>> Good afternoon, everybody. This is Ray Cebula from Cornell University's Yang-Tan Institute. And welcome to today's WISE event. We are having a Work Incentive Seminar Event today, and we're going to be talking about youth in transition. So we're talking about young adults graduating from high school, getting ready to graduate from high school, and transitioning into the workforce. And how Social Security, how our Employment Networks can all help make that transition a smooth one. We're going to be moving pretty fast today. We've got lots and lots of great stuff. But I do want to let you know how you can participate. You've all been muted. You can't talk to us because there are hundreds of you out there. And what we want you to do is send your questions to us through the Q and A box. Now, you'll notice at the top of your computer screen there's going to be a Q and A. Click that. It's going to open the box here. Click on the arrow head. That is going to open the actual Q and A box that you see on the righthand side of this screen. You'll be able to type your question here. Hit send. Now with the number of people out there, I can promise you that we're not going to get to every question. Jamie [assumed spelling] is in the background. She will be getting all of your questions and will be asking those questions that pertain to the largest number of people. However, we will be giving you information throughout the session about how you can get answers to your specific questions. You've also been connected today through your computer's speakers. Now, if you do need to call in today, you're going to need to go to audio conference up on the top of your screen. Click on it. And hit, Use Phone, I will call in. That will give you today's phone number and access code. And then you can pick up your phone, dial in, and you'll be all set. Now let me give you that tollfree number in case you need it. The tollfree number today is 8557494750. The access code that you'll be asked for is 642720355. So that's going to be how you're going to get into the session if you're access to the Internet drops off. Now, webinar accessibility is incredibly important to us and we want as many people as possible to get the full enjoyment of this webinar. Let us know if you're having problems. You can do that by entering in the chat box. You can do that by entering something into the Q and A box. You can do that by sending us an email afterwards. Now, along with letting us know what you're issue is, it would be incredibly helpful if you let us know if you're aware of a solution. If you know how to fix what we're doing wrong, let us know, and we will everything in our power to fix it. Now, today's accessible materials are up in the Cloud. And the Cloud link today is cl.ly/1k0c45003Y3X and you'll be able to get those materials. Jamie is going to be typing that into the chat box so that you will have that as well. Closed captioning link for today is at www.edi.cornell.edu /captions.cfm?activity underscore id equal sign 4893. You've been sent an accessible PDF and the texts that are located in the URL that you received when you got your confirmation for today's session as well. So you should have access to materials all kinds of different ways. We are recording today's session both audio and visual. And that will be available in about 2 weeks. So that you can come back, listen to this session again, or find other sessions if you want to listen to some other sessions that are in the archives. That link is www.ilr.cornell.edu /edi/mwisewebinars.cfm. Now, I realize I'm going fast today, Jamie is making sure these are all in the chat box for you. We are going to have a question and answer period at the end of today's session. You can use that Q and A box. We prefer you don't use the chat box. But if you find that easier, please go ahead. You can also send us an email at webinars@choosework.net. So there's several ways you can get in contact with us to have your questions answered. If after the session today or tomorrow morning you wake up and realize I should have asked that question, please feel free to email your questions to support@chooseworkttw.net. Now, today's session, welcome and introduction by yours truly. We have Kendra Berry, from Aspire Indiana Works who's been with us a lot and is a great presenter who's going to talk about the Work Incentives and how they impact youth in transition. It's a very important population for us. We have Briggs and Associates. We have John Hough and Emily Myers who are from that Employment Network. And they're going to talk to you about how they can help youth in transition make that transition. We want a youth with a disability to become a worker with a disability. That's our goal today. And then we're going to talk about some additional tips and resources. Kendra is going to start that. I'm going to finish it off. And we will get to your questions and answers at the end of the session. All right, it looks like we are going to talk to Ben. But before we get Ben up, we've got some work for you. I told you we'd give you some information, but we want information from you folks. This information is just a little bit of basic stuff so that we can make sure we are catching the right people and making sure we're doing the right type of outreach. So our first question is how did you learn about this national WISE webinar? Was it email, Facebook or Twitter, a website, family or friend, a WIPA agency, or some other way? And if you did find out by some other say, if you just type that into the Q and A box or the chat box so that Jamie can make note of that, that'll be good. We'll have more people to reach out to.

[ Silence ]

Okay, I'm going to close this out and I'll wait 20 seconds. Ten seconds of silence. I can never tell when Ben is going to make me wait 20 seconds or just let me go along. All right. Now, polling question 2 is what do you hope to learn from today's session? Do you want to learn about the Ticket to Work, Work Incentives for SSI recipients, Work Incentives for SSDI recipients, Employment Networks and Vocational Rehabilitation, or legal protection and advocacy, or something else? And, once again, if you want to learn about something else let us know what that is because we have built webinars around your suggestions in the past, and we'll continue to do that. All right. Thank you very much. You participate in great rates. Let me close that down, and Ben's holding a sign up that says wait 20 seconds.

[ Silence ]

Eight seconds left. Okay. Thank you. Here's an easy one, what's your gender, male or female?

[ Silence ]

All right. Not too difficult. We try to make the work easy for you. Five seconds. Okay. And what is your age group 18 or younger, 19 to 25, 26 to 40, 41 to 55, 56 to 65, or 66 and older? Wow you guys are beating me. More of a percentage down there. Thank you very, very much, guys. This information is very, very helpful to us. Ten seconds and we'll get to the last question.

[ Silence ]

Two, 1. Okay, and we know that some of you are not sitting in front of your computer screen alone. And in order to give us a good count as to how many people are with us today, if you could let us know besides you, how many other people are with you today? It doesn't look like we have a lot of parties today. Every once in a while, we have a big party of people listening. All right. Thank you very much. We've got to wait 15 seconds. Five. Okay. Mike, if you would be so kind as to queue up Ben's video, we can all say hi to Ben.

[ Silence ]

>> Independence, fulfillment, community involvement, these are some of the benefits that work provides. By working, you can earn more income, meet new people, and learn new skills. What is the Ticket to Work Program? How can it help you? Ticket to Work is a free and voluntary program from Social Security that provides you employment support services to help you go to work while still providing access to Medicaid and/or Medicare. It can help you go to work, which can give you a greater sense of purpose and help you give back to your community. With time, you will be able to replace your cash benefits with your earnings from work putting you on the road to financial independence with the peace of mind that your benefits will be available to you if you need them due to your disabilities. Meet Ben. Ben qualified for the Ticket to Work Program because he is age 18 through 64 and receives Social Security Disability Insurance. If Ben received supplemental security income, he would also qualify for the program. Ben wanted to work but needs to understand how work would impact his benefits, especially his healthcare. Ben did some research and found out that over 316,000 people with disabilities have participated in the program. After doing more research, he decided that Ticket to Work was just the ticket he needed to be successful in going to work. When Ben contacted the ticket help line, they talked to him about support from Social Security he could use to go to work. He found that with Social Security's Ticket to Work and Work Incentives, he might be able to work while keeping his Medicaid or Medicare with the peace of mind that if he needed to stop working due to his disabilities, there would be a fast track back to restarting his benefits. With the Ticket Program, Ben had a choice of service providers, Employment Networks, and state vocational rehabilitation agencies. He was able to select one of these service providers to work with him one on one to help him reach his work goals. Both could offer him specialized services. And he could choose which was right for him. VR agencies work with individuals who need more significant services. The services that Ben could receive include benefits and career counseling, education, training, and job search support. ENs are private or public organizations that may help with career counseling and assistance with job placement and more. Different ENs offer different types of services. So Ben could pick an EN that was just right for him. Ben also had the option to receive services from his state VR agency. And then when those services end, he could work with an EN to receive additional services that would help him find a job or keep an existing job. Ben took some time to think about his options and decided to assign his ticket to an EN. Ben's commitment to participate in the Ticket to Work Program forged a partnership between him and his service provider. They both agreed to work together and jointly developed a plan that was just for him. His plan defined his work goals and described the specialized services the EN would provide or arrange for to help him meet his goals. Ben's route to employment through the ticket program is a twoway street. In return for assistance in getting a job, Ben pledged to Social Security that he would take specific steps determined by the plan he developed with the EN within timeframes set by Social Security to work at a specified earnings level or complete certain educational on training requirements. Taking the agreed upon steps toward employment with timeframes set by Social Security is called making timely progress. By taking these steps, Ben was able to fully take advantage of the supports and protections that the Ticket to Work Program provided. You can be like Ben. The Ticket to Work Program is here to help you become and stay employed, meet new people, and gain fulfillment and financial independence. We know it's a big step, but there is so much help for you all along the way. The Ticket Program offers many tools and resources to help you learn about starting your journey to financial independence. Are you ready to work? Call the Ticket to Work help line at 18669687842, for TTY call 18668332967 to talk to one of our knowledgeable representatives. Or visit www.socialsecurity.gov/work to learn more. Good luck on your journey to financial independence. We are ready to help you on your way. Okay. Thank you, Mike. That's the story of Work Incentives. Short and sweet. What we're going to talk about now is some introductory information as to why we're hoping people who receive benefits will choose work and why it makes sense. And in this particular instance why it makes a whole lot of sense for us to help a youth with a disability become a worker with a disability. Earning more money is the most obvious reason. If you're receiving benefits, you are likely living in poverty. In one month with moderate income, we can raise you out of poverty and give you more money to live on. Gaining independence, very important. Not only independence from Social Security, from Medicaid, from the food stamp agency, from all of those people that you need to talk to all the time and tell them everything about you, but your ability to choose where you want to live, how you want to live, what you want to do is enhanced because of work. Meeting new people, that's only natural. You're going to be involved with other people, very diverse people from very diverse backgrounds of very different interests. That only makes your life richer. Some of us got married because we were at work and met the right person. Learning new skills. We have 2 people from an Employment Network who will tell you how the Ticket can help you gain more skills. But when you begin working, you're necessarily going to learn new skills. You may become involved in a degree program, you may become involved in a technical program, or you may become involved in a vocational program. All of which are going to do all of this for you. And notice that we have 4 things here. We're not putting any importance on one or the other because all 4 of these things are the equal benefits of work. Now, for those of you who receive benefits, we're going to talk a little bit and quickly about the benefits programs. The first program we're going to mention is the disability insurance program. It's known as SSDI. The Social Security Disability Insurance program is, benefits people who have worked and paid FICA taxes. If you have worked a sufficient amount according to your age and at sufficient earnings levels, you become insured. Now, today's audience is a special group. Young people can become insured very, very quickly at very low wages. A year and a half's worth of work at $1,200 gross wages per calendar quarter will result in somebody under the age of 26 becoming insured. A great deal. These benefits tend to be higher than SSDI. There is no resource limit. These are benefits that you have bought and paid for. SSI, a very different program, is a federal welfare program. It provides a set benefit based on what the federal government believes you need to provide your basic needs for the month. You have to be aged, blind, or disabled. It's the same disability definition that we're using for both of these programs. But this program, SSI, requires that you have very little income and very low resources. Countable resources for an individual can only total $2,000 and for a married couple, $3,000. There are also those folks that we call concurrent beneficiaries. That's because they receive both SSDI and SSI. How this happens is that somebody who works at lower wages may have an SSDI check that is lower than your state's SSI level. If that's the case and your resources are below the countable levels, then it is possible that SSI will kick in to bring you up to that SSI level. Now, why we need to know this is because there are SSDI Work Incentives. There are SSI Work Incentives. And they are used for each program for different reasons. If you have both, you're going to be affected by both sets of Work Incentives at the same time. So it's critically important that we know, in order to be able to help you properly, what type of benefit you're receiving. All right. And with that I am going to turn you over to Kendra Berry who's with Aspire Indiana. And she can tell you a bit more about herself and the Ticket to Work Program. Take it away Kendra. Kendra, have you unmuted yourself? You're still muted, Kendra. There you go.

>> Can you hear me now?

>> Now we can hear you, Kendra.

>> Oh, technology, it's never my friend. I'm Kendra, and I'm a Community Work Incentive Coordinator with Indiana Works. Indiana Works is one of the WIPA Projects which is a Work Incentive Planning and Assistance Project. And there's at least one in every state. What your WIPA project can do is help you understand how work will affect your benefits. I'm going to explain information about the Ticket to Work Program to you. Next slide. The Ticket to Work Program is a free and voluntary program available to SSDI and SSI beneficiaries age 16, or age 18 through 64. The Ticket to Work Program came around years ago. And the way it was first introduced is that people received a letter in the mail stating that this program was available to them. But they thought that it meant Social Security was saying they had to go to work, and it scared people. And the Ticket to Work Program is a wonderful program that will help you to not only find a job that's a good fit for you, but you have assistance in finding that job. You can call the Ticket to Work Help Line to get more information about the Ticket to Work Program and to get hooked up with other resources such as the WIPA project and Employment Networks in your area. For more information and to talk with someone at the Ticket to Work Help Line, you can call, 18669687842 or for TTY call 8668332967 or you can visit the website at www.socialsecurity.gov/work. The website it a great resource because not only will you be able to find contact information for different agencies, but you can ready about what these agencies will be able to help you to do. Next slide. If you are on this call, then you've already taken the first step to deciding that you're ready to think about going to work. And you want to learn more about what's available to you. If you're ready to earn more money, the Ticket to Work Program can help you improve your earning potential. You can get connected with an Employment Network or your state vocational rehabilitation agency. And they can help you with things like creating a resume and preparing for interviews. If you want the personal fulfillment that comes from working, the Ticket to Work Program provides you with the assurance and stability you need to feel confident while you look for a job. You'll have a support system and that safety net that, if you have questions as you're looking for a job or if you're not quite sure how to fill out an application, they can help you with that. Once you find a job, they'll even be able to support you in keeping that job. So the Ticket to Work Program has a lot of offer you. If you want to be able to get your benefits back if you're job doesn't work out because of your disability, the Ticket to Work Program puts you on the fast track back to receiving your benefits. There is a Work Incentive called expedited reinstatement that, if you aren't able to continue working because of your disability, you don't have to reapply for Social Security. You don't have to go through a waiting period again. Your again benefits are restarted automatically. And when I talk to people and counsel them on how working will impact their benefits, it's a huge relief to tell people that they're not going to lose everything by going to work. If you're feeling overwhelmed and you don't know where to turn, you are at the right place. This call the first step toward going out there and finding a job that's a good fit for you. The Ticket to Work Program will help connect you with the people, resources, and services you need to develop a work plan. Next slide. When it comes to building your Employment Team, the best way to begin is to start with the information you're seeing now. You can call the Ticket to Work line to speak with an expert, or you can visit the Ticket to Work website at www.socialsecurity.gov/work. And what you're going to find when you call the Ticket to Work line or go online is you'll be able to research your state and look up Employment Networks in your area and find the contact information for the Employment Network and for your state VR agencies. And you'll be able to stay connected with them. That's going to be a huge part of helping you find a job that's a good fit. Because one of the things to consider is that the Ticket to Work Program is not a temp agency. They're not just going to place you in a job and hope that you do good. They're going to sit down and talk with you about what your goals are, what kind of job you want, and they're going to help you find that job and support you once you've found that job. So you have the information here. And it's okay if you feel overwhelmed. You'll be able to visit the website or call and speak with someone at the Ticket to Work Help Line and get more information to get you started on that path.

>> Okay. Thanks, Kendra. I'm going to give you a break. And we're going to ask Mike to queue up Megan's success story. And Megan's going to tell us about her experience with the Ticket to Work.

[ Music ]

>> I believe it was around of January 2008, I kind of got sick and I took another position. And from that position, I ended up getting fired. And I had a mental breakdown so my disability is mental illness. After so many months in the disability program, you can get a Ticket to Work. And then that will help you actually get back into working. The first thing that I received in the mail was my Ticket to Work. And with that it included some websites and pamphlets about what the program was and places you could go and people you could give your ticket to.

>> Megan came to TransCen about a year ago. She was seeking a job in the IT DNA synthesis field. After only a few months, she was able to obtain employment.

>> What made Megan a success in her job search first and foremost was her willingness to go back to work.

>> The impact has been great. I can kind of get my life back under control. I am looking to move out on my own.

[ Music ]

One of the biggest things I like to do is I like to competitive ballroom dance. And so now it's getting more fun, and I'm enjoying it. I like the costumes, so that's a big thing that I do. This is a program that can help anyone no matter what your disability is. No matter who you are, or where you live, this is something that can help you move forward and continue to move on.

[ Music ]

[ Silence ]

>> Okay. Thanks, Mike. We always like to hear Megan's story. And we are lucky enough to Megan with us live last time. And hopefully she'll be able to join us again. So after we heard Megan's success story, it looks like we are going to start talking about specific incentives for young adults in transition. And Kendra's going to guide us through those slides. Kendra.

>> Okay. Can you hear me this time?

>> I can hear you.

>> Perfect, no issues. For work incentives when it comes to young adults there are a handful of work incentives that were made specifically for you that no one else can use. And then there are some that are just tailor made for people in your age bracket to use. Next slide. The 3 incentives designed just for you include the student earned income exclusion, the section 301 continuing benefits, and the plan to achieve selfsupport. There's also information on Medicaid for SSI recipients. And how going back to work won't cause you to lose your Medicaid. So let's look at these more in depth starting the student earned income exclusion. If you're under the age of 22 and regularly attending school, you qualify for the student earned income exclusion. And what this means is that Social Security does not count up to $1,750 of earned income per month when figuring your SSI payment. There is a yearly maximum of $7,060 that you can exclude. An example of this is if you're attending school full time, say you are finishing up high school and getting ready to go to college and you have a parttime job earning $600 a month, you would be able to exclude all of that income and continue to receive the full amount of SSI. So you could use that money towards paying for your college bills. You can use it to save up to reach more employment goals that you have. Because if you're only earning $600 a month, then over the course of 12 months, it barely puts you over the yearly maximum. So for 11 months of year, you would not lose any SSI money. The student earned income exclusion is applied before your general income exclusion or your earned income exclusion. So it is another way for you to save money. So it is something that everyone under the age of 22 and receiving SSI should be using. So it is a huge incentive for you to go to work. Because like we talked about before, by working, you're earning credits to become insured under the SSDI program. Next slide. If you're regularly attending school. There is a requirement to meet that goal. And in college or university, you have to be there for at least 8 hours a week. Or if you're in grade 7 through 12, you have to be there for 12 hours a week. Or you can be in a training course to prepare for employment for at least 12 hours a week or 15 hours a week if the course involves shop practice. And these rules exist because there have to be guidelines to what is regularly attending school. In this information, all of these work incentives that we discussed if you contact the Ticket to Work Help Line, they'll be able to get you in touch with your WIPA Project or with an agency that can give you information on these specific Work Incentive and show you how you can apply them in your situation. Next slide. If you're regularly attending school and you are home taught, then you must be, for grades 7 through 12, attending 12 hours a week and the instruction of your home schooling must be in accordance with your state or your jurisdiction. If you're home taught because of your disability, then your courses of study must be provided by a school grade 7 through 12, college, university, or government agency, and a home visit or a tutor must direct the study. And, again, it's just a regulation that Social Security has set up to make sure there are guidelines for how this Work Incentive can be implemented, and while it may seem like it's a lot, it's really not. For many of you out there, you just will have to provide proof of your schooling. Next slide. If you receive SSI or can become eligible to receive SSI, you could benefit from a PASS plan. And this is one of my favorite Work Incentives to give people information on. The PASS allows you to set aside other income besides your SSI for a specified period of time so that you may pursue a work goal. And when Social Security figures your SSI payment, they don't count the money that you set aside in your PASS plan. So how this works is, again, say you're working part time and earning $600 a month and you want to save up to continue your education at college, you can set aside that full $600 a month that you're receiving into an approved PASS account. And you would continue to receive the full amount of your SSI check for as long as you're PASS is in place. A PASS can be used for a handful of things. And let's go on to the next slide. You can use a PASS to help further your education, to start or expand a small business, or  I'm blanking on Work Incentives at the moment. Or to help reach your education goals such as training. An EN or VR agency, a social worker, or a benefit specialist can help you set up a PASS. And if this is something that you think would be a good fit for you, you definitely want to get some assistance because the PASS application is long. It's around 20 pages. And that can be really overwhelming when you sit down and have to fill that out. But your benefit specialists, especially with the WIPA project, are trained on how to help you do this. And they'll be able to work with you and help you get everything set up. In order for a PASS to be approved, it must be in writing and designed especially for you. So whether you're work goal is to buy things that you need for a cosmetology course, such as some make up and the hair tools, or you want to set aside money to go to college, you have to put that in writing and show how you're going to meet that goal. Once you've specified your work goal, you must include a specific time frame as well. So say you are going to further your education and go to college and you want to set aside money for 4 years to help towards that goal, then you would include that in your PASS and you would include how much money you'll set aside every month. You must show what income you receive other than SSI and how that income will be used to reach your work goal. And it must be approved and reviewed periodically to measure progress towards your work goal. Every area of the country has a PASS Cadre. And I'm in Indiana. And our PASS Cadre is located in Chicago, Illinois. It covers Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. And every area differs, and sometimes it changes. But all of the PASS plans must go through this one Cadre to be approved. And then he follows up with people every, usually every 4 to 8 months to see how they're doing on reaching their goals. And the thing with the PASS plan is that if you have an employment goal that you want to reach but you just can't figure how you'll get the money for it, PASS is a great idea. And, again, you can call the Ticket to Work Help Line or you can go online and look up information for your state too. Get in touch with agencies that you can help you with the PASS. Next slide. When it comes to section 301, this is the way to continue your benefits. If Social Security determines that you no longer have a disabling condition, your benefits would usually stop because you're not disabled. But if you've assigned your ticket to an Employment Network or your ticket is considered in use with a vocational rehabilitation agency, your benefits could continue. Your participation must be Social Security approved and your participation must show progress towards your work goal. And what this means is there are certain levels that you'll have to reach in order to show that you are meeting your work goals. But it would keep you on the goals for Social Security so that if anything happened in the future, you would have that protection and that safety net. Next slide. Section 301 may apply even if you're not in the Ticket to Work Program. And to learn more about this Work Incentive, and actually all of the work incentives, you can visit the Red Book online. And this is a really long web address, so I am not going to read it to you. But the web address is located on here. And if you visit ssa.gov you can search Red Book and find the Red Book. You go also speak with an expert at the Ticket to Work Help Line. And, again, their phone number is 8669687842 or for TTY 8668332967. And what this will do is it will help you have someone to talk to about what you're considering, what your work goals are, and where to go from here. Next slide. When it comes to working and Medicaid, people always ask me if going to work will cause them to lose their Medicaid. And for SSI are recipients, there is a federal work incentive that protects your Medicaid coverage as you begin working or continue working. After you return to work, your Medicaid coverage can continue even if your earnings become too high for an SSI cash payment. Here in Indiana the amount you have to earn above in order to lose your Medicaid qualification is more than $37,000 per year. That means that until your yearly earnings are above $37,000 your Medicaid continues with no change. And every state has a different level. But I can tell you that it's very reasonable in every state. And that it offers you that protection to know that you will have insurance because that's a huge concern for people. And the other thing to consider is that if you're earning more than $37,000 here in Indiana, you're likely employed full time. And most fulltime employees have access to employer healthcare, which, while different than Medicaid, covers most things and will still be a good option for you to have insurance. So going to work won't cause you to lose that insurance that you need. Because Social Security understands that you need to have insurance in order to be able to work. And they want to provide you with that protection. Next slide. To qualify for the 1619(b) you must have been eligible for an SSI cash payment for at least 1 month before meeting that breakeven point. You would be eligible for a cash payment except for your earnings, meaning that you are still disabled. You meet all the other eligibility rules including the resource test. And this changes in different states. So you will definitely want to contact the Ticket to Work Help Line or look up on line what your state's requirements are. You must also need Medicaid in order to work. And for most people that's true. Because it's important to stay in touch with your doctors and continue the medications that you need in order to be able to be healthy enough to work. You must have a gross earned income that is insufficient to replace SSI Medicaid and any public funded attending care. And, again, that's why they set the limits in the state and, again, with Indiana's being 37,000. If you're able to earn above that, then you would have access to other healthcare options. So this 1619(b) federal protection will give you that safety net to know that you'll have insurance. Next slide. The following states use their own eligibility rules for Medicaid that are different from Social Security's eligibility rules. And they include Connecticut, Minnesota, Ohio, Hawaii, Missouri, Oklahoma, Illinois, New Hampshire, Virginia, and North Dakota. And really quickly there, we blacked out Indiana because as of June 1, Indiana became a 1634 state or an SSI eligibility state. So with the Affordable Care Act things have been changing. And the best thing that you can do to learn more about your state's Medicaid requirements is to contact the Ticket to Work help desk. If you live in one of the states listed on your screen, then you'll continue to be eligible for Medicaid under section 1619(a) or (b) if you were eligible for Medicaid in the month before you became eligible for 1619. And, again, this is a federal rule. So it's not that it won't be applied somewhere. It doesn't matter where you live. Just knowing that this Work Incentive is out there and knowing to ask for it should give you a sense of security in considering going back to work. Next slide. You're state may also allow you to buy Medicaid if you're disabled and no longer entitled to free Medicaid because you've returned to work. And I know that here in Indiana we have an amazing buyin program. It allows you to purchase Medicaid coverage until your earnings are above $70,000 a year. And the way that it works is say you find a job. You're able to work full time. And you're earning $60,000 a year. That would be great. But you no longer are eligible for free Medicaid. And your insurance costs are just too expensive to go with an employer sponsored healthcare, you have the option to purchase Medicaid coverage for a premium amount per month. And the premium amount starts at zero here and goes up to $180 per month. And they may seem like a lot of money, but if you're earning $60,000 a year, that really isn't that much. And it's very comparable to an employersponsored healthcare. But you get the benefits of having everything that Medicaid covers covered for you. So keeping in mind that states are different and you need to find out what your state rules are, this is also something to think about. And, again, contacting the Ticket to Work Help Line or visiting the Choose Work website will be great places to start so that you can find the agencies in your area and get more information about how these work incentives will affect you because I am just here to give you a brief overview. And at the end we'll be able to answer a few questions, but it is best to contact someone who is knowledgeable about your state's rules and who will sit down and write a report for you based specifically on what your work goals are and how to help you reach them. Next. You may qualify to have the buyin if you meet the definition of disabled under the Social Security act if you would be eligible for SSI payments were it not for your earnings. And if you are not an SSI recipient, your state decides if you are disabled. Your state will not consider whether you are working when it makes that decision. This is your state is going to be looking at your doctor's records and what your disabilities and difficulties are on record. So these are things to consider. And, again, best case of action, contact resources in your state so that you can get the best uptodate knowledge of how this Work Incentive could apply to you. Every state has its own Medicaid Office. And to find out where you're local offices are, you can call 1800MEDICARE, and that's 18006334227 or for TTY 18774862048. You will be asked for your Medicare number and transferred to the main menu. From there, choose Other Option and then Another Question. You'll be transferred to a representative. Be prepared to tell them what state you live in and to write down the tollfree number for additional information. So this is another way for you to contact and get the specific contact information for your state's regulations. And with that I am handing this back over to Ray, I think.

>> Yes, you are, Kendra. And I want to introduce Briggs and Associates John Hough and Emily Meyers who are working with that agency. They are an Employment Network and can help provide the services that are necessary to get youth with disabilities to work and to keep them at work. So John and Emily take it away. Unmute your phones first. Then take it away.

[ Silence ]

Okay we still can't hear you. There we go.

>> I'm not sure we've got it.

>> We've got Emily now. Yes.

>> Yes. I'm here.

>> All right. I'm here too now.

>> Okay, great. Take it away, guys.

>> All right. Go right ahead, John.

>> Okay. So we are a supportive employment provider. And we're also an Employment Network. And what that means is we use the Ticket to Work. And different Employment Networks are set up differently. But the way we use it is we use it for people who are trying to go with a fulltime job or significant parttime job to provide funding for additional job coaching. We also help with the job search process also.

>> Right. And here the slide kind of breaks down the different ways that you could assign a Ticket to an Employment Network. And Briggs and Associates is one of them. We're actually a based out of Georgia. And so, you know, a lot of what we share is sort of specific to what we do, but there are different ways here that you can actually allocate the Ticket. And employment services is one of those. That's what we would use it for. Vocational rehabilitation is another Employment Network that you would potential assign your Ticket to, and other types of support services to people receiving Social Security disability benefits. And as John explained it, a lot of what we use it for is in helping people in getting to work, but also people who are really looking to work long term in employment and go from part time to fulltime work. We actually represent a wide variety of types of jobs. And we just wanted to share that because if people are kind of thing about get being back to work, we do work with a lot of young people, people who are entering the workforce for the very first time. One of the programs that we have for people who are coming from school into work is we actually work through the Project Search Program, which was founded in Cincinnati. And the focus of that program is, student comes through the school system and they intern in a variety of different jobs. And as they intern, they will gain various skills, gain experience, make connections on that job site that ultimately lead to employment. And from that point in time, we, as a provider, will pick up the student as clients and actually help them with employment. We get those students hired. We have programs in hospitals, and we have had experience working in the Project Search Program in the banking industry. And you'll see here some types of jobs that are listed as the areas that we've worked with in healthcare. And we also, we actually are, we're nearly anywhere that you can imagine. As I look through the Ticket to Work recipients that we serve, we are in areas, such as I mentioned, healthcare, banking, the retail environment, assisted living environment, government jobs. We have people working in call centers. Some of our, one of our really fun areas that we have several people working who came to us through Ticket to Work working in the Georgia Aquarium here. And so they're in the industry of attractions. We have people that work in hospitality. And so the Ticket has really allowed us to take on people so as to get them kind of started, to get them looking at employment, and to get them placed in employment. And then provide kind of that longterm support as they grow through their career. And you'll see here listed types of duties that we cover in the banking industry. And we do a lot of jobs that involve scanning, filing, shredding, transporting items in the work environment, and we really look at, we in particular really look at nontraditional type jobs. So we like to look at jobs that may be for a new kind of progressive types of jobs for people with disabilities. We have people in the hospital. You were working in the operating room and the emergency department and in the nursing areas. And so these are really careertype jobs. And the Ticket really lends itself well for us to continue to follow people along through those milestones. And here is a little bit of information about Project Search. The top link is the link for Project Search which is the international program based out of Cincinnati. And then you see Briggs and Associates, our information, which is for anyone in the state of Georgia. Unfortunately, we're not outside of the boundaries of Georgia. But there are many, many other providers who work within the Project Search Program.

[ Silence ]

>> Okay, thank you. John, do you have anything you want to add to the discussion before we come back to Kendra?

>> Not really.

>> Okay.

>> I think it will be worthwhile for people to visit the SSA website and look at the Find Help tab. And look for the, it allows you to search for Employment Networks, VR, and navigators in their area. Because every Employment Network is going to work a little bit differently. So it's worthwhile just to, you know, check it out.

>> Okay. Thank you, both, very much. And Kendra. We're going to turn it back to you for some additional tips and resources. Particularly for youth in transition.

>> Okay. Sounds good. Let's move on to the.

>> And I can hear you.

>> Yay. When it comes to thinking about looking for a job, once you've decided on what your goal is, the best thing you can do is to find a mentor. And the mentor can offer you guidance, provide support, and connections to help you find that job that's going to be a good fit. Having a mentor gives you the opportunity to learn from someone who knows about your field of interest and your individual experience. So, for example, if you're interested in pursuing a career as a nurse, if you could get connected with someone who's in that field, you can ask them all the questions that you have and find out, what does their typical day looks like. Or what are some of the most common job duties that they have? Next slide. The AAPD Disability Mentoring Day or DMD program connects nearly 16,500 students and job seekers with disabilities to thousands of employers per year. This is an agency that you can contact to find a mentor. The DMD, held the third Wednesday in October, promotes career development through hands on programs, job shadowing and ongoing mentoring. This experience has helped thousands of past participants develop lasting relationships and secure internships or jobs. To learn more information, you can visit www.aapd.com. And this is a great idea for you because the more information you can get about your field of interest, the better it's going to be for you. I have worked with people who thought that they really wanted to go into the nursing field. But when they learned about the job duties and some of the 12hour days there are required, they rethought that. And having a mentor and having someone to talk to, they were able to decide that maybe they'd be interested instead in pursuing a CNA or certified nursing assistant position which has less hours. And you're still able to work with people and help them, but having a plan or to get that information to learn about is going to be extremely helpful to you. Next slide. When it comes to polishing your resume and interview tips, this is something that you definitely want to do. Most jobs require a resume. And it's often your first chance to impress a potential employer. You're Employment Network and your state vocational rehabilitation offices are going to be a great place to start with this. They will be able to help you create a resume. And one of the most common questions we get is, well I haven't worked recently. How do I create a resume if I don't have recent work experience? And they'll be able to sit down with you and talk about, you know, have you volunteered? You can use volunteer experience to create a resume. Or do you have a lot of experience in a hobby. Sometimes that can be used. You can visit disability.gov, and they have a directory of resume resources online. So if that's something you would like to do on your own, you can. Again, it's another long website that I'm not going to read to you, but visiting disability.gov can help get you there. And if you visit there, you can type in resume resources and find all of those sites to help you. The page also includes tips on doing well in an interview, which is another area that you should definitely focus on because, again, if you haven't worked recently or if you actually haven't worked at all, how do you answer some of those questions? And you can have a practice list. You can have a friend sit down and help you so that you can become comfortable answering questions that may look scary to you at first. The Workforce Recruitment Program is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal employers nationwide with highlymotivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to prove their abilities in the work place through summer or permanent jobs. And the Workforce Recruitment Program is another great way to get connected with people in the field that you're interested in. You can search the database to find the perfect fit for your needs. So, again, if you've already decided what field you would like to go into, this is a great resource for you. Next slide. To be eligible for the workforce recruitment program, candidates must be current fulltime undergraduate or graduate students with a disability, or have graduated within one year of the release of the database each December. And to learn more about the Workforce Recruitment Program you can visit www.wrp.gov. And, again, don't feel overwhelmed with all the information that we're providing you. This is just the first step. Being on this call and learning about all of these resources that are available to you is the perfect way to start your job search and start learning about what help you can get in finding the job that's the best fit for you. Next slide. To get more information, you can also visit www.socialsecurity.gov/work. And there you can find information on your Employment Networks and other Ticket to Work and Work incentives information. This is a great resource for you because you can click on your state and see all of the agencies and resources available to you. And then you can get started contacting them and finding the specific information you want. The other big thing to consider with the Ticket to Work Program is that it is free and it's voluntary. So maybe you only want information on Work Incentives counseling and want to know what Work Incentives are available to you but you think you can find a job on your own, you can tailor fit this program to the needs you have. If you would like help creating a resume and practicing interviewing, then you have the Employment Networks and the state VRs available to you. The best thing to do is to call the Ticket to Work help line at 8669687842 or for TTY 8668332967. And tell them what you're interested in and what agencies you would like to be connected with. If you're not that comfortable with computers, they can send you paper information so that you can have all of this contact informing for the different agencies and start your search from there.

>> Okay, Kendra. Thank you very much. We have a couple of questions for you.

>> Okay.

>> You've been talking a lot about work incentives. Are these work incentives only for youth in transition?

>> No. Work incentives are available to most SSDI and SSI recipients. If you or anyone you know is receiving SSI or SSDI, the best thing to do is to call the Ticket to Work Help Line and ask for, ask to be connected with the WIPA Project in your area. And again WIPA is Work Incentives Planning and Assistance. The WIPA Project is grant funded through Social Security to provide benefits counseling for free to anyone who's interested in working and receiving either SSDI or SSI. So there are a ton of other Work Incentives that we did not discuss today. And they're all in place to just provide you with that safety net. So get connected with your WIPA project and they'll be able to give you specific information on your case.

>> Okay. And would somebody on Social Security Disability or SSI apply for a ticket at their local Social Security office or would they go to the EN office?

>> One of the best things is that you don't have to apply for a Ticket to Work. When you contact your Employment Network or you get connected with your state vocational rehabilitation agency, they will be able to log in and see if your ticket is available and if it is assignable. And if it's not, they'll be able to assist you with getting your ticket assigned.

>> Okay. We have somebody who apparently knows a little bit, and they want to know a little bit more. Could you explain what an impairmentrelated work expense is.

>> An impairmentrelated work expense is another one of my favorite work incentives.

>> Mine too.

>> Many of you may be paying out of pocket for costs related to your disability. And this can be things like medication copays, doctors' visits copays, if you are seeing a therapist and there's a copay associated with that, or it could also be things like if you need a cane, or if you need wheelchair adjustment. Any out of pocket cost that you have related to your disability can be used as an impairmentrelated work expense for people receiving both SSDI and SSI. So it's one of those great work expenses that is available to recipients of both programs. The way that it works is that Social Security will take into account any money that you are paying out of pocket, and it allows you to earn that much more whether it's thru SSDI or SSI. So it is wonderful. And the best way to use the impairment related work expense is to contact the Ticket to Work Help Line and have them put you in touch with your WIPA. And your WIPA project will be able to help you complete a form and tell you how to submit you're impairment related work expenses to Social Security.

>> Okay. And that leads me right into the next question. Are the SSI incentives the same as the SSDI incentives?

>> The Work Incentives are very different. As Ray explained to you in the beginning, SSDI is Social Security Disability Insurance for people who have worked in the past and paid into the system and earned those credits to be insured. Whereas, the SSI program is more the welfare program for people who haven't worked and earned those credits or who didn't work close enough to the time when they became disabled. So the work incentives are very different. With the SSDI program, there are work incentives that you may have heard of such as the trial work period and the extended period of eligibility and there's an amount of money that you can earn without losing your benefits. With the SSI program, pretty much any work earnings that you have are going to impact the amount of SSI that you receive. And the best example for SSI is, say you go to work and you are earning $800 a month, Social Security  let's go 885 because Social Security does not count the first $85 that you earn. And after that, they count 1/2. So 1/2 of 800 is 400. The maximum for SSI this year is $721. So instead of receiving that maximum of $721, you would only receive $321. And that scares a lot of people receiving SSI because they think, I'm losing money. But you earn $885 plus you got $321 in SSI for that month. That means that your total income for that month would be $1,206. So even though your SSI was more than cut in 1/2, you are getting a ton more money from working. And the other benefit of working when you're receiving SSI is that you're earning those credits to become insured with the SSDI program.

>> Uhhuh.

>> So no matter what you're receiving whether SSDI or SSI contact the Ticket to Work Help Line and get in touch with your WIPA Project because it's free. And they'll do a report for you and they will explain these work incentives. And they'll let you know which ones are available for you based on your specific situation.

>> Okay. That was a great answer. I like that example too. And I'm glad you brought up the credit issue because that person at 885, if they do that for 3 months has bought one of those credits.

>> Uhhuh.

>> Can you use your Ticket to Work only once?

>> Your Ticket to Work is, it's a work in progress. Once you've assigned your Ticket to Work with, say you assign it to vocational rehabilitation, it's considered in use with them. Your Ticket to Work can only be assigned to one agency at a time. But the great thing about the Ticket to Work is that it is free and voluntary. So say you assign your Ticket to Work to a local agency and it just doesn't work out for you and you'd like to work with someone different, you can unassign your Ticket and reassign it to a different agency. And they will be able to assist you. The thing to keep in mind though is that there are goals that you're working towards with the Ticket to Work Program earning goals that will either help you to minimize your use of your Social Security benefits or to eventually work your way off depending on your situation. So once you've met some of those goals, you won't be able to reach them again. But you can still use your Ticket to Work and you can still use a lot of the things that we talked about today.

>> Okay. Now, somebody was  somebody talked to Social Security and was told that there really isn't an actual ticket. Do you know anything about that?

>> That would be, it would kind of like be like the example I gave in the beginning. Years ago when Social Security first rolled out the Ticket to Work Program, there really was a paper ticket. It was printed on like cardboard stock and it was about half the size of a regular piece of paper. And it was white, and it said this is your Ticket to Work. Contact this phone number to learn more. But it scared people. They really thought that it meant Social Security was going to stop their benefits. So people didn't open it, or they just put it in a book and filed it away. And it's nothing to be afraid of. You don't need the actual paper ticket to utilize the resources available to you. So yes, there used to be an actual paper ticket. But no, there really is not any longer. You can call the Ticket to Work help line and they'll be able to let you know if your Ticket is available to you and if not who it's assigned to so that you can follow up on that.

>> Okay. And I think that's going to do it for the moment. So I'm going to give you a rest and take us through the rest of the slides. But I may call on you again, Kendra. All right. Now, Social Security, and the Ticket to Work Program may be looking for you. If you are in the age bracket of 18 through 30 and you have participated in any of our work incentives and the Ticket to Work Program, Social Security may want to hear about your efforts. We may want to make you one of our success stories. We're looking for young adults who are willing to share successful transitioning from school to work and adulthood through using the Ticket to Work Program. So if you are out there and you have participated in the Ticket and made that transition from school to work and had a good experience and succeeded, let us know. We want to talk to you. And you may be our next Megan. Megan's story is available on the blog. And what we want to do is let you know that you can listen to Megan's story and a bunch of other people's stories. And Megan's story's much more involved than what we showed you today. Great, great, success stories. So let's share your success story in hopes that you will help make someone's transition to work easier. If you do have a story please submit it to stories@choosework.net. Now, when you do send us information, if you decide to, please do not send us your Social Security Number and do not send us any identifying information. We will have your email address, and we can contact you that way. But it's always very, very dangerous to send a Social Security Number via email because you never know where your emails are going to end up. Now, excuse me, we are going to have another session on Wednesday, July 30th, at 3 o'clock. And our topic then is More Jobs for People with Disabilities, What New Regulations Can Mean for You. So we're going to talk about some more opportunities. Again, that date is Wednesday, July 30th. The time is 3 to 4:30 Eastern Daylight Time. As soon as we finish today at 4:30, 4:30 to 5:30, there will be a Facebook Q and A. And if your question was not answered, and there are lots of questions out there that we're not going to get to, join in that Facebook discussion. And people will be there to help you with that question. You can also call that help line that Kendra told you about. To view that Facebook Q and A, you have to get on to Facebook, www.facebook.com/choosework. If you do not have a Facebook account you can create one really easily. I can do it, so I know you all can do it. You need to get on to www.facebook.com /help/ createaccount, and it will create an account for you immediately. It will be very quickly activated. And you'll be able to participate in the session. If you have accessibility or assistive technology issues that are involved with Facebook, contact www.facebook.com /help/ accessibility, and you'll be able to get your accessibility needs met. Now, you can also participate on a computer via HTML and that's at http://m.Facebook.com /choosework number sign !/choosework?v=feed& underscore user=0. Again, that's being typed into the box so you can get it in the chat box. If you can't access Facebook, send your questions to webinars@choosework.net, and Jamie will catch those with you. Visit the Choose Work blog after the session to access the Facebook Q and A transcript where that will be posted. Okay. And we did that, we did talk about where, how to get your question to us. If anybody has any further questions get them to us in that Q and A box Jamie's waiting for you. And if you have a question after today's session, you can submit it at support@chooseworkttw.net. That's support@chooseworkttw.net. Lastly, before we have  we do have a couple more questions, but I want to give you some further contact information. If you like us on Facebook. You'll get all kinds of updates about the Ticket to Work and Social Security Work Incentives and more transition stories. You can like us at http://www.facebook.com /choosework. You can follow us on Twitter and get some 140 character messages at http://www.twitter.com .chooseworkssa. And, once again, if you have questions about your individual situation, the best place for you to get started is to contact the Ticket to Work Help Line at 18669687842 and for TTY users 18668332967. Now they can give you some information and also get you into contact with somebody in you're local area who can sit down and spend time with you. And, again, there's no charge for that service. We did have one question about the couple of the sites that Kendra mentioned. Now, the sites she mentioned socialsecurity.gov, ssa.gov please know that that long site isn't necessary to get to the Red Book. If you type in socialsecurity.gov you will come to social security home page and what you will find up in the righthand corner is a search engine. And if you type in Red Book, you're going to get right to where she wants you to be. Same with the other site. Just type in the website, and there will be a search engine. So she wasn't trying to tell you to just search the website. She meant search via that search engine. And it's real, real easy. Both of those websites are very, very easy. Okay. I have a question, Kendra, I'm not sure if it's going to be better for you or for John or Emily to chime in on this one. But this is a very important question. It's concerning someone who here a mental health hospitalization and it's showing a gap in work history. How would best address that when you're preparing a resume.

>> This is Kendra. I will jump in here and say that I worked as a job coach previously before I became a benefit specialist. And one of the best things to do is to sit down with either your case manager or with the job coach that you are working with and have them help you fill this out because, again, some of the tips that you can utilize are, did you do volunteering? Or did you have any hobbies? Or, if you are applying for a specific job, do you really need to list all of the other jobs so that you don't necessarily have a gap. There are also different types of resumes that you can utilize from a functional resume to a chronological resume. So learning more about the intricacies of the resume types out there may help you to be able to focus on the strengths that you have and not necessarily highlight where the weaknesses are in your resume. But Emily and John may have some other tips for you from an Employment Network side.

>> Yes. Thank you, Kendra. See, the one thing that we do a lot, we really work with people also on disclosure. So disclosing the amount of information needed so that the employer will be able to be a supportive employer and so that the workplace is a supportive workplace. And then, you know, so a lot of times we'll come as we're working with someone in the very beginning and we're looking at a job is we'll have that conversation. And just for discussing, you know, who are, who am I? You know, what is our involvement? How much do we want to share with the employer from the very beginning? And, you know, obviously, you don't want to get into really, you know, specifics as far as the hospital stays themselves. But a lot of times, we have that conversation with the employer. I'm sorry, I think I'm getting some feedback. If you're speaking to the employer in general about disclosure and telling them what they need to know as the employer, they sort of would understand those gaps as well. I think that that kind of takes some of the mystery away, and it could just be a period of unemployment. And that's just what they see. So we kind of help with that, negotiating through that and making sure that we handle it in a way that makes the individual very comfortable.

>> Good. Thank you very much, Emily, Kendra. That was great. Those were very good suggestions. And I'm trying to look at my other question, and I lost it. Where is that question. I know it was a good one for Kendra. Oh, Kendra, is there an age limit to the Ticket to Work?

>> The Ticket to Work program help anyone age 18 through 64. So basically you are looking up until retirement age. Another thing that is a big focus that we haven't necessarily discussed is youth in transition. And this is outreach to anyone age 14 through 25. Social Security the WIPA Project, the Ticket to Work Program are all trying to outreach to your demographic so that there isn't, so that no one falls between the cracks. Sometimes it can be difficult once you have finished with high school to figure out where to go or what to do because we all know SSI is not a significant amount of money. And it's hard to live on $721. Some of the things that you should be looking for, if you are in that youth in transition age of 14 to 25, is transition fairs are a great place to start. And many local high schools are offering transition fairs. And this is where they bring in the WIPA Projects, vocational rehabilitation, Social Security, different Employment Networks, and any agency that provides assistance and resources to people with disabilities. And you can go to these fairs. They're usually held at high schools. And they can be held either during the school day, or they're held in the evening from like 5 to 8 so that parents can attend. You can go to these to learn more about what your options are either before you graduate or once you have graduated. Another way of outreach is doing programs like this. This WISE focusing specifically on youth and how it can help you get connected with the resources that you need. The websites that we've given you are a great place to start. And even just calling the Ticket to Work help line are another great way. But we do want to make sure that you have access to all of these different agencies to help you along the way so that you don't end up following between the cracks.

>> All right. Thank you very, very much. I think that's going to take care of all of our questions. I want you to once again, or I want to once again encourage you to join the Facebook chat after the session is over. And you've got just about enough time to get your account created before that starts up. Thank you all for coming. Our automatic survey tool is having an issue right now, so you will be receiving a survey by email from Jamie. And please take the time, it takes about 30 seconds to fill it out and get it back to us. And give us any comments that you have for ways that we might improve your experience for the next time. And, once again, our next session is in July on the 30th at 3 o'clock Eastern Time. We hope to see you then. I wanted to thank Jamie and Mike in the background and thank Emily, John, and Kendra, our presenters today, for a great session. And wish you all a great afternoon.