; O'Mara, Susan; Ferrell, Connie;
Sheldon, James R. Jr. A theoretical construct
for benefits planning and assistance in the
Ticket to Work and Work Incentive Improvement
Act. [Journal Article] Journal of Vocational
Rehabilitation. Vol 14(3) 2000, 147-152. IOS
Press, Netherlands, www.iospress.nl/iospress.
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