>> Ron: Tools and tips and you'll see the title of our session today is Finding your Way Online Tools and Tips for your Journey to Self Sufficiency. We've been talking all the time during our webinars about using the online tools and today we have two great presenters Don Jones and Porsha Hands who are actually going to be able to the nature of the presentation today we are going to hold all of our questions until the end of the session. I'm not real sure we're excuse me I'm not real sure we're going to have time for questions but there is a Facebook chat session immediately after today's webinar that Don will tell you about and I'll remind you of and you'll be able to ask your questions during that session. We'll also give you lots of other places, phone numbers and websites where you can do that. Ok Mike I'm hearing a little bit of static in the background so if the rest of the presenters I assume can oh that did it. Alright so Don if you could move onto the next slide please we can talk about how the technology works today. Now if you need to work with your audio mode, you can click on that audio box. There's a little arrow next to audio and it's going to allow you to use today's phone number, which I'll give you in a few minutes if you do have issues using your computer. There is a question and answer box as you can see, you can see, you can see an A box. If you click on that arrow it's going to open up this box and you'll be able to type your question in the space at the bottom and hit send. That is going to then send Jayme a question. She's going to monitor that box and again if we have time we'll be able to take those questions at the end of the session. Next slide Don. Ok this is showing you that little box of the audio. It's going to let you click on that and tell you that you want to use your telephone, or it's going to allow you a drop down menu that's going to let you use the computer for your speakers through that if you want to call through via your computer system. And next slide again. Webinar accessibility is a very important issue to us. We want to make sure that our webinars are available to the largest number of people who can participate live in our sessions. So what we want to know is if you're having a problem. If you do have a problem with hearing, seeing, screen reading, any aspect of our webinars please let us know. You can send us an email at Cornell, or you can post something in the Q and A box and we will be sure to check out our systems and make sure it's as accessible as possible. And more importantly than letting us know what your difficulties are, if you happen to know of a solution, or a program that we can use to fix the issue that you have let us know about that as well so we can take care of those for you. Next slide Don. Today's toll free number is 1-855-749-4750 and the access code is 646594216. The closed captioning link that Jayme is going to be posting in the chat box for you is http:// www.edi.cornell.edu/captions.cfm?activity_id=4098. We are going to have you do have access to the PDF and the text through the URL link that you received prior to the webinar today with your confirmation letter. Ok next slide Don. Now the presentation, the oral and written presentation that you're seeing today are going to be available in about two weeks. We like to give Mike a couple of weeks to get this posted to the archives and you'll be able to access it again if you want to hear any information again or see Don use some of these tools again. Cause I know that I'd need to look back at some of the steps that Don's going to be taking today. And that will be available at www.edi.cornell.edu/m-wise-webinars.cfm. Ok and during the question and answer period if you do have questions you can use that chat box that you have access to on the right hand column of your screen, or you can send an e mail to chooseworkquestions@ gmail.com and if you have any questions that come up later on after the webinar is over, please feel free to questions to support@chooseworkttw.net. Ok one more slide Don. Now today you've been introduced to our presenters informally but we are going to talk a little bit about the Ticket to Work today and we're going to show you the Social Security website, a great website that has just about everything you're going to need, a resource finder and some other tools. We're going to then give you some additional resources for more information you may want after today's session and question and answers again if we have time for that. And today we have Don Jones and Porsha Hands who are going to take you through some of these websites. But right now I'm going to take you through some tickets for work information. If we can move to the next slide. We are very happy as always to have a video message from Bob Williams who's the Associate Commissioner of Social Security and he works at the Office of Employment Support Programs. That monitors and it administers the Ticket to Work and he is a dear friend of ours and a big supporter of return to work efforts. So Mike if you could cue up that video for us.

[ Pause in speaking ]

[ Music ]

>>Bob Williams: Hello and welcome to today's webinar. My name is Bob Williams and I am the Associate Commissioner for Employment Support at the Social Security Administration. We run the Ticket to Work Self-Sufficiency program, which assists person's ages 18 through 64 on SSDI or SSI who want to improve their life and future by becoming employed. By viewing this webinar you will learn how you can receive training, become employed, increase your earnings, reduce your reliance on disability benefits and eventually earn a better living by becoming fully self-supporting whenever possible. The ticket program is not for everyone. This is why the choice of whether to take advantage of it is yours and yours alone. I know firsthand that people with significant disabilities face many barriers to becoming and staying employed. This is especially true in today's economy. A major reason you receive disability benefits is that Social Security determined that you were not able to work enough to support yourself. But, I also want you to know that having a significant disability no longer has to be a lifetime bar to employment and greater financial security. The Ticket can offer you the choices, training, opportunities, and support you need to go to work and gain financial independence. I hope today's webinar begins your journey towards greater self-sufficiency. Your life and future can be better. Thank you for joining us.

[ Music ]

>> Ray: And once again we want to thank Bob Williams the Associate Commission at SSA taking the time to prepare that video for us. If we can move on Don. Ok now just a little bit about why we want you to use some of these tools that Don and Porsha are going to share with you today and why would you choose work. Clearly, earning more money is a great reason to go to work. When people who are on benefits return to work, and they do it appropriately, and with planning, there is always more money and more money is a good thing because we all know that benefits just aren't paying what people need to make ends meet and a job is going to make that difference. Ok moving ahead Mike. Gaining independence: Not only are you gaining independence from the agencies that you deal with, stopping the need to report when you move, when you get married, when you take a roommate, when you go to work, but also gaining independence in that your funds, your financial situation will improve so that you can simply do what you want when you want to do that and you won't be limited by not having a little bit of extra just to make life a little better. Next button please Mike, Don I'm sorry. Meeting new people: Now I got to tell you the story I tell everybody all of the time. I met my spouse at work you know so you meet all kinds of people at work. I have met people all over this great country of ours and have some wonderful friends and it's all because I work. Meeting new people and not feeling that sense of isolation is a great benefit to work. Now that's not listed along with your paycheck and your health benefits and that you know 401K plan but meeting new people is truly one of the best things that comes along with work. And lastly, if you could hit the button again Don learning new skills. Some of you may be in a situation where you do have skills and may need to re-learn how to do those skills because of the disabling conditions that you've experienced. Others may want to go to school, or to a technical institute to get some skills to get out in the work force. We can make that happen. You know the Ticket to Work and the Social Security Administration are going to support your efforts to get the education and training you need to be able to sell yourself in today's workplace. Ok and moving on again Don. Another one, we can do another one. We're going to talk about the Ticket to Work now. That Ticket to Work, the tickets that you used to receive, some of you may have received a paper ticket in the mail. There are actually virtual tickets now. So you're not actually going to get a copy of a ticket but now that anyone who is receiving benefits from Social Security on the basis of disability and is ages 18 through 64 is eligible to participate in the Ticket to Work program and has a ticket. Now that being said, if you want to use that you certainly can and notice in that first bullet the Ticket to Work is a free and voluntary program. And what Social Security will do will allow anyone receiving SSDI Social Security Disability Insurance benefits or SSI, Supplemental Security Income who has a disability and wants to begin getting training, or begin working to do that. And all of these services again are free if you choose work you can avail yourself of these services. It's completely voluntary so there's no penalty if you feel you're not ready to make that step now. This is a very very safe way to return to work. Next slide Don. Now when you're ready, when you do make that decision that you're ready to think about or ready to return to work, if you're ready are you ready to earn more money? Well the ticket and the people who are behind that ticket who can provide you with information, support and training can help you improve your earnings potential. If you need the personal fulfillment that comes from working, the feeling of getting a good job done, the feeling of working with other people and helping them throughout their lives. The Ticket to Work can provide you with assurance and stability so that you can feel confident while you're pursuing your employment. And a Ticket has some very, very important incentives involved that basically let you know that Social Security is not going to pull the rug out from under you while you're trying to return to work. So you will have that assurance and stability while you make your effort to return to work. If you want to be able to get benefits back because that job doesn't work out, because of your disability maybe you wanted to work, you move your work effort from ten hours to thirty hours a week and it just doesn't work out. Well, there is a fast track through the expedited reinstatement program that will allow you to get your benefits back almost immediately, you know almost immediately, depending on when the month of course you apply. But it shouldn't be much more than one or two months and you will begin to receive your benefits and your health care again while Social Security determines if you are eligible for reinstatement. That's a real good thing to know and that period of time lasts for five years after you were terminated because you went back to work. So even after somebody has been terminated from benefits, Social Security is still there to help if it's necessary. If you're overwhelmed and don't know where to turn, well the Ticket to Work is a great way for you to connect with people, other people who are using their Ticket to Work, other people who can provide you with services, and all of the resources that you need to develop a return to work plan. Now we talked a bit about planning and planning is important. You know you'll have people who were assisting you to getting an education, getting some of the training you need but there will also be people there to assist you to make a work plan so that you will know what will happen to your health benefits and your cash benefits when it's supposed to happen. Nothing will be a surprise and that's going again to be able to give you some of that assurance and stability that you'll need to be able to focus on work, rather than worry about your benefits. Ok next slide please. Ok when you're ready you also need to build an employment team. Now building your employment team you have lots of options. You can speak with an expert at the Ticket to Work helpline at 1-866-968-7842 or for TTY 1-866-833-2967 and they'll be able to get you in contact with the right people in your area who can provide you with these services. If you want to learn more about the Ticket to Work read our blog, watch some success stories that are at Social Security at www.socialsecurity.gov/work. That's a great way to get some information without taking any risk whatsoever because you're just going on the web and seeing if this is right for you. Find an employment network. You know all of the state VR agencies are employment networks and there are other private agencies that serve as employment networks who can provide you with resources and support as well. And that's a great place to start to build this employment team. You know you'll have counselors, you can have teachers, you may have a benefits plan already or you're going to have that VR person or that employment network on your team. And most certainly stay connected with your team once that team has been formed so that you can use them for information support and to explore as many possible options as you can. And with that being said in that introduction, I'm going to turn you over to the technical hands of Don and Porsha and we're all going to learn about these websites. Take it away Don.

>> Don: Alright thank you Ray and that actually you know that last slide was a good transition in because [inaudible] today how to take advantage of these online tools that the Ticket to Work program does provide, as well as some additional resources that are available to you. So I'd first like to introduce my colleague Porsha who's going to run us through the first portion of this presentation.

>> Porsha: Thank you Don. Good afternoon everyone. So as Ray and Don mentioned we'd like to share a little bit of additional information about the Socialsecurity.gov/work website. Access to securities Ticket to Work website you can access the official site of Socialsecurity.gov/work. We recently redesigned our website and our new portal can serve as your entry point to program information, resources, and news about our employment program. What you will notice on the sign-in page, you and other beneficiaries like you who want to work or who are ready to work can find the following resources by clicking the view website under the beneficiary box. However, before we move onto that beneficiary site I just want to also mention that our portal also offers access to information and repurpose for Ticket to Work service providers and information about Social Security's Office of Employment Support Programs which administers the Ticket to Work program. Next slide please Don. Here is the Ticket to Work homepage for beneficiaries or [inaudible] refer to it as the Choose Work site. This is a great place for you to start your journey to self-sufficiency. The site offers valuable information and resources. Right now I'd like to go through and highlight some of the key features that are across this site. Next slide please Don. Here is our About Ticket program webpage. It offers an overview about the program and why you should choose Ticket to Work. Also on this page, you can learn about eligibility criteria, or whether you qualify for the Ticket program and who can help you get started and what you need to do to go ahead and take that first step to get started. Next slide. This next page is our live webinar registration page. This page may look familiar to you if you registered for our webinar online. In addition to registering for webinars here you can also access our archive library which contains all of our past webinars. You can listen or read the slides to them at any time and if you miss anything during today's presentations, as Ray mentioned earlier, presentations will be available on the archive page in about two weeks. So I encourage you to check out our past webinars and learn about past webinar topics. Next slide please. This is our [inaudible] blog. Our [inaudible] blog features weekly news and information about the program. You can search our blog by category, which is at the top right hand corner, or you can also use our tag cloud or word to quickly find topics of interest to you. All you would need to do is simply click on the word or category and you'll be able to read all of the relevant blog posts. Since this is a blog we always welcome your comments and questions and we love to hear from our website visitors. So we encourage you to connect with us. To sign up to receive an update each time you post a new blog you can simply click on receive blog updates, which is highlighted at the top right corner and all you would need to do is enter your email address. Basically you will be among the first to hear program news. Next slide please. This next webpage is our document library. This is the webpage feature resources for not only you and other beneficiaries that you may know but also our service providers. For beneficiaries you can find information on [inaudible] about your benefits and work help resources, some helpful resources such as the Red Book, which is a guide on how SSDI and SSI work. You also can find which I'll talk about in a moment, where you can hear from real Ticket participants who are success stories. What is also accessible through this page for a service provider are promotional materials to help support the services that they provide to you beneficiaries. Next slide please. And this is like I just mentioned our success story page. Our success stories are a great way to learn about real people who have had success with the Ticket and are now working and living a self-sufficient life. We have the two formats for our success stories across this page. We have video and print versions. I encourage you to explore this page and get inspired. Next slide please. As Ray mentioned earlier, staying connected and getting updates is a great way to keep informed about all of our free resources. It's very easy to sign up and you can change your selection at any time. Using this online form you simply enter your name and email and then once you choose submit you'll be able to select from a list of ticket to work topics, including our blog, regular email updates and other news and information that you would like to receive from us. I know I moved from each webpage very quickly but I encourage you to visit our website to further explore the site and content resources. Now Don will demonstrate one of our more popular tools, our Find Help tool.

>> Don: Thank you Porsha and we will be walking you'll be able to see a few of those things that Porsha went through on the website as I do a demo. First of all I wanted to walk you through a couple of things about our find help tool on the website. So the Socialsecurity.gov/workbeneficiary website is really your place to start your journey with Ticket to Work. You can find, as Porsha mentioned you can find a lot of information about the program, you can find inspiriting stories of those who have been successful with the program and when you are ready to take the next step and get yourself signed up with the Ticket program by working with an employment network or a VR you can use this