>> Good afternoon, everybody. This is Ray Cebulla, from Cornell University's Yang-Tan Institute, and I want to welcome you to today's webinar. We are having a work incentive webinar event. We're going to be talking about the Ticket to Work, and about the work incentives that Social Security has put in place to help you protect both your cash, and your health care benefits, while you are making that transition from benefits, dependence, to work. Before we get started, I do want to talk to you about the technology we're using today. It is a webinar platform. You should have a webinar console on the right hand side of your screen, pretty much looking like this one. We do want to hear your questions today. Your questions are a big part of this. You know, we have hundreds of people who have logged in to hear us, so we can't promise that we'll get to all of them, but we will be picking the questions that are going to pertain to the greatest number of people. So send us your questions, and we'll most certainly give you information about way to get your particular questions answered. In order to give us a question, there is a question and answer box. You'll see that with the Q&A. Blown up, it looks like this. Just click on that little arrowhead. It's going to open up the box for you. You can type in your question and hit send. That's going to appear on Jamie's[assumed spelling] desktop. She's going to let me know that you have a great question and that we should be asking that question during today's conference. Now, you've been connected to today's webinar by the microphone and speakers in your computer. That's our default setting. You will not be able to speak during the webinar. We mute everybody. If you do need to use your phone; someone's already said that their internet's going in and out, it might be a storm, it might just be service interruption. You can use your telephone, and what you can do is you'd go up to the audio box on top of your screen. It's going to open up and you need to click on this little arrow here and say I will call in. The number will appear. I'll be giving you that in a second, and you'll be able to call in. It will be a toll free number. Now let me get that to you right away. The toll free number for today if you do want to use your phone is 855-749-4750. You will be asked for an access code, and that is 641 683 146. So that's the information you're going to need to access today's discussion by phone. Now, we are very concerned about accessibility, and we have gone to great lengths to make our webinars as accessible as we possibly can. If anybody out there has any problem accessing this information, please let us know and let us know what the problem was. And more importantly than letting us know what the problem was, let us know if you know of a solution; if you know a program, if you know steps we can take to fix that issue. You know, it's very, very important for us that we can get this information out to everybody, and your help is greatly appreciated. Now, today's closed captioning link can be found at www.ilr.cornell.edu /edi/captions .cfm?activity_id=4492 With your confirmation and your login information, you did receive a copy of today's Power Point in an accessible PDF form, and the text is located in the URL link you received. Now, we are going to post this webinar with the transcript and the audio recording and all of the slides in approximately two weeks to our archive, and you'll be able to listen to this webinar again; or, if you want to listen to webinars on specific subjects, you can use the archive to get to some of those. That archive can be found at wwwilr.cornell.edu /edi/m-wise-webinars .cfm We will have the question and answer period at the end of today's session. Kendra has also offered to take questions during her session, so if we have something that pertains to what she's talking about, I might choose to interrupt her with it. You can submit your questions by that question and answer box that we already talked about. You can also chat. There is a chat function; or, you can send your webinar questions to webinars@choosework.net. Now, if we happen to log off and a question comes to mind, we're not going to leave you stranded. You can email those questions to support@chooseworkttw.net and somebody will get an answer to that question to you. Now, what are we going to talk about today now that we've got through all of that technology stuff? We are going to talk about the Ticket to Work Program. Kendra Gary [assumed spelling] works in Indiana. She'll tell you about herself and the work she does, and she'll talk about that Ticket to Work Program, and employment networks, and what those employment networks are and can help you with. I'll then talk about VR, the State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies and their role on the Ticket to Work program, and give you some other resources before we get to that formal question and answer session. I shouldn't really say formal because it -- nothing about today is going to be formal. We want it to be very, very comfortable. Now, before we get into today's meat and potatoes, I have some questions for you. It's important to know who you are and what's going on. Mike, I'm hearing a lot of people who are not able to hear me. If you can check the voice stuff, because people are not hearing anything and it looks like everything is on to me. So let's ask that first polling question. This question is pretty easy. How did you learn about this WISE webinar? Was it by email, Facebook or Twitter, the website, a friend or family or some other reason, or some other way? All right. I've got lots of -- lots of answers here. 20 seconds left before the poll shuts down. And five more. All right. Thank you for that. Our second question, another easy one, what do you hope to learn from today's webinar? Do you want to learn about that Ticket to Work Program? Are you interested in work incentives for SSI, work incentives for SSDI, employment networks and VR agencies, or something completely different? All right. Let me get that one going. There are 20 seconds left. And a couple of people have put that they want to learn about something different, so if you do want to learn about something that is other than what we listed specifically, drop a note in the question and answer box to what you want to learn, and if we're not going to cover that today, it will give us some ideas for future webinars. Now we're going to give a real quick one. How about your gender; male or female? Oh, and that was a pretty even one, Jamie. Did you see that? Usually the women are right off the mark, but we had, we had a tie on that one. The first time we have it -- the first time we had that happen. We've got 20 seconds left. 20 seconds seems like an awful long time when you're sitting on this end waiting. All right. Thank you very much again. How about this? Can you let us know your age? Which group are you in; 18 or younger, 19 to 25, 26 to 40, 41 to 55, 56 to 65 or 66 or older? And I know where I am, but I'm now about -- I don't like it anymore. All right. Let's close that one down. And actually, the people who should be listening will listen. That's a great thing. That's a great thing. All right. And the last one, is sometimes we know that there are more than one person sitting at your computer screen, so not including yourself, how many other people are sitting watching this webinar with you? Well, I got to open that one, don't I? There you go [laughter]. Beside yourself, how many other people are watching this webinar with you? That gives us a better idea of how many people are actually paying attention, because if we just count the logins, and you have a party going on, we want to know why we weren't invited to a party, first of all. We close that one down and then we'll get busy. Thank you very much for that information. It helps us do outreach and helps us let -- it helps let us know who we are talking to, which is important, and today's group is pretty much right on target. We always have a welcome from the Associate Commissioner of Social Security, Bob Williams. He's a great friend to all of us who do this type of work, and a friend to you. Actually, he's a great supporter of these work incentives. He's with Social Security's Office of Employment Support Programs, and Mike, if you can cue up that video, we'll be all set to watch.

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>> Ray Cebulla: All right. Thank you, Commissioner Williams. Again, he's a good friend of ours and he really, really supports us in our efforts to get this information out to you and wants these work incentives to help folks get back to work. What can we expect from today's webinar? We're certainly going to give you information about that Ticket to Work program. We're going to give you information about the work incentives. Kendra's got her job cut out for her. She's got a lot of information to cover. We're going to talk about some of those urban myths, about questions that Kendra and I hear all the time. Where can you find more information? We're going to be covering information very, very fast, very, very fast, so there's going to be some in-depth research or information that you're going to need before you can begin that journey to work. We're going to tell you where to get that. And we're going to show you a success story from someone who has actually used their ticket and tell you where you can view some others if you want to see people who have really taken this program and succeeded with it. Now, why do people choose to work? You can see that pile of money there. That is the basic reason. It's only one of them though. You know, planning your return to work and taking advantage of the work incentives, will allow you to have more money than you're receiving on benefits. End of discussion. You know, a successful return to work will get you more money; give you more choices, gaining independence. As your wealth increases, you not only get independence from all of the benefits programs that you have to report to and all those rules that you have to pay attention to, but you can make greater choices. You make more choices about where you want to live, how you want to live and what you want to do with your spare time. Meeting new people; that's a great benefit from working. You know, I got myself married because I met my spouse at work, you know, so work can cause lots of things to change your life and it gets you out of the house. It gets you to those Christmas parties. It gets you to the movies with people and out to dinner with people. And working gives you the income that you need to do things like that. And learning new skills; we're learning new skills constantly as we go through work. For those of you that have worked in the past, you know that. Things change all the time. Technology is changing incredibly fast, and we're learning how to use that. You can use that Ticket to Work if you need new skills, whether they be educational skills, whether they be computer skills and technical skills, or whether it be some kind of -- I'm looking at tools and I don't know what they are -- some type of plumbing skills, you know, building skills, contracting skills, all kind of things. We can use this Ticket to Work to get you the training that you need if you don't have it, and most certainly, you'll continue to use all of these simple methods and learning when you are back on the job. Now, when you're ready to start work, where do you begin? Fortunately, we have a program that has no wrong door, but the first thing to do is to gather information and resources. This is going to be key. And notice it says key to planning your return to work. This needs to be planned because you want to know when things are going to happen. You want to know when your cash benefits are going to be affected. You want to know when your health care is going to be affected, and in order to do that, it takes planning, and the Ticket to Work and working incentives are going to help make this transition a very smooth one. We can't promise you that you're not going to hit a pothole, but with some of the systems that we have built in to help you plan this return to work, we can almost project when that pothole might come about and take proactive steps with you to make that bump a little less hard than it would have been. We talk about employment teams a lot and building your employment team is a critical part of this journey to work. And how do you start doing that? Well, you start doing it because you decided you're going to be the coach of this team and that you want a team. When you make that decision, that decision to return to work, then you start putting that team of people who are going to support and assist you together, and you can start by speaking with an expert at the Ticket to Work help line. That's 1-86 - let me do that again. 1-866-968-7842, or if you're a TTY user, 866-833-2967. Now, that person can give you information about your benefits, about some of these work incentives and get you in touch with some local providers who can begin supporting or assisting you in that journey to work. Learn about the Ticket to Work. There are very safe ways to do that. You can read our blog. You can view and listen to real success stories. We don't have actors here, folks. These people that you're going to hear from both today and in the bank, in our archives, are real people, and you can find those stories at the Social Security website; www.socialsecurity.gov/work. Now, that website is worth its weight in gold. Everything you need is on there. You can now register for a new function and get a password to check out your own benefit status. It's a great, great website. I'm on it every day. Find an employment network. You know, it can either be the state VR agency or a private agency that's doing this type of work. You can find that by speaking with the expert or going on the website. They're all on the Social Security website. And look at them. I mean, it's really like a shopping experience. Find out which agencies, including the VR agency, provide services in your area and find out who they help. Some people are going to be experts at helping people with physical impairments. Others are going to be experts at helping people with blindness. You need to narrow the agencies that you actually want to speak to by what skill set they have, and it's all listed on the website. When that team is built, and that team could also be made up of your counselor, your therapist, a teacher, a family member, anybody who is going to help you make decisions and support you. It's your job as coach of this team to stay connected, because the team only functions when you tell us what to do. You know, you are making the choices. Commissioner Williams said this is voluntary, and it's up to you to lead the charge. Now, we've got to talk a little bit about the different benefits that you're on because that's the first thing that we need to know. What type of benefit are you receiving? And there are three different scenarios; there are two programs, but three different scenarios here. The first one is the SSDI program; Social Security Disability Insurance. Now, this is paid to individuals who have a work history and have worked for a sufficient amount of time to become insured, and it's very much like an insurance program; your FICA taxes buy insurance, and once you are insured, if you become disabled, you can draw on that insurance. Now, the amount of money that you're going to receive is based upon how long you worked and how much you were paid. The SSI program, Supplemental Security Income, is a Federal Welfare program. You do not have to have a work history to receive these benefits. Now, both programs use the same definition of disability, so everybody's on an equal footing, but the SSI population has not worked. Those benefits are set by the Federal Government. They may be supplemented by your state, and they're very much depending upon whether you live alone, whether you live with your family, or whether you have a roommate. They are also impacted significantly by other types of income. SSDI is only impacted by earned income. And some of you out there might be called concurrent beneficiaries. You're the people that receive a combination of both. The work history was there, but the benefit that came back under the insurance program was lower than the states' SSI level. And in that case, SSI, if you are otherwise eligible for that benefit, will bring you up to that level. So there are three different programs here. Unfortunately, there are work incentives that apply to SSDI and there are work incentives that apply to SSI, and they're not the same, so we have to be sure of what benefit you receive. And if you receive both, both sets of work incentives apply at the same time to each benefit; another reason why we want you to build that team and plan for this return to work, so we can tell you and plan for what's about to happen. Now, we told you we'd run through those urban myths; the questions that we hear all the time. The first one; if I try to go to work I will automatically lose my health care, either Medicare or Medicaid. Wrong. It's just wrong. Today, we have extended Medicare benefits. We have Medicaid buy-ins in 44 states now, and many categories of eligibility for Medicaid. We have special SSI programs that will protect your Medicaid. And worrying about healthcare is pretty much old hat. We don't want you doing that now. We want you to focus on the return to work, and we will talk about what might happen to your Medicaid or Medicare at some point in the future, because healthcare is really well protected now. The second one; if I use my ticket to go to work, Social Security is going to perform a medical review and I'll lose my benefits. Wrong again. If you use the Ticket to Work, Social Security will not start a medical review if you are making progress with your plan. Now, there are guidelines set out by that and the EN's and VR agencies know what those guidelines are, so your plan will be built around those guidelines. If you are making progress with the plan that you have, you will not undergo a medical review. The last one; if I go to work and have to stop working, I have to start all over again and reapply for benefits, and it took me a long time to get approved the first time, and I can't afford to go that long without income, so why should I even try? Wrong again. Kendra will talk to you about a program called Expedited Reinstatement that will protect you even after you have been terminated from benefits because you go to work. So we've got all of these myths that Kendra and I have been hearing for years, and all of them couldn't be further from wrong. So Kendra, I'm going to turn it over to you to introduce yourself and to talk about that Ticket to Work Program.

>> Kendra Gary: Thanks, Troy. My name is Kendra and I am a community working coordinator here in Indiana. I work for a WIPA project, which is a working clinic creating an assistance project, and every state is going to have WICA projects, and if you tune into the webinar next month, you'll be able to learn more about your state's WICA project and how we can assist you with understanding how working will affect all of the benefits you receive. With that being said, let's start with understanding the Ticket to Work program. So what is this Ticket to Work program? It's a free and voluntary program to assist SSDI and SSI beneficiaries who have a disability go to work, enter the workforce for the first time, or increase their current work hours. And this is important to understand that it is completely free and voluntary for you, because you get to choose the agency and people that you want to work with, and you get to understand what services they offer and how you can use those services to find a job that's the right fit you. There are representatives at the Ticket to Work helpline who can help you understand how the program can help you find a job. For more information, call 1-866-968-7842 or for TTY, call 1-866-833-2967. You can also visit the website that Ray was talking about at www.socialsecurity.gov/work and like he said, that website is fantastic. There is just -- it's a lot of information there and if you're feeling overwhelmed with all the information you're hearing, this gives you a change to sit down and look over things at your own speed and find the information that you need to succeed. We'll go on to the next slide, The Ticket to Work program. When you decide that you're ready to work, there are a lot of things that you should consider. The biggest thing that I hear from people on why they want to go back to work is that they're ready to earn more money, and learning about the working centers that are available to you is Social Security and the Ticket to Work program, to help you to understand that returning to work really will improve your earning potential. A little bit later in the presentation, we're going to discuss some of the work incentives available to you and how going to work isn't going to cost you all of the benefits that you're receiving, so it's important to understand them. If you need the personal fulfillment that comes from working, the Ticket to Work program can provide you with the assurance and stability you need to feel confident while you pursue employment. When I talk with people, they tell me that they are concerned about going back to work and they don't know how to explain why they've been out of the workforce and their employment gap, and when you're working with the employment networks and your vocational [inaudible] office, they can assist you with understanding how to answer these questions and how to present yourself in the best way possible to find the job that you're looking for. If you're afraid that you won't be able to get back on benefits because your disability causes you to not be able to work anymore, using your Ticket to Work and understanding the work incentives, puts you on a fast track back to receiving your benefits. And if you're feeling overwhelmed and you're not sure where to turn, this is the place to start. This working center -- this seminar, will help you understand how to connect with the people, resources and resources you need to develop a work plan. So now that you are ready for work, and you're thinking about building your employment team, which is the best way to begin? You have options to help you get started, and I know that we reviewed this earlier, but it is worth going over again. You can start with calling the specific work help line at 866-968-7842 or for TTY, 1-866-833-2967. You can log on to the website at www.socialsecurity.gov/work to learn more about the Ticket, to read the blogs, to view, listen, or read real success stories for even more information. I think there are a lot of people it's very helpful to see and hear those success stories because we can give you all the information in the world, but it really becomes more real when you hear about other people's success stories; people with different disabilities, people looking for different types of jobs. It's good to understand that these work incentives really do give you the chance to find a job that's going to work for you. You can find these on the network or information on [inaudible] resource agency. You can find that on the website, and they can send you the information, or you can print it out and contact the agency. And your employment team, it's important to remember, you have to stay connected with them. You need to keep in contact with your employment network and your vocational rehability as you explore your work options, because the're going to be able to assist you with all your needs. That being said, Ray, I'm going to give it back over to you.

>> Ray Cebulla: Okay, Jamie. We do have a question, and remember folks that, Q&A box is available to you, and this question is kind of right on target and timely, so I'm going to ask you all. Somebody heard Commissioner Williams say this was voluntary. Do people have to use these tickets and what's the cost?

>> Kendra Gary: The program is voluntary. You do not have to use it, but it would be beneficial for you to use your ticket. There is no cost associated with using your Ticket to Work, and the biggest benefit to you is that there are no continuing disability reviews while your ticket is assigned and in use. So there are really no negatives to using your Ticket to Work. By assigning your ticket, you'll be able to get access to assistance on finding the job that you want and keeping that job. So it really is a good program to learn more about.

>> Ray Cebulla: Okay, thanks a lot Kendra. Now, remember folks, if you want to ask a question, just click on the arrow next to Q&A in your webinar console and you can type your question in and hit send to get it to us. Okay, now we have our success story for the day. We're going to meet Rob. He was - he lost 300 pounds, lost a kidney, or he gained new kidney and financial independence was recovered. He used his Ticket to Work to become a worker and was allowed, because of that work experience, to become a more active member in his community, had a bigger paycheck and has transitioned back to a stable living situation. So Mike, if we can cue up his video please. That would be wonderful.

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>> He drives 108 miles one way to work; both sites, same amount of time. Snow storms, Robbie is still on time.

>> He's got a tremendous, tremendous amount of pride in his work, and in himself.

>> Robbie's just a go-getter. He just wants everything. He wants to try everything. He wants to be able to do everything, and healing is a part of that. You know, with the sickness, it really hindered him to be able to get back into the workforce and to get back to work and traveling and everything has just -- it's been a wonderful thing for him.

>> Pretty much, I was overweight and I was always doing something. I was always -- in order to keep five businesses going you know, it was just something I needed to keep going. So my weight problem was deteriorating my health. I had some history of kidney failure, and then I got sick when I was in the middle of that, and that's when I had [inaudible]. Finally, my kidneys completely failed. The only way to get a kidney transplant was I needed to lose the weight. I went from like around 550 down to 250. I had a transplant, you know, and it was scary. It was really I didn't know what to expect. I had bills. I didn't know what, you know, how to transition from work and being on Social Security. So finally I went and got on Social Security from a doctor's office. And at that time too, then I went back to school, as well.

>> What was clear with Rob immediately is that he was not comfortable where he was. He knew that he had to get back to work, and it needed to be meaningful work. Now, in the process, he was going to do anything that he needed to do to make that happen within the context of his existing circumstances. He knew that he had health issues that needed to addressed, and he knew that in order for him to be able to get back into some work that was meaningful that really did serve him, but also put him in a position where he could earn a living that was going to support him, that he needed a college degree. He was also very active as an EME in the mountain area, and that was something that meant a lot to him.

>> And then after I got the degree, it was like one of the biggest accomplishments, but I worked during my sickness, and I wanted to get myself back into a life to where I can enjoy it and I don't have to be relied on a government program. I didn't want to keep living that way on a fixed income and limited area of being able to do things. My VDR has said we have a Ticket to Work program asking you -- there's certain agencies that represent Ticket to Work and ERI was the one that was most suggested by them.

>> Well, when Robbie came to us, he had a lot of questions. First, Robbie was very well versed in -- more than a lot of individuals who come to me, in understanding his benefits. He knew that he had work incentives and he also knew that he was able to continue a lot of his -- continue with his medical insurance. So we worked together to talk to Social Security to ensure that the months that he was actually was using trial work months, was accurately reflected in his Social Security record. Ticket to Work program offers individuals access to employment services for free. Work incentives are given to an individual through virtue of whatever their entitlement is. So an individual who is receiving SSI has different work incentives versus an individual who has SSDI. An individual does not need to assign their ticket in order to access work incentives, so anyone can go to work who has a disability and utilize work incentives.

>> Anytime I had a question, she was available. She helped me through the programs. Any of my questions and concerns I had, we'd take them on you know, put them down and we'd take one at a time until we got them accomplished. So anybody out there that's had worry, it's human nature to be worried, but in all reality, they tell start getting through it and just take one day at a time, you'll be just fine. You'll get through it. So if your health happens to keep you from working -- yeah, you still can go back into the program and they're there to help you transition any which way you want to go. They're there to help you. [Inaudible] my birthday, huh?

>> Yeah, because you had a birthday cake in front of you, and that should show somebody else [inaudible]. Oh, he was so happy because he could go back to work, and he started on the internet, and he started looking different places. But he could take and where there was jobs available and he came up on this one part where it was that the DMV. So then he started going. He went all over the country for the interviews.

>> And Robbie was hired as a part-time examiner down in the southwest corner of the state. When we opened up the opportunity in Chilton, Robbie took a transfer up to Chilton. At that time, he was just part time. And we were able to get a 50/50 position where we could get him over to Managua and allow him to be full time. He is the kind of guy that when he's at work he shows a deep appreciation for having a job. He is very dependable, wants to be out there doing his job. He wants to be successful and he is pretty good.

>> He operates as a fire fighter also, and an engineer under the correct apparatus. I think actually overcoming a problem such as a transplant and being able to recuperate to the point where he can come back and do incredibly productive, not only for yourself for self-esteem reasons and for your own pride and goals, but it really adds flavor for the general overall work environment. So I think these are a huge benefit. He's done an excellent job in coming back.

>> The Ticket to Work program has kept me stable and has kept me you know, be able to stay with my job to help support me. Any needs that I will have in the future, it will keep me going and keep me working.

>> He was my hero... ...because of what he went through. He took it in stride and he never complained and even now today, and if it hurts him, I'm so tired you know, he just goes right on to work. He just never liked to be on Social Security. So when he got his job it was a real blessing for him.

>> I guess I'm not scared to keep taking steps forward in my whole entire time here. I never took a step back. I always took a step forward. I always maybe stopped a little bit, reassess my choices, but I never went back. I always went forward.

>> Ray Cebulla: All right. Thank you very much, Robbie. You notice Robbie had an employment team. He had himself coaching that team. He had the DVR, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation of Wisconsin helping him. He had Employment Resources Institute in Wisconsin helping him, and he also had the support of his family. All of those are necessary team members, and helped him succeed. And I want you to remember what he said. He didn't want to live on Social Security anymore. He had more money but he said lots of great things -- yeah, and other people said great things about him that come from work that have nothing to do with the money, but just have to do with being out there working in the community. So that's a really good story. And again, there are other success stories in the -- on the website at www.socialsecurity.gov/work And Kendra, I'm going to send it back to you for some work incentive discussion.

>> Kendra Gary: All right. Thanks, Ray. When it comes to work incentives, what exactly are they? The work incentives are the bridge to your success in meeting your employment goals. I see that we've had a lot of questions about you know, what kind of employment is required, and there is no requirement. If you're ready to find a job, then the goal of the Ticket to Work program and the work incentives through Social Security are to help you meet your goal. So whether that means working 10 hours a week or whether that means 40 hours a week, the goal is for you to be able to reach that employment level that you're looking for. The work incentives have many advantages. The work incentives act as a safety net and it allows you to receive training for new skills, and that could be whether you want to go to beauty school to become a cosmetologist or whether you need assistance in learning a new trade. It can help you improve the skills that you already have, and that would be working with your employment network or vocational rehabilitation on just you know, the resume building and interviewing skills, and just being prepared for getting out there. It can help you to pursue your education. It also allows you to try out different jobs to find what's the right fit for you. If you're not sure whether you want to work in retail or work in an office setting, then you'll have the chance to try out jobs to figure out what is it that's going to make you happy, and what is it that you're going to be able to do with your disability. The main goal of all of this is that you'll be able to start a career, because there's a big difference between just working a job and having a career. Having a career is doing something that makes you feel fulfilled, and it's something that you want to be doing. And lastly, it allows you to gain confidence. You're not going to be doing this alone. You're going to have the support of a job coach and of the employment network, and potentially of a [inaudible] like myself, answering questions on benefits counseling. You're going to have people to turn too and people to answer questions that you may have as you are looking for a job and hopefully starting your career. So let's move on to the common work incentives. As Ray already discussed earlier, there are different Social Security programs. There's one that comes through the work incentive. It's important to know which program you'll be receiving your benefits from. What I'm going to do is give you a couple of the most common work incentives for each program and some work incentives that are available for both programs. So let's start with the first one listed, the trial work period. This is for Social Security Disability Insurance recipients, or SSDI recipients. The trial work period is a nine month period where you can earn any amount of money at all and continue to receive your full SSDI check. So what this really means is that if you decide that you want to try working full time, you can go to work for nine months. You could earn $5,000 a month and you would still receive your full SSDI check. Doesn't matter how much money that you earn. It's the first work incentive available to you and it will allow you to test the waters to see if you're able to handle that job and to see if it's going to be a good fit for you long term. The second work incentive available for SSDI recipients is called the extended period of eligibility, or the EPE. The EPE is for 36 months directly following the trial work period, and it's a period where your Social Security check may or may not come, depending on your earnings level. Every year, Social Security assess a -- amount called [inaudible] amount. Now, if you're earning above that level, then your SSDI check will stop. In 2013 that amount is $1,040 for most people. So the way that the EPE works is that say you're working and you're earning $800 a month. You get through your trial work period. You keep working, and it's two years later. If you pick up some extra hours over the holiday; any Thanksgiving and Christmas and you earn $1,200 through November and December, you would not be eligible to receive your SSDI check for November or December. But if your earnings went back down to $800 in January, then you would be eligible to receive your check from January. For the EPE, it's just a 36 month, or three-year period, where depending on your earnings level, you maintain eligibility for SSDI, so it's just another safety net. So just with those first two work incentives; the SSDI, that is three years and nine months of protection where going to work doesn't mean that you're going to lose your benefits. So that's something to keep in mind for all the SSDI recipients out there. For SSI, work incentives are a little bit different because of the program. The biggest incentive for you is called the Earned Income Exclusion, and the way that it works is that Social Security is going to count less than half of your work earnings as earned income and they'll use that amount to determine your SSI payments. In 2013, the actual benefit rate for SSI is set at $110, so that's what you're receiving if you're just a SSI recipient receiving money. If you would go to work and earn $885 a month, Social Security would only count $400 of those earnings, so instead of receiving $710 in SSI, you would receive $310 in SSI. And that scares a lot of people because they think oh my goodness; my Social Security check just dropped $400. But you earned $885. We understood that adding $310 in SSI, so your monthly income is now $1,195, which is a lot more than just the $710 in SSI, so it's really beneficial. The other benefit for SSI recipients is that by returning to work is paying into the FICA taxes. You are earning insurance for the SSDI program, so that's something to keep in mind, because you've seen with the SSDI work incentives. There are a few more available to you. For both SSDI and SSI recipients, there is the expedited reinstatement. Now, Ray talked this earlier when he was talking about the MYTH. Just because your Social Security or SSI or SSDI has stopped because of your work earnings, if your disability causes you to not be able to work at that level anymore, you could request expedited reinstatement from Social Security in the following month of your job stopping or your earnings lowering. Your Social Security payments would start up again and you could be eligible, or you would be eligible, to receive temporary benefits for up to six months while Social Security reexamines your case. And when I am talking to people about work incentives, this is one of the most important ones; because people are afraid that they're going to have to reapply for Social Security and go through the waiting period again, and that it could take two to five years for them to get approved, and expedited reinstatement gives you that safety net that you don't have to go through that reapplication, the waiting period. Another protection available for both SSDI and SSI recipients is protection from continuing disability reviews or CDR's, and this was answered when someone asked, you know, what is the benefit of using your ticket? The benefit of using your ticket is that there are no continuing disability reviews while your ticket is in use and you're making progress towards your goal. So you won't have to complete that disability review paperwork that Social Security sends to find out you know, are you still disabled. So going to work isn't going to cause you to lose your Social Security just because you're working.

>> Ray Cebulla: Okay, Kendra, I have a question for you.

>> Kendra Gary: I'm sorry, question?

>> Ray Cebulla: Yeah, I got a good question for you. Somebody's wanting to know, are you saying that it's possible to work full time and still be an SSI recipient?

>> Kendra Gary: It depends- which SSI. The way that this is, it just depends on how much you're earning. You may [inaudible] if you aren't earning $885 a month, but it's actually less than full time.It's around 30 hours a month earning a little bit more than minimum wage, but you would still be eligible to receive SSI. The other benefit for SSI recipients and working is that in addition to paying into all FICA or SSDI, even if you begin earning so much that you no longer qualify for SSI, you'll continue to stay on the SSI eligibility roll for 12 continuous months. So if you are earning so much that your SSI stops, and it's a little over $1500 per month, if you begin earning that much, you'll still continue to be eligible for SSI should your earnings drop below that level. So it just depends on the situation, and by getting in contact with the Ticket to Work help line, and with the employment network and vocational rehabilitation, they'll be able to give you more specific information on your work incentive situation. And as I mentioned earlier about WIPA projects, the Work Incentive Planning and Assistance projects, we'll all be up and running here in the next month or two, and their sole job is to help people understand how work will affect their benefits. So you will have a lot of options in the coming months on how to get information specific to your situation.

>> Ray Cebulla: Thanks, Karla. We had a follow-up question to that one, and it has to do with getting them a wage full time, and I ran the numbers just quickly while you were trying to explain the example. And if somebody is -- Kendra, I'm sorry, it's Karla who is asking the question [laughter] -- but I just ran the numbers and if somebody is earning $7.75 an hour working 40 hours a week, they will see a significant reduction in their SSI. You know, that will go down to about $86, but their earnings are going to mean they'll have twice as much money as they had without working. So again it is -- yeah, as Kendra said, it depends on how much money you're making you know, as to how much reduction you're going to have, but it is possible at minimum wage to work full time and still receive a small cash benefit. All right. So I'm going to turn it back to you now. We're going to save the rest of these questions until you're finished with this section [laughter].

>> Kendra Gary: All right. Sounds good. So you've heard both Ray and I talk about employment networks and what an important part of your employment team that they can be. But what exactly are these employment networks? Employment networks are agencies that are set up to assist you with finding a job and keeping your job, and depending on the employment network, they can offer different services. When you've decided that you are ready to sign you ticket to work, you can call the ticket to work helpline at 866-968-7842 or for TTY, 866-833-2967 to speak with a benefits counselor and request a list of employment networks that serve your area. You can also visit the website at www.socialsecurity.gov/work to access a list of the new funded networks near you. The employment networks slowly take Ticket to Work and they assign the ticket and they help you to find the job that you want. This isn't a temp agency. They're not just going to place you somewhere. The employment network is going to work with you on what your disability is, what your long-term work goal is, and they are going to help you achieve that goal. After you've located a few e-employment networks [phonetic] near you, you can choose one to call, and I actually encouraged you both to call a few different agencies and ask them questions. Find out how many people that they have helped through the Ticket to Work program. You can ask them what kind of companies do they work with for the placement, because a lot of employment networks, although they are not temp agencies, they do work with specific companies on helping people to find jobs. So they will do a lot of job development with these companies to explain, you know, "I have -- I'm working with such and such and they are looking to work in a job like this. If you hire them, I would be able to assist them with learning the job you need and understanding this job so that they can help people find perfect fit jobs." You can ask the ENs what kind of jobs are available to you and if they work with people who have disabilities like yours. And ask them how often that they meet. Some employment networks are going to be national and they are not going to meet with you and those employment networks are for people who are self-motivated and don't need help finding a job and just want to assign that ticket to receive that protection and to utilize the Ticket to Work. And then there are other employment networks that are going to be local. They are going to be able to assist you with all of the different tasks as to finding a job. So it's important to think about if you need a lot of assistance finding a job, if you want as little of assistance as possible? When you are talking with the employment network, they should explain to you how the Ticket to Work program works, and the services, if they can provide you through the Ticket to Work program. The employment network should ask about your work goals and your intentions about work. They should be asking you, "Do you want to work part-time or full-time? Do you -- how much work do you think you can handle, do you have limitations on standing or sitting or lifting?" The employment network should also talk with you about any fears they may have. Going back to work can be scary, and it is completely normal to have questions or to have some fear, and they should be willing to listen to you and talk through those with you. You and the employment network will also develop an individual work plan that includes your employment goals, and the services that the EN will provide you to get there. So that's where it comes in handy for mutual [inaudible] what kind of work are looking for and what kind of assistance that you need. A lot of the assistance that people ask me about is, you know, the interview. If you haven't had a job for a while and you had a gap in your employment history, can go ask, you know, "How do I best answer these questions?" An interview practices are setup by a lot of business [inaudible] to help people feel more comfortable in situations like that. So, onto the next slide. Your signature on the individual work plan assigns your ticket to the employment network and that means that you've chosen this employment network to use your ticket and coupon [inaudible]. They may have some other routine work forms for you to sign and it just depends on the agency so keeps that in mind. You can also unassign your ticket at any time if you change your mind or decide at the end you would not be a good match. Again, the Ticket to Work program is free and it's voluntary. So you have to decide what kind of agency you're looking for and choose who to assign your ticket to be based on that. But if you decide a couple of months down the line that this is just is not what you thought it was going to be and you'd like to work with a different agency, you can do that. Also important to remember that Social Security postpones your continuing disability for [inaudible] years as long as long as you're making timely progress towards your employment goal," and that's just the biggest benefit of the Ticket to Work program. Examples of EN services, and I talked a lot about these things. I think they are just very good things to keep in mind. You need to describe if you want all of these things when it comes to the employment network, if you need help with all of these, or if you don't really need help with these and you would rather go with the national employment network. Some of the examples of services are [inaudible] development and advice on how to fill out a good application. A lot of applications now have long psychological testing, and they can assist you with filling those out and understanding how to answer the question; interview skills and tips on how to explain long absences from work without disclosing your disability, child accommodation information, we have worked with. Tax incentive information, and referrals to other resources in your area. So just keep these in mind when you are thinking about choosing [inaudible] Ticket to Work. They can also assist you with job leads, people who are hiring, job fairs, and recruiting events. They can give you access to resource centers like computer, internet, email, phones, and fax machines. A lot of people are concerned about not understanding how to use multiline phones or not being up to date on some of the more recent computer programs, and different employment networks may be able to even give you some training on some of these things to help you prepare to return to the workforce. They give you job development on your behalf which is understanding all of your limitations and what your work goals are and going out and looking for a job on your behalf. They can give you referrals to other organizations that can help you. From the employment network philosophy, they'll be able to continue to provide you services through the Ticket to Work program after you are finished working with vocational rehabilitation because in some states, they are known as partnership plus and you will work with both vocational rehabilitation and an employment network in order to find that job that will be a benefit for you. So it just depends on your state, and the telephone numbers and the website [inaudible] presentation, you can use those to begin your search for assignments assigning your ticket and going out there and returning to the workforce.

>> Okay. Carla, I promised you that -- Kendra, I'm sorry [chuckle], I've promised you some questions, so here we go again. Is there a formal process that you have to go through to assign your Ticket to Work?

>> There is a process, and it really just involves contacting the agency, an employment network whether local or international and discussing what your disability and limitations are and explaining your job goal, filling out paperwork on all of those things, and then possibly signing some additional paperwork just for the agency that houses that employment network. That is going give the name process of getting your ticket assigned. Once that has been done, you will be working towards goals when it comes to your job search and that is finding a job, keeping a job for so many months, and if you are able to earn at a certain level. But the best way to start is to contact the Ticket to Work Helpline or go online to research the employment network near you.

>> Okay. And if somebody lost their ticket, how do they get another one?

>> You do not have to have that paper ticket that was sent to you. I always joke with people and say that Social Security sent those out, you know, 10 to 15 years ago and people were afraid to get married. Social Security was forcing you to go work. So, people just put it away, they hid it, they didn't open it and pretending that it didn't exist. We don't need those Ticket to Work with paper application saying that you have it. If you called the Ticket to Work Helpline, they will be able to tell you whether or not you have a ticket that is assignable or whether or not your ticket is currently assigned to someone and you can always unassign it and reassign it to someone new, but you don't need to have that actual paper [inaudible].

>> Okay, and this Ticket to Work, if I use the Ticket to Work, will there be funding available for education and training?

>> That just depends on the employment network that you choose to work with. It is something that if you are interested in education, you will want to discuss in the beginning when you are talking to the employment network. And the other resource to use is, there is vocational rehabilitation. Vocational rehabilitation has a lot of funding available to assist with getting training and alternative school to further your education so that may be another resource for you to start with.

>> All right. Thank you. And I am going to give you a break right now [chuckle]. Okay. We are going to move into a short discussion about vocational rehabilitation services and when we say that, we are talking about State rehire agencies. They are also a player in this return to work, Ticket to Work program, and the good thing about the state VR agency is that if you are a recipient of SSI or SSDI, you are a priority for the state VR agency. I know lots of them have waiting lists, lots of them get to the point where have limited money and are taking the most disabled people first. But you will be a priority and this is an option because every state has a VR agency and every state VR agency can act as an employment network. What are you going to get? You're automatically eligible for services and as Kendra mentioned, the VR agency is the big EN. So if you're looking for educational services, if you're looking for a very expensive durable medical equipment, if you're looking to have a vehicle modified so that you can drive it yourself, it is more likely that you'll get something that expensive by working with your state VR agency. When you do work with your state VR agency, you get assigned a counselor and you also build an employment plan. Now, the VR agency has two choices here. They can decide that they want to take your ticket and when you sign your plan, the ticket is assigned. But as Kendra mentioned, you also have now in most states, the Partnership Plus Model, which means that the VR agency does not need to take your ticket. You can sign that plan and that ticket will be in VR in use status, and that's a special status that allows you to keep your ticket and keep some of the value to use it later. But work with VR and also gets that continuing disability review protection and in order to maintain that protection, you need to be making timely progress towards your employment goal. Now, Social Security has adjusted that timely progress to allow for education and training work that you're doing. So there is timely progress if you've finished an educational program, if you finish a training program along with some of the earnings requirements. But you have a choice here. If you want to assign your ticket and the VR agency agrees to take it, you can do that. If you don't want to assign your ticket, you can talk to the VR agency about putting into "In-Use" status. Now, when you begin working and using your ticket with the VR agency or putting that ticket to "In-Use" status, you have to talk about the opportunity to have an EN provide ongoing employment services. Once a VR closes your case -- because VR closes a case after somebody is successful by working at SGA level, Substantial Gainful Activity levels for 90 days -- well, sometimes that's not long enough. Sometimes people feel better, they feel more comfortable, more secure with support services that continue beyond that 90 days and that ticket has value after VR closes your case. If it was "In-Use" status and as Kendra mentioned, you can take what remains on that ticket and assign it was an EN for those following along services and support to help you stay on the job longer. That is a great, great program. Partnership Plus is a wonderful thing and again, it still remains available to you at no cost, neither VR nor that EN are going to charge you for anything. But using that ticket with the Partnership Plus program will allow both the state VR agency and the EN to get paid by Social Security. Now, there are other resources we want to give you before we get to some more of the questions we have left of it. Again, we have to remind you about the website. We've both been screaming and hollering about how wonderful the website is and that's because it is. Everything you need is www.socialsecurity.gov/work. It's a great resource. The employment networks are listed there. All of the VR agencies are listed there. Very shortly, with the agencies that Kendra mentioned are going to be listed there as well as some others that can provide you with assistance. If you need to talk to somebody, the ticket to work helpline is available for you and these are experts who can answer a question particular to your situation and they can be reached at 1-866-969-7842 or for TTY 1-866-833-2967. Now, we are going high tech and we are going multi-media here. So, if you want to "like" us on Facebook, make us your friend. You can like us and follow us at http://www.facebook.com. choosework or you can follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ chooseworkSSA. Now, I am proud to say I am a follower on twitter and I have learned how to tweet so we can do that. And again, that Ticket to Work Helpline is at 1-866 -968-7842 or for TTY users, 866-833-2967. Now, remember, there's no wrong way into this program so you can make that phone call, you can follow us on Twitter, you can like us on Facebook and see some stories and ask some questions, or you can use the website. You have no obligation and the only thing that you're going to get is more information to help you make that transition to work. Now, Kendra, we do have a couple of questions -- ah, going back to the work incentives that came in. On the EXR, Expedited Reinstatement, does it matter why you stopped working?

>> With Expedited Reinstatement, it does matter. I -- your disability has to have been involved in [inaudible] for your workshopping or your earnings [inaudible] out, below a certain level.

>> Okay. And can you explain Substantial Gainful Activity again?

>> For SSDI recipients, their Social Security has to supply an amount. After the trial-work period, if your earnings -- your gross countable earnings are below a certain amount, then your SSDI check would stop. And this year, 2013, for most individuals that amount is $1,040 per month in escrow. So if your earnings are below that level, then your SSDI check continues and if your earnings are above that level, then your SSDI checks stop. And this is after the trial work period. With that being said, there are other work incentives that can lower your countable earnings. So I would encourage you to call the Ticket to Work Helpline and get in touch with someone who can assist you with understanding the work incentives and how they apply to your specific situation.

>> Okay. Is it possible for the VR agency or the EN to help set up an assessment to see what kind of job might be good for me?

>> That is definitely something that both EN and VR can assist with. They have tests out there to help you determine what you like doing, you know, what would be a good fit with you. So, definitely get in touch with an EN, call the [inaudible] helpline. I mean get started on that process, if you need help determining what you would like to do.

>> Yeah, that's a -- that's a great thing and they do have some assessments and test that you can take -- to find out what you're doing in. For all I know, I find out I should have been a mechanic. It's very possible. Yeah, you know, let's go for it.

>> You?

>> Yeah, you know -- let's go for it [laughter]. I'm looking at another question that wants to know why or how can DVR refuse my case for any reason? And when you're talking about the state vocational rehabilitation agency, there are reasons why they can refuse you but they tend to be about whether or not you're cooperating, whether or not you're asking for something that is completely outrageous, you know, if you're not following along with your program. If the job that you're seeking isn't feasible, you know, if given your disability, you just simply cannot meet those job qualifications. They can refuse you. But remember you are a priority if you're receiving benefits and there are also cap agencies, Client Assistant Projects in every state and they're there to help you both negotiate with state agency, as well as help you appeal a denial of services and those services are provided free of charge. Again, that's the Client Assistance Program. I've got a good one for you, Kendra. Can you tell me anything about ERWES?

>> ERWE applied for both SSI and SSDI recipients but they are termed a little differently. What ERWE is it stands for Employment Related Word Expenses. So, any out of pocket costs that you have related to your disability and your health conditions can be used to lower your countable earnings in your Social Security pie. Say you are earning $1,200 a month at your job but you are paying $200 a month in medication costs, and doctor's copays, and therapy copays. Social Security will take into account that $200 and they'll consider the ERWE. So that brings your countable monthly income from $,1200 to $1,000 which is below the STA amount of $1,040 and it allows your Social Security checks to continue. So it is an important work incentive to know about, but I still encourage people to contact someone and have them look at your specific benefits because of what -- when you get in contact with either [inaudible] or someone at the EN, or through VR, they'll sit down with you. They will analyze what you're receiving from Social Security benefit-wise. They'll look at Food Stamps, Medicaid, Medicare, [inaudible] -- any assistance that you're receiving and they'll explain to you how working will impact that, and all of the work incentives available. So, yes, it's good to know that there are things that can lower your countable income, there is even better to get in contact with someone who can help you analyze your specific situation.

>> That's great information because it is very important as Kendra said, to know what's going to happen to all of those benefits and not just the Social Security benefits. Kendra, here's an interesting question. For SGA purpose, a substantial gainful activity is it dependent upon how many hours you're working or just the amount of the wages.

>> For most people it is the amount of wages that you earn in a month. So they're looking at the hours you work between the first and last day of the month and how much you earned. For self-employment purposes, they can also look at some other things, including the amount of hours you worked. But in most cases, it is Social Security for SSEI recipients. They are going to be looking at the hours that you work between the first day and the last day of the month, and how much you earned based on those hours. For SSI recipients, the calculation is completely different, so disregard that information.

>> All right. Okay. Oh, here's some -- here's a good question. How do I find out if I'm getting SSI or SSDI?

>> You can contact Social Security and they can let you know. Or, you can call the Ticket for Work Helpline and they can get you in touch with someone who can assist you with understanding what you receiving. My job as a CWIC, Community Work-Incentive Coordinator is to help people to understand what benefit they're receiving including SSI, or SSDI, and help and understand all of the work incentives available through them. Another rule of thumb is that if you are receiving $710, it is likely SSI because that is the Federal benefit for this year. But it is definitely something that you do want to verify because as we've seen, the work incentives are so different for each program that you want it, signed up for sure you're receiving again.

>> Okay. I am looking at a very long question, so give me [chuckle] a minute to read it. Okay. Somebody's asking the question, Kendra, about working under a certain amount of money because they've been told by an agency that if they make any amount, they can still receive benefits but then if you work over $1,000 monthly limit, you're going to lose your benefits. So, what's the true story there?

>> The advice you are given is not the best advice out there. A lot of agencies, they look at SGA amount of $1,040 and they just tell people, if you earn less than that, then you're going to [inaudible]. And while that information is true, you could work a lot more and continue to receive the benefits but you'll lose. There's work incentives like the [inaudible] work incentives that making sure your out of pocket costs -- you could earn, you know, $1200 or $1500 depending on what out of pocket costs you have. You need to receive Social Security. Another thing to consider is that if you're able to work full time, you don't need to keep receiving your Social Security. You'll have [inaudible] Medicare protection and there are lots of programs that will continue Medicaid protection and working full-time, you could have access to an employer's healthcare system. So, it's not good advice to say that you should earn under a certain limit. The best thing for you to do is to contact someone who specializes in work incentives and have them go over your sheet with you. Look at all the pros and cons of working, [inaudible] of work incentives both [inaudible] and make your determination on how much you want to work so you put it in your long term goal, not just on, "Well, will my Social Security check continue on?" I hope that helps.

>> Yeah, I think that's great advice, you know, because I think there were a lot of people out there and a lot of agencies out there who know a little bit about this stuff, and they cause some problems. You know, I think that it's right to encourage everybody to work to their greatest ability. You know, we're not asking you to live on less money that you receive from Social Security. If this is planned right, as Kendra said, you'll have more money at the end and more money's better. You know, I don't think anybody on this call as gotten to the point where they don't need a little bit more or a little more wouldn't help. We're not asking you to try to live on less or put anything at risk. We're asking you to plan and it's also a good idea when you start talking to people about these benefits to ask them. You know, Kendra's a specialist. She's been fully trained. She knows here stuff. You know, ask people where they've received the training. You know, how do they know about these benefits because you don't want to hear people tell you about those urban myths that we all know. We don't want those urban myths still out there. So we have somebody who's...

>> [Inaudible] Just really quick -- 98% of people going to work will be more beneficial for you -- money-wise, than it is to not work. And for the 2% of people that that doesn't apply to, anyone who's trained in work incentives will be honest with you about that. They will take into account everything, the amount that you're receiving in Food Stamps, how work affects that, if you have HUD and how working affects that. We'll let you know whether or not it's more beneficial. So keep all these things in mind and know that it really is more beneficial for most people to go to work.

>> Okay. And the last one we have is about somebody who's living in a small town and how can they locate services because there's really not much there. You know? That's where that website www.socialsecurity.gov/work is going to help you out because there will be some agency that will help you. It may be a national agency that might only be able to provide you with help from a distance, but if you're interested in building a resume, getting some, you know, some tips on how to explain gaps in that resume, that's a good place to get service, you know, but that Ticket to Work website, that socialsecurity.gov/work is going to help you get there. If will also help you get in touch with your state VR agency and, you know, many state VR agencies are -- have branch offices all across the state. So there may be one near you. And if that fails or if you don't have access the internet, call that Ticket to Work Helpline at 866-968-7842 or if you're a TTY user, 866-833-2967 and they can help you locate somebody that can help you. There's somebody out there for almost everybody. So, just take a look and find that and that brings us to -- we're beyond time. We're over time, folks, so, we're going to have to shut down. Remember, if we did not get to your question, call those phone numbers. People will be able to help you with that. Find a local EN, work with your state VR agency, or in a little bit awhile, check for the WPA agencies. They're going to be able to help you as well. Please know that we are going to close down the webinar and when we do that, a survey is going to pop up on your screen. If you'd take 30 seconds to fill out that survey, we'd appreciate it because we do take your comments very seriously. And I want to thank Kendra for helping me out and I want her to excuse me for calling her Carla [laughter] half the time and thank Jaimie who fed me the questions and Mike in the background to take care of all of our technology. I wish you all a great afternoon. Take care, everybody.