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>> Good afternoon everybody.  This is Ray Cebula from Cornell Universities Yang-Tan Institute and I'd like to welcome you to today's webinar.  I apologize for getting started a little late and have to take the the blame myself.  I'm working off site today and had a little bit of problems connecting but thanks to Mike who's our tech guy in the background.  He was able to get me fixed up real quick.  We have for you today a WISE event, a Work Incentive Seminar that's going to be focusing on people who have mental illness and how Social Security, benefits planners and the rest of us who are out there to support you can help you on your journey to employment and we're -- we want to stress that this is about folks who are interested in working and just want some more information.  You're not obligated by anything.  After you hear this, we're just trying to spread the good word.  Now I want to explain a bit about the technology for today's session.  You do have a webinar consul in the right hand corner of your screen.  It's going to allow you to participate in today's session.  If you notice there are several boxes, one of them is Q&A.  Up here there's a Q&A tab.  If you click that Q&A tab it's going to open this Q&A box.  You'll notice that you can hear me.  I can't hear you.  That's because there are hundreds of you out there and it would be chaos.  If you do have a question and we want to hear your questions, open the Q&A box, type in your question, and hit send.  And Ann Gordon's with us today.  She's going to be collecting those questions, passing them on to me and we'll take them at the end of today's presentation.  I can promise you given the number of you out there we won't be able to get to all of your questions but please know that we will provide you with phone numbers and email addresses so that you can get those answers to the questions that you have.  You've automatically been connected by the microphone and speakers in your computer system.  You can't talk to us.  We've shut off your microphone.  If you do have problems with the Internet, you can call in.  If you go up, find the audio conference button and open it up.  It's going to allow you to say I will call in under the use phone section.  It will give you today's phone number and the access code.  You'll be able to pay -- you'll be able to listen to us on the phone if your Internet does go down.  So please do that.  We do have a toll free number I will give you in a few minutes.  We hope our webinar products are as accessible as is humanly possible and we do want to hear from you because you are the folks who know whether our materials are accessible or not.  So if you have any problems whatsoever please let us know.  We want to know.  More importantly if you have a problem, if you happen to know of the solution to your problem let us know about that because if it's a matter of buying a computer program or getting a few extra keys we can do that to make this a better experience for people in the future.  This is very important to us.  So please let us know if you have any difficulties.  Now should you lose the Internet connection and if you have a paper and pencil handy, write this down.  The toll free number today is 1-855-749-4750.  And the access code that you'll be asked for is 644-612-055.  For those of you who are using closed captioning if you're not linked in yet here's the link for you, www.ilr.cornell.edu/
edi/captions.CFM?activity
underscoreID=4106.  Now you received your links and the Power Point and an accessible PDF copy of the Power Point with the confirmation that you received to log in today so you should have all of these materials.  They will be made available after today's session.  They will be put into or archive and we will let you know where that archive is.  Takes about two weeks for that to be done.  So give Mike some time to get that in the archive but you will be able to listen to this again if you have any questions as well as tuning in to some of the other webinars that are in that archive.  There it is in approximately two weeks, that website that you're going to want to look for the archive can be found at www.lir.cornell.edu/
edi/m-wise-
webinars.cmf.  Now during the question and answer period we talked to you about using that Q&A box.  If you find the chat box easier that's okay too but we prefer you use the Q&A box.  If you do want to email a question to us today during the session, you can email it to webinars@choose
work.net.  If you have any questions after today's session -- you know these webinars tend to bring up more questions than the answer.  If you think about something tonight and you have a question, please send your question to support@choose
workttw.net.  Now I've already introduced myself.  We are going to go through some informational topics and some introductory topics and then when we start talking about the Ticket to Work Program and the Employment Networks, we have Dee Gaveldon.  I hope I didn't mess that name up too badly.  Dee Gaveldon.
>> That works.  That's perfect.
>> That works?  Okay.  Who works in Sacramento, California.  So we're coming to you from everywhere across the country and she'll provide you with a lot of specific information.  And remember if you have questions use that Q&A box and get them to us.  After we finish with that I'll talk a little bit about state vocational rehabilitation agencies and what services they can provide and then as always we're going to provide you with other resources where you can get assistance and where you'll be able to have simple questions answered.  Then we'll take your questions.  Remember, it doesn't cost anything to ask a question.  You're under no obligation if you ask a question and we provide an answer.  We want you to have information.  That's our goal today.  Now Associate Commissioner Bob Williams who works at Social Security with the Office of Employment Support Programs is a great friend of Work Incentives and helping People become independent and he has a message for us today.  So Michael if you could cue up Associate Commissioner Williams' video, that would be great.  
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>> Okay.  Thank you Commissioner Williams.  It sounded like we had a little feedback so I'm going to ask the rest of the presenters to mute their phones or their computers to stop that because someone's computer was listening to Associate Commissioner Williams' address and sending it back to us.  But -- as Commissioner Williams said, let me give you a little run down if it was a little too foggy for you.  This is a choice that you need to make.  These options that we are going to give you are not required.  We want to provide you with information so that you can make an informed choice about whether or not work and the Ticket to Work is a program that you want to engage in.  But make no bones about it, if you do decide to take the -- take the chance and begin a journey to work, there is support out there and you will be more financially better off than you are now.  But planning services and counseling services, we can make this happen; but again, the choice is yours, it's always up to you.  So I want to thank Commissioner Williams for his support for the work that we're all doing.  Now what can you expect from today's session?  We're going to certainly give you information about the Ticket to Work Program and we're going to give you some basic information about Work Incentives.  We're going to give you some very basic information about Work Incentives and I hope we're whetting your appetite so that you'll want more information.  We're going to talk about those frequently asked questions or those stories you hear on the street.  What do you believe happens to benefits if you go to work?  We'll talk about that.  What stories are true?  What stories are false?  Where to find more information?  We're talking to you for an hour and a half today.  Myself and Dee will be giving you lots of information but you might want more.  We'll make sure that you can be connected with those people and we're going to share a success story of somebody who was on benefits, used the Work Incentives and the Ticket to Work and is now working successfully without dependence on benefits.  Lots of success stories.  We'll show you where you can listen to other people.  Some people may very well be in a similar situation that you're in.  Now why choose work?  Why do we want to work?  I could go on and on about why work is good but clearly this is the best reason.  There's more money.  If you are working, you will earn more money than the benefits you receive and more money is always better.  You'll gain independence.  You will not be dependent upon Social Security for cash to meet your basic needs.  Along with that financial independence comes independence from the agencies that you're working with.  You don't need to make reports to people and tell people when you get married, when you move, when you start work.  All of that becomes irrelevant so you gain a lot of independence.  With more money you have more choices about where you live and how you want to live.  So that independence is a great thing.  Meeting new people.  You know, I have met hundreds and hundreds of people because I work.  I married somebody I met at a work event.  Yeah, I have friends all over the country and have been able to travel all over the country because I work.  So there's a lot more than just more money involved here.  Becoming less isolated.  Getting out there, going to parties, going to the movies, meeting a spouse.  There's a lot of good stuff besides the money that comes with work.  And learning new skills.  That happens all the time.  You know, I mean I've been working with Cornell now for ten years and am consistently learning new things.  Learning how to train people standing in front of them.  Learning how to use a webinar.  So whatever you need or whatever you bring to the table, there's always going to be something that changes and something new to learn and that keeps work interesting.  Now Megan -- oh I'm glad we have Megan this time.  I love Megan's story.  She is a great person.  I really wish I could meet her.  In 2008 Megan had a depressive episode and had to turn to disability to keep herself financially afloat.  After a while when she made the choice she was ready to go back to work.  She used that Ticket to Work that we're going to talk about, got herself a job and now is working and has been able to do things like return to competitive ballroom dancing among the other things that she's going on.  You'll notice a puppy in this story.  It's a great story.  So Mike, if you'll cue Megan up, that would be great.  
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>> All right.  Thank you Megan.  Now Megan is just one success story and as you can tell she has gotten a lot of support.  That support is available to you as well.  We can make that happen.  And one of the biggest things that I take away every time I watch Megan ballroom dance is that she realizes that at times she's going to have a bad day, at times she's going to go to a bad place, but in the end she always knows she's moving forward and to have somebody who was relying on benefits feel like they can always move forward provided the support's there and knowing those safety nets are there is a great, great thing.  It's a wonderful thing for me to hear so I always enjoy listening to Megan's story.  And she's one heck of a ballroom dancer.  When you're ready to work, what do we need to do?  You need to get information together.  That's for sure.  You know, gathering information, finding out where your local resources are is going to be key to get this journey started.  Now the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives can help make this journey a smooth one.  You will be making predictions.  We'll be providing you with services.  We'll be mapping out those months that you need to be concerned about so that you will know when things are going to Happen and you will be in control of this journey to work.  Now everybody needs to build an employment team and you may be sitting there thinking what are you talking about Ray?  Well an employment team is going to be the group of people that provide you with support.  It could be me helping you plan your benefits.  What happens to my benefits if I go to work?  Well let's sit down and figure that out.  It could be Dee who's going to help you get some services as an Employment Network to support you on the job to help you continue that work.  Where can you get started to help find these people?  You can get started anywhere, anywhere at all.  This is one of those places where there is no wrong door.  If you want to speak with an expert you can contact the Ticket to Work Helpline at 1-866-968-7842 or if you are a TTY user, 866-833-2967 and that's a great place to get some information, find out where your local resources are and start building that employment team.  Learn more about the Ticket to Work by reading our blog.  Listen to success stories on the blog.  Read or listen to other webinar presentations on the blog.  All at www.social
security.gov/work.  There's a lot of information on that website for you and it's free available to the public.  Find an Employment Network.  That's a great place to start too.  Call someone like Dee and say what can you do for me Dee?  I want to go back to work.  What are you going to help me with?  She can start helping you by helping you gather that information and put this team together which can support you throughout this journey to work and most importantly once you build the team, remember that you are the boss of the team.  You're the coach.  You need to tell us what you want and how you want this journey to go so stay connected with the team members and we'll help you explore all of the options that you want to explore.  Now before we get into Dee's presentation, I want to talk to you a bit about the Social Security benefit that you might be receiving.  There are two important programs.  One is the Social Security Disability Insurance program and this is a program for people who have worked and paid FICA taxes into the system.  So if you're working and taxes were being withheld, Social Security and Medicare taxes and all that good stuff, you have been purchasing insurance through the Social Security Administration and that insurance is available should you need it because of the disability.  How much you receive every month depends upon how much you worked, how long you worked and what your salary was so everybody's benefits will be a little bit different.  This program comes with Medicare so it's the health care that we associate with retirees.  It also provides benefits to folks with disabilities.  The other program and a very different program is Supplemental Security Income or SSI.  This is a needs-based program that doesn't require a work history.  People receive this because they are blind, aged, or disabled.  A limit is set by the Federal Government.  This year it's $710.  Some states supplement that with a small amount 
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of money.  I'm in New York today.  The supplement is $87 to somebody on SSI can receive a maximum of $797.  This program is very much impacted by income so it's very important before you start working to meet with somebody who can help you plan.  This program also comes with Medicaid.  Now in 39 states you get Medicaid automatically.  In 11 states you have to apply separately for Medicaid so that's one of the first things you need to do if you are wondering about benefits is determine where you need to file applications for cash and health care or is it the same application?  Now there are some folks who receive both benefits.  Somebody who receives Social Security Disability Insurance benefits that are lower than that federal benefit rate of $710 will potentially be eligible to receive SSI to bring them up to the current SSI level.  We call those concurrent beneficiaries.  You receive both SSDI and SSI and both Medicare and Medicaid.  Now these people have two separate sets of rules.  There are Work Incentive rules for SSDI and there are Work Incentive rules for SSI but if you receive both benefits, both sets of rules apply to your benefits at the same time and it is complicated.  That's why we're here to support you.  We can help you figure that out.  Teach you how too keep records so that Social Security can keep right on top of this and actually pretty much teach you how to do the math so you'll know exactly what should happen when and we'll help you plot that out.  We don't want any surprises to happen to anybody.  Now we hear stories all the time.  You know and I've been working with Social Security recipients for 33 years now and the stories never change.  Never.  Now this is one that I hear all the time.  If I try to go to work, I will automatically lose my health care, my Medicare or my Medicaid.  I can tell you without even blinking an eyelash that that is not true.  Given the Ticket to Work and the expansions of both Medicare and Medicaid, you will be able to keep your health care in tact for a very long time.  Long enough for me to tell you not to worry about it.  To worry about getting that job.  Worry about getting up every morning to go to work doing a good job.  Worry about getting that extra money how you should be spending it, getting used to work.  And in four or five years we'll meet again and talk to you about what might happen to your health care.  So that is just a myth that is untrue.  You will not automatically lose your health care benefits because you return to work.  The second one, if I use this ticket to go to work Social Security is going to pull my file, review my medical condition and shut off my benefits because I've gone to work.  Again, nothing further from the truth can be said.  Social Security, just like the rest of us if you're listening to today want to support you.  No one's going to pull the rug Out from under you simply because you returned to work.  As a matter of fact if you use that Ticket to Work, Social Security will not review your medical file while you're making progress towards your work goal.  So that's another bit of stress that can be removed while you're making this transition.  If you are working with your ticket and you are making progress according to the plan, you will not have your medical file reviewed.  That's a great benefit.  And lastly, what happens -- Megan had this same concern -- if I go back to benefits -- if I go back to work and have to stop working I have to start all over again if I lose my job or if I have to quit because of my impairments and it took me a long time -- I'm not in the place where I want to worry about taking years to get those benefits back.  I just can't afford that.  Again, that's not the case.  Even if you have worked long enough for Social Security to terminate your benefits because of that work, for the next five year period Social Security has a program called Expedited Reinstatement so that if your work slows down, drops below a certain level or stops all together, you can contact Social Security and apply for EXR.  Expedited Reinstatement and today's date is the 22nd of May.  If I apply for EXR today, I will likely get my first check the first of July.  Social Security will give you payments until they have decided whether or not you're eligible for EXR.  The vast majority of people who apply for EXR upwards of 97% are found eligible.  Of the 3% that are denied, half of them are denied because they found another job.  So the chances if you're having to reapply and wait years is next to nothing.  Even after you have been terminated because of your work activity.  So this is truly a great program with some great safeguards and that being said, Dee, want to take these folks through that Ticket to Work Program?
>> Thank you Ray.  My name is Dee Gaveldon I work for Crossroads Diversified Services in Sacramento, California, I'm a program manager and I have been involved in the Ticket to Work Program since the beginning and also I'm involved in the work incentives that Ray has been talking about for about 25 years or so.  The Ticket to Work is most importantly -- it's free and it's voluntary.  It's to help people like yourselves who receive Social Security and/or SSI due to a disability have an opportunity to go back to the workforce either for the first time returning, wanting to increase your current hours, your current wages.  There's a lot of good information about the Ticket to Work.  You can obtain the information, calling a toll free number, 1-866-968-7842 for voice.  1-866-833-9267 for TTY and Social Security also manages a very good website to learn more about the Work Incentives, work -- learn more about Ticket to Work and other employment supports provided by Social Security and also other community resources and that website is www.social
security.gov/work.  So when you're ready to return to work, there are a lot of programs that can help you be successful.  Social Security provides a lot of Work Incentives that Ray has talked about that will help you transition to work, transition to more work, transition to higher wages and the Ticket to Work is part of those work incentives.  And the Ticket to Work goals are to help people with disabilities who receive SSI or Social Security between the ages of 18 and 65, have choices about where they go to work.  Where they go to get supports.  For many years state agencies were the only way that people with disabilities could access community services or local services to help you return to work and meet your employment goal and Social Security with the backing of congress wanted 
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to open up more opportunities for people with disabilities understanding that one size does not fit all.  It's very important to know that you are the driver when you have a Ticket to Work.  You can decide what organization you want to work with or don't want to work with.  Which one meets your needs.  The ticket wants you to be able to earn more money so start the transition from being dependent on public benefits and all these strings that are attached to receiving public benefits and to be more in control of your own finances.  Want to help you improve your earning potential.  Want -- wants you to be able to fulfill your personal -- your personal goals.  If you have hobbies like Megan who is involved in ballroom dancing or you like horse back riding or you have -- you're good with arts and crafts.  Lot of times those hobbies costs some money.  By transitioning from benefits through employment you'll have the opportunity to purchase and become more involved in what makes you feel good as a person.  And again, I cannot emphasize this enough that Social Security understands that going to work is not -- does not always work perfectly especially the first time.  There may be reasons your disabilities that you might have a setback and that's okay.  The idea is to keep moving forward that Megan so eloquently talked about.  If you take two steps back and one step back, Social Security, your employment team will help you get that other foot righted so you can take three steps forward.  And it will also help you -- the Ticket to Work through and the Work Incentive will help you connect to people and resources who can help you continue on your journey.  It's very overwhelming.  Social Security is a bureaucracy.  I understand that, Ray understands that so it's nice to have someone help you through that maze.  So building your employment -- go ahead.  Okay.  Building your employment team is the best way to begin.  Who can -- who would be good for your employment team?  As may know, August 1st of this year, the Work Incentive planning assistance is coming back to help you have a benefits planner who can help you look at what Work Incentives are available through Social Security.  How you want to use your ticket.  Who you want to assign your ticket to.  Family members, friends can also be part of your employment team to be your cheerleader, to help you over some of the humps you may experience and also help you celebrate your victory.  So you can contact the Ticket to Work helpline at 1-866-968-7842 for voice or 1-866-833-2967 for TTY.  Just start -- just talk to an expert to help you build -- to start to build your employment team.  You can learn about the Ticket to Work, read information online about success stories.  Read about services that have helped other people.  You can also find an Employment Network and of course stay connected with your employment team.  You're the most important.  You're the driver.  People can help -- it's hard to help people if they don't let us know what your needs are.  So what are -- so what is the ticket and the Work Incentives about?  Primarily it's success.  It's meeting your goals, meeting the needs you have in your life whether employment, personal, social.  It's about receiving training for new skills.  Many times often people start in the -- at an entry level position but that may not fulfill your long term goals so how do you move up?  Do you obtain more hours?  Obtain better wages?  And grow in your job skills?  As you're doing that, as your income continues to grow, the work incentives are there, your support team is there to help you understand changes to your benefits, changes to -- I'm sorry, changes to your benefits and the ticket is in place to help you -- to help you meet those needs.  Like Ray said it delays or puts off the medical reviews, the continuing medical reviews while you're making progress and the ticket is about making progress.  It's not about obtaining your goal in one day, one month, even one year.  It gives you time.  It gives you time to go to school, to develop new skills, get a job and work your way up the wage ladder.  For many years the idea was for people with disabilities to go get a job, any job would do.  Any job is better than no job and very little attention was paid to allowing someone to move up the career ladder, supporting them, financially supporting them, emotionally, physically, psychologically and remember people with mental illnesses, a lot of times their symptoms are not stagnant and I don't need to explain to you, you know what your symptoms are and the difficulties people with mental illness have.  The ticket is there for you to support you and to help you continue on your journey as you work through a medical -- excuse me, medication readjustments.  Other symptomology that may occur that would -- that could require you to take some time off from work.  Maybe return to benefits temporarily.  The Work Incentives tied to the Ticket to Work also help you try different jobs.  It's not a stagnant program.  It's not necessarily going A, B, C, D at a systematic process.  There's time to explore.  There's time to look at options, explore options, do career exploration.  Start part time.  Move to full time.  And the old days, the ticket you had to -- in order for the ticket to stay active for Employment Network to want to continue working with you within approximately a year had to be earning substantial gainful activity, the amount where benefits especially where Social Security Disability Insurance benefits would be suspended and totaled.  Social Security learned that employment is a process.  It's not all or nothing.  It gives you time.  It gives you time to start a career and I think that's what most people want is not just a job but a career that's fulfilling.  They want to get out of bed in the morning.  You want to go to work because you enjoy it.  You've got friends there.  You have coworkers you enjoy spending time with.  People with disabilities are not different than anybody else and with people with mental health there's a stigma.  There's a stigma that people with mental illness can't work.  There's a stigma that people's mental illness cannot join mainstream society.  There's a sigma that people with mental illness are violent.  None of those are true and going to work being part of the community is the best way to show and demonstrate that people with mental illness are just like anybody else.  Have jobs, have family, have desires, have dreams.  And yes sometimes there's setbacks and these are the programs, your employment team, Ticket to Work, the Work Incentives that Ray talked about are services or resources that are available to you to keep moving forward.  And building confidence in yourself is the most important tool you can give yourself.  You have the employment team, you have all the resources we've talked about but knowing that inside of you that you can succeed, yes you have supports but everybody has support, disabled or not, to continue moving through. 
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The -- as you work through the Ticket to Work the common work 
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incentives through SSI and Social Security are available to you.  There's a reason that the legislation created expanded work incentives and the Ticket to Work as a braided service.  So the Ticket to Work and the Work Incentives can march along with you as you are gaining your -- as you are gaining your -- you're meeting your goals.  Page 34 lists some of the common work incentives for people with Social Security disability who have never gone to work before, you have 9 months of testing the waters.  It's very -- if you receive Social Security Disability Insurance, it's very important to know if you have used any of these 9 months and that is available through a benefits planning query available for free at Social Security also known as the BPQI.  It will tell you how many of the 9 months of the trial work period you've used.  Use those to explore what you want to do knowing that your Social Security benefits will not -- will not be affected.  Following the trial work period, You've got 36 months of the extended [inaudible] eligibility.  Again this is for SSDI recipients only that your Social Security benefits will start or will resume without filing a new application without going through all the paperwork required at -- when you initially applied for benefits and if wages fall below a certain level, your benefits are returned to you.  That's very important especially for people with mental illness who may have a period of time where they are unable to work or have to reduce their hours because of return of symptomology.  This Work Incentive is very, very valuable.  For SSI recipients, SSI -- social -- SSI benefits do not -- wages are not counted for SSI purposes dollar for dollar.  There's different exclusions that are available.  Basically half your earnings are -- little less than half your earnings are counted.  There's other expenses you may have that can reduce the amount of your SSI, the amount your SSI is reduced.  Ray spoke about the expedited reinstatement provisions where -- if because of a disability you have to stop working and you're re-entitled to benefits, it happens very, very quickly.  Usually in about a five to six week period of time which for Social Security is very, very quick.  And then of course the Ticket to Work protects you from the medical continuing disability reviews which are very scary for people to go through.  So now that you're encouraged to go to work, how should you begin?  Page 36 talks about calling the Ticket to Work helpline, again 866-968-7842 for voice, 1-866-833-2967 for TTY to speak with a benefits counselor and request a list of Employment Networks that serve your area.  There are Employment Networks all over the community who operate differently.  Our Employment Network.  We also operate a one stop in Sacramento at [inaudible] Sacramento so through our one stop we can also support your training, placement needs as well as working with your Ticket to Work services.  We're also a [phonetic] WHIPA provider.  Again, August 1st, the WHIPA program will be up running again.  Again, the Social Security website at www.social
security.gov/work is a very, very valuable tool.  So you have the list of Employment Networks, where do you go from there?  First recommendation is you call them.  Find out what they provide.  Not all Employment Networks provide the same service.  Interview them over the phone.  Come in and meet with them in person.  It's an interview so you know if this is an Employment Network that provide the services that you need to be successful.  Also the Employment Network will be interviewing you at the same time to make sure that the services they provide will meet your needs.  The Employment Networks do not want you to spend your valuable time and resources in a program that's not beneficial -- beneficial for you and your journey to meet your employment goals.  Questions to ask is how many people have you helped?  What kind of companies do you work with for job placement?  What kind of jobs might be available?  How often will we communicate and how often will we meet?  Will it be in person?  Will it be telephone?  Will it be through email?  All the above?  How convenient is it for you to get to the EN site, their office?  Can you meet in the community?  What resources does the Employment Network have at their disposal?  Do they work with a one stop?  Are they a one stop?  What's their relationship to the community colleges, to private colleges and training programs?  And EN should be able to explain how the ticket program works and the services it provides, all the Employment Networks fill out a form with Social Security they verify every year to talk about and to identify what the services are.  The Employment Network should know about your work goals and your intentions about going to work.  There is an expectation through the Ticket to Work that earnings will not right away but you're interested in meeting what is called substantial gainful activity and at that level of work is expected of you down the road, not immediately.  It's also -- it's very important that you share with the EN about any concerns you have, the fears you have.  It is scary to go to work especially if someone hasn't worked for a long time or the last time they worked wasn't very successful.  Share those fears.  Share your concerns about what happens to your benefits.  It's complicated.  It's scary.  The EN needs to know what your fears are so they can hook you up with resources or they themselves provide the support you need to go back to work and then you and the Employment Network if you decide to work together that you feel that the services are what you're looking for, an individual work planner, IWP is completed that includes your service -- your employment goals and the services you need from the Employment Network to be successful.  Feel free to take notes.  Feel free to call the Employment Network back at a later time.  If you're not clear, if you forgot something or if you forgot to ask a question, feel free to bring these -- the Power Point with you, the pages that talk about what questions you should ask as many times you interview someone, it can be scary, you can get nervous so feel free to have a reference with you.  Maybe bring a friend with you to make sure you answer all your -- you get your questions answered.  You will want to -- after you agree and the Employment Network agrees that -- to work together, the individual work plan will be completed and you'll sign it and then the EN needs to send that to the Ticket to Work office, Maximus, as the agreement that you'll work together and the ticket will be assigned to the Employment Network that will also provide you with some of the protections and services the Ticket to Work offers.  And if you decide later that you did not choose the Employment Network that is able to help you, that's okay.  Mistakes happen.  People change their mind.  You can always unassign your ticket and then go look at Another [background talking] Employment Network or decide work is not for you at this moment.  It doesn't mean that you can got back next year or in six months.  But you can put your work on hold.  If your ticket is on hold or you're not making what's called timely progress, Social Security can decide to conduct a continuing disability review. [background noise] Page 40 examples of employment services 
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offered through an EN.  Interview develop -- interview skills and strategies.  If you haven't worked for a long time, how does -- how do you present that to an employer?  How do you talk to the employer about your returning to work without divulging your disability or more about your disability than you feel comfortable.  Helping you design a resume.  Job accommodations information.  Information about tax incentives for hiring people with disabilities and in the case of the one stop I worked at we also provide training funds and the training funds that we provide go directly to the school so for SSI and Medicare beneficiaries they are not -- does not affect your check or your medical coverage.  Also can provide job development, job leads, access to computers to do job search, supported employment services.  A whole range of employment services are available to you through Employment Networks.  Just remember that Employment Networks they do not all provide the same level of service and not everybody needs the same -- all the same services.  Some Employment Networks might provide mental health specific services and support especially if a county or a private mental health agency is an Employment Network and they're tied to a one stop or tied to an employment service or have one in house.  Our staff at crossroads are certified Work Incentive Coordinators and can also help you with a benefits planning.  You would have a one staff who's our Ticket to Work case manager but would have access to certified community Work Incentive Coordinators because we have four or five on staff right now.  And we're just one employment network.  You know, we provide training opportunities, pre-employment assessments, career assessments, career counseling, post employment supports all through our one stop.  We provide benefits counseling.  A whole wrap around services is available to you through Crossroads but, you know, we're in California, I recognize this is a national webinar so look at the ENs in your area and determine what they provide and how they can best support you in your goal to employment success.  I have the -- our website on page 43.  I also gave out my email to Ann so if anybody wants to contact me directly feel free to.  And on page 44, there are some very good resources, websites to -- that support people with disabilities especially people with mental health disabilities to return to work.  And I'm going to shoot it back to Ray.
>> Okay.  Thank you.  Thank you Dee and let me tell you we have our Q&A session cut out for us.  We've got some really good questions coming in.
>> Okay.
>> So keep them coming [laughter] in.  All right your state VR agency also provides services under the Ticket to Work.  They are, if you will, another Employment Network and of course have great options because they are required to provide services to people who are receiving benefits based on disability from Social Security.  So you're automatically eligible for the services.  Now I'm not telling you this is the end all to end all because I know because of the economy many, many state VR services have been cut back and there are wait lists or orders of priority at the moment but you are eligible for those services.  Now if you choose to work with a state VR agency, that VR counselor that you're assigned to will help you put together an employment plan much like the employment plan that Dee will put together as an EN.  If you choose to have your ticket assigned to the VR agency you will sign that ticket and it will be sent to Social Security.  You'll receive a letter saying it's been assigned.  Now Social Security will postpone those medical reviews the continuing disability reviews as long as you make progress with your plan.  If your plan says you will be working 3 months at a certain level in the calendar year 2013 you need to do that.  If it says you will finish a course in 2013 you need to do that.  You just need to do your best to make that plan a reality.  You also have an option not to assign your ticket to VR and you will still be protected from CDRs.  There's a special status that was created called VR in use status.  So if you are working on a plan with VR you don't have to assign that ticket but you do have to make progress with your plan in order to have those CDRs suspended.  Now most certainly once again, this is your choice.  When you're working with VR, you and the counselor discuss the opportunities to have an Employment Network or somebody like Dee provide services after your VR services end.  This is called Partnership Plus and it's a great improvement.  If you're going to need ongoing [background noise] services after the VR agency closes your case, you don't want to assign that ticket.  You want to work through VR without a ticket assignment and get your protections from in use status.  That way when VR closes your case, you can work with someone like Dee to ensure that you'll have supports and services as you need them in order to continue to be able to work.  Now that's a quick run down of state VR agencies.  You know, and there's a lot of services they can provide that will answer some of the questions. [background talking] It's a great place to find out what you might be interested in doing.  Someone asked a question about is there testing available to find out what I might be interested in?  Yes, there is.  And that may be available through an EN as well but it's most certainly available through the state VR.  And there are lots of services.  The more Expensive the services are that you need, the more likely it's going to be that you will be working with a VR unless you are working with a very large EN.  They are out there.  The thing is it's your choice.  You have a choice to work VR or to go out and search for an EN. 
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[ Overlapping Speakers ] 
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Mute your phones please.  Okay.  Let me give you some other resources before we get to [overlapping speakers] answer session.  Here are -- some of these are going to be repetitive but as Dee said and I'm going to reinforce, www.social
security.gov/work is a great website.  A great website.  All of the information you need to get started actually all of the information you need is on that website.  A clearly enough to get you started and to get you into contact with people that can help.  The Ticket to Work help line is there to get started, to get some information.  Now some people have asked, how can I pick up where I left off?  That's a real hard question but if you contact the Ticket to Work help line, they will be able to get in contact with your Social Security file and let you 
^M01:10:00 
know.  I'm hearing a lot of people typing, I'm hearing a lot of the same static you are and I can only ask that everybody who is not speaking, mute your lines now.  I am not in control of [overlapping speakers] But I'm going too ask you once again, please hang up if you are talking to somebody else. [overlapping speakers] Helpline number is 866-968-7842 for voice and 866-833-2967 for TTY.  Once again, while there is silence on the line, we can hear your conversations.  Please mute your phone. --
>> To the extend it would be payable on or before --
>> Okay.  Now for more questions we're going to have some other websites.  If you use Facebook, you can like us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/
choose work.  A lot of discussion goes on on that Facebook page.  It's a great way to be nosey.  Find out what other people are asking.  It might be your question.  Join that Facebook discussion.  Put a question out there, see if anybody else is in your same situation or having the same issues you're facing.  Twitter.  We're also available on Twitter at www.twitter.com/
chooseworkSSA.  If you can get your question down to 140 characters Twitter is your way to get a quick answer and then again that Ticket to Work help line at 866-968-7842 or for TTY users, 866-833-2967.  Now Dee are you ready for this?
>> Yes.
>> We've got some real good questions.
>> All right.  Bring them on.
>> And I'm going to ask you some of them because I think you're the expert for a couple of these.  Can I get help updating my resume?
>> Yes.  And I would -- I would put out there that most, if not all Employment Networks provide that type of pre-employment support, resume development, interviewing skills and all Employment Networks are required to provide career counseling.
>> Perfect.  Now if I have a big gap in my resume, how do I fill that up or what do I tell an employer about that?
>> That's another good question and there are many ways to fill that gap.  Were you in school?  Were you raising a family?  Were you -- were you taking care of a loved one?  You do not have to disclose your family situation or that you were caring for a loved one but you may want to put that down as work experience.  Maybe it was your grandmother or an aging parent and you were providing care in their home.  It doesn't matter if you weren't charging them or if you weren't being paid.  You could say working for Mrs. Sarah Jones providing personal care, homemaking services, whatever you were doing that shows that it also demonstrates you have those skills.  So look at back why you were -- why you were unemployed during that time and see what you were doing that might fill in -- fill in a gap and if you can't, that's okay too.  You may want to tell the employer during an interview that at that time you -- you know, you were not -- I would not say you weren't able to work but you could say that you didn't need to work during that time or something but you feel like you do not feel like you have to disclose your disability and your family situation.
>> Yeah.  There's another follow-up question that I can help with.
>> Great.
>> It says when is the best time to tell your employer about your disability?  Now you're clearly not going to put, you know, from 2011 to 2013, I was out on disability benefits on your resume.  You know, you have no legal obligation to do that.  As a matter of fact a perspective employer can't ask you whether or not you have a disability or not.  When to disclose your disability is completely up to you.  You may never have to if you receive an offer of employment and you think you will need a reasonable accommodation to the job, at that point it's appropriate to tell the employer that you have a disability and I may need this type of accommodation. 
^E01:16:02