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The Social Security Administration (SSA) issues Tickets to beneficiaries with disabilities. The Ticket can be used to obtain services and support from approved service providers (called Employment Network or ENs) under the Ticket to Work Program. The goal of the Ticket to Work Program is to assist beneficiaries in obtaining employment and working towards financial independence. SSA pays ENs when the beneficiaries they are working with achieve certain milestones and outcomes related to earnings from employment. The program is a free and voluntary service. This means you can use your Ticket if you choose, but there is no penalty for not using it. If you’ve lost or misplaced your Ticket, don’t worry. You do not have to have the Ticket to participate in the program. Simply tell your SSA caseworker or an EN near you that you would like to use your Ticket. If you are interested in working, the Ticket Program may be your key to accessing vocational rehabilitation, training, and placement services, as well as other services and supports to help you reach your employment goals. The program is available for people with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 64 who are receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. While participating in the Ticket to Work Program, you may be able to use a combination of other “Work Incentives” that can assist you in finding a job that is right for you. Using the Ticket to Work does not make you ineligible for other Work Incentives. If your work attempt is unsuccessful, the Ticket to Work Program makes it easy for you to get back on benefits when and if needed. Work Incentives are SSA rules that make it possible for people with disabilities receiving SSDI and SSI to explore work options and still receive benefits until they reach their work goals. Social Security Work Incentives help beneficiaries remove barriers to work by offering support services and providing a safety net to assist beneficiaries in finding meaningful employment and succeeding in the workplace. One Work Incentive connected to the Ticket to Work Program is the delay of Continuing Disability Reviews (CDRs). SSA reviews disability cases periodically with periodic CDRs to see if beneficiaries still meet the medical requirements for disability benefits. In some cases, disability cash benefits will stop based on the results of this review if the beneficiary no longer meets SSA’s requirements for disability. While you are using your “Ticket,” SSA will postpone your medical disability review as long as you are working towards your employment goal. To learn more about SSA’s “Work Incentives,” check out Social Security’s 2008 Red Book on line at www.socialsecurity.gov/redbook/. Work Incentive Planning & Assistance (WIPA) Projects
Employment Networks (ENs) ENs are private organizations or public agencies, including State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies, that have agreed to provide employment services to beneficiaries with disabilities.
State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agencies State VR agencies are ENs that provide a wide variety of services to help people with disabilities return to work. These services are designed to provide you with the training or other services that are needed to return to work, to enter a new line of work, or to enter the workplace for the first time. Protection and Advocacy Programs (P&As)
Find your local WIPA, P&A Program or State VR agency at www.socialsecurity.gov/work, click on Service Provider Directory. Attend a FREE Work Incentive Seminar Event (WISE) near you If you are interested in finding an Employment Network or learning about
other Work Incentives, you can attend a FREE Work Incentive Seminar Event
(WISE). WISE are community events held by Work Incentives Planning and Assistance
(WIPA). These events are held for beneficiaries with disabilities and their
families to learn more about available work incentives through accessible,
informal, learning opportunities.
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