[ Silence ] >> Good afternoon, everybody. This is Ray Cebula from Cornell University's Yang-Tan Institute. And we are here today to find out where the slides went to. There they are [laughter]. Okay. We're here to talk about a new law that's called Section 503. And what it really means, very simply, is more jobs for people with disabilities. And what these new regulations can mean for you is what we're going to talk about. And I'm going to take you to some basic information, get some information from you, and then we have Pam Walker with us who works with the Alliance for Professional Services who's going to talk to us about what 503 means in terms of making employment more available for people with disabilities. And we'll talk a little bit about Social Security, then get you some more information. Now, in order to talk to you today, we are hooked up to a webinar. As you can see, you have a set of slides on your screen and a webinar console on the right-hand side of your screen. If you need to change, I know that Pam's having a bit of weather, so we have to assume somebody else might have some bad weather going on and your Internet goes out on you, please feel free to call back. You can dial in toll-free at 1-855-749-4750. You'll be asked for an access code, and that code is 311968671. Now you received the PowerPoint and an accessible PDF and the text located -- they were located in the URL link you received as confirmation for today's session. So you should have all the materials handy as well. When we talk about webinar accessibility, it's something that we all take very, very seriously and we want everybody, and we really mean everybody, to be able to participate and get the information that we want to share with you today. So what I want to tell you is that if you have any issues with accessibility of our slides, of our format, of our platform, please let us know. You can let us know in the Question and Answer Box; you can send us an email afterwards. And just as importantly as letting us know what issue you're having, if you know of a fix, if you know of a step we can take, of a program we might be able to purchase that will make the problem go away for people in the future, let us know about that, too. Oftentimes we find out that, you know, people are having problems and they let us know about the problem but they don't let us know that they know how to fix it, and we'd like to know that as well. Now we've got real-time captioning that is provided during the webinar. You're going to see that in the media viewer in the bottom right-hand corner in your webinar console. The closed captioning link is www.edi.cornell.edu /captions.cfm?activity_id=5184. Again, they're in the media viewer in the bottom right-hand corner. If you click on the arrowhead next to media viewer, it's going to open that. And you can make that larger if you want to. But just remember, if you're making that part larger you're making the rest of your console smaller. The presentation, today's presentation, the transcript and audio recording will be available in about two weeks and that is going to be available at www.edi.cornell.edu /m-wise-webinars.cfm. You'll find this webinar there along with a bunch of others talking about different topics. And we will have a question and answer period. Given the nature of today's topics, when you do post a question, Jamie [assumed spelling] is going to get that question and she'll forward it to me. And because it's a new topic for all of us we're going to take questions as we go through the session. So I might be interrupting Pam. Or if you have questions when I'm speaking, Pam of Jamie may be interrupting me to ask those questions so we can get to those questions right away. But we will most certainly use any time we have at the end of the session for question and answers. And we want the general questions. It's not really an appropriate format to answer personal questions about your situation. But we will give you information so that you can do that. Now, we're going to have the Q and A Box, as you can see, on your webinar console. If you open that Q and A Box, it's going to give you this little spot here. What you're going to want to do is type in your question, hit Send, and that's going to send the question to Jamie. She'll pick out the questions that are of most interest to the most people and she'll be able to do that. There's also a Chat Box. You can use that, but please know that we might not get it because we're paying attention to a bunch of things and we would prefer that you use the Q and A Box for us. The other ways to answer questions -- if you want to shoot an email you can send it to webinars@choosework.net and Jamie will get that, your question that way. And if you do happen to have a question after we hang up today or you wake up in the middle of the night and say, "Aha, I have a question," you can always send it to support@choosework.net and we'll be sure that your questions get answered. Again, remember we talked about Internet problems, weather problems. I gave you the phone number. If you do run into problems or you lose the sound, use that little audio box at the top of the screen. It's going to open the box that you see here and give you the phone number and the access code to today's session. You will need to click "Use Phone," and click that menu to "I will call in," and that will get you to a phone connection. Now, before we talk about the agenda for today's discussion, I've got some questions for you. We ask everybody who participates to give us a little bit of information so that we know who's listening, how you found out about us, and whether or not we're advertising in the right ways. So our first question is, how did you learn about today's national wise event? Was it though email, Facebook or Twitter? Was it from a website, a family or friend, a WIPA Benefits Planning Agency, or some other means? And if it was something else, if you picked "other," drop a note in the Question and Answer Box so we know where you found out about this. We'll give you a few seconds to get that answered. Boy, we have lots of people going at it real quick. That's great. Again, this is all anonymous information. You're not giving anything away. All you're doing is voting. All right. We're going to close that. You have 20 seconds left. Twelve seconds. Okay. The second poll. What do you hope to learn about today? This is a specialized webinar, and 503, Section 503 is not listed. But we want to know what you want to know about for future webinars. Do you want to know about the Ticket to Work? Are you interested in work incentives for SSI, work incentives for SSDI, employment networks and vocational rehabilitation services, or legal protection and advocacy, or something else? Now that something else might be 503. That's how we got this webinar going. So if you want to again click "other," give us in the Q and A Box a hint as to what you want to listen to. And we have been known to build webinars around your suggestions. The people are thinking about this one. A couple of more seconds. As many people as we can get we want. All right. We'll shut that one down. Fifteen seconds. Five more. All right. And our polling question three. What is your gender, male or female? All right. Twenty more seconds. Five seconds. Okay. Question four. Something very sensitive, especially right -- especially today right now the way I'm feeling. What is your age? Eighteen or younger, 19 to 25, 26 to 40, 41 to 55, 56 to 65, or 66 and older? All right. Twenty more seconds. Five seconds. And our last question. We know that sometimes there are more than one of you sitting at the same computer terminal. So in order for us to get a really good idea about how many people are actually with us today, besides yourself, how many other people are watching with you? We've got a couple of parties out there. I hope you're planning on sharing your nachos. All right. Let's close that one down. Okay. And that's the end of it, folks. Thank you very much. The information that we get from those very simple questions is incredibly helpful to us [Music]. And we are all set. Now, during today's session, we're going to talk about the Ticket to Work Program. We're going to talk a bit about Social Security benefits, the different types of benefits that are out there. Then Pam's going to talk to us about Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and what exactly it is. What changes came along with Section 503 and what do they mean to you? I'll be interjecting and taking the ball back from Pam at certain points during today's discussion when we get into the Social Security related stuff. But we also want to talk to you about the employment networks and state rehabilitation just a bit to let you know what the impact of 503 will be on them. And then, because we know there are hundreds of you out there and it's still growing -- more of you are joining every second right now -- we'll give you other resources before we go into Questions and Answers to make sure that you can get answers to your questions. Now, when we start talking about the Social Security Administration, there are two primary disability programs -- the Social Security Disability Insurance Program, which is sometimes called SSDI, sometimes called Title II, sometimes called SSD. This is an insurance program. It is paid for through FICA taxes, so when you're working and having FICA taxes withheld from your paycheck you are buying insurance from Social Security. Depending upon your age, there's a certain requirement of how many credits you need to purchase, and you become insured. And the idea behind this insurance is that you must prove that you became disabled while you were insured in order to collect these benefits. Everybody's benefit is different. I can't even begin to tell you, you know, how many different benefits there are because it's based on your own work history. The other program that you may be familiar with is SSI or Supplemental Security Income. This is a needs-based program. It's basically a Federal Welfare Program. People don't need to have worked to receive Supplemental Security Income benefits. Or they may have worked at low-wage jobs and get a little bit of Social Security Disability Insurance, and they could, depending upon their resources and other types of income, get Supplemental Security Income to bring them up to a specific limit. Now, the Federal Government pays SSI benefits and some states provide a supplement. In 2015 the Federal Benefit Rate for an individual is $733 a month, and for a couple it's $1100 a month. Now, if you receive more than that it's because you're state has decided to supplement, and know that the state supplement is paid last. The last group of people out there are those people that I sort of mentioned, and they receive both benefits -- SSDI and SSI. And it's because their SSDI check is low enough to allow for eligibility. So if your SSDI check is $650, you're going to be eligible because that SSI is $744. So you get a supplemental check. Now, why are we going through this? Because it's incredibly important to know what benefit you receive when we start talking about all of these programs. So if you're not sure, look at a Social Security number. Look at a Social Security notice I mean. It will say right across the top what program you're receiving benefits from. Or give them a call. Or better yet, get on the Social Security Website at socialsecurity.gov and open a "My Social Security Account." And that being said, I want to turn it over to Pam Walker. So, Pam, if you'd tell us a little bit about yourself. >> Great. Thank you so much, Ray. This is Pam Walker. I'm the President and CEO of Alliance Professional Services. We have been an employment network serving individuals with disabilities since 2008. And I'm thrilled to have an opportunity to discuss the Rehabilitation Act and amendments to the Rehabilitation Act to provide information on how these changes can help you go to work. First of all, the Rehabilitation Act has been around for more than 40 years and [barking dog] during that time the act has provided advanced employment opportunities. It's offered different types of services and promoted accessibility for people with disabilities around the country. The law works to provide a chance for everybody to live the American dream and to break down some barriers that makes all things equal for everyone, or tries to anyway. Sometimes when we have a disability that requires us to be off from work and sometimes we have gaps in our work history, and when we're ready to go back to work, sometimes that, you know, can make it more difficult to find work. And so one of the things that we're going to talk about today is how this helps people with disabilities go back to work when they do have a situation where they may not have a recent work history or gaps in employment due to that disability. So let's talk about Section 503. In March of 2014 there were changes made to the Rehabilitation Act, and what Section 503 does -- it requires Federal contractors and Federal subcontractors -- and Federal contractors and Federal subcontractors are companies that have contracts to do business with the Federal Government. Your Federal contractors have the actual contract with the Federal Government to provide services or products. And then sometimes those contractors will go out and hire subcontractors to help them get the work done. So, again, Section 503 requires that Federal contractors and their subcontractors that do business with the Federal Government take affirmative action to recruit, hire, employ, promote, and retain qualified individuals with disabilities to go to work for them. And as I said, these changes actually went into effect last March. And the changes strengthen the affirmative action provisions of the regulations and it encourages contractors in their efforts to recruit and hire individuals with disabilities because the steps that they take to bring individuals with disabilities onboard with their companies is actually tracked now by the government. The updates to Section 503 include some things that really give the regulations some teeth which it didn't have before March of 2014. And so, in the coming years, Federal contractors are going to have to really show an effort that they have made, you know, to reach out and recruit people with individuals with disabilities because they're looking to hire 7% of their job roots or workforce. And it depends on the size of the employer, but they want to hire at least 7% of individuals with disabilities to come in and go to work for them. So the Federal contractors have a system that they're going to be using to try to find out how well they're doing and encourage people with disabilities to apply. And so they will be inviting job applicants as well as their current employees who are already working for them who might have a disability to voluntarily disclose, or what we call self-identify, that they are individuals with a disability. And so we want everyone on the call today to know and understand what happens when you apply for a job with a Federal contractor or subcontractor. And there's some ways that you're going to be able to tell on the front end when you apply with them whether they're potentially a Federal contractor or Federal subcontractor. And that is going to be because of some of the forms that you're going to see when you fill out applications with them. So we're going to go over that in a few minutes as well. >> Okay. Pam, we have a question -- >> Yes. >> -- already -- >> Okay. >> -- for you. >> Sure. >> What types of jobs are we talking about? >> Every kind of job that there is. There is no limit. Every potential job that a Federal contractor or a Federal subcontractor will hire for is potentially a job that could go to a person with a disability under Section 503. >> Okay. So we can be talking about -- >> Everything. >> -- low-skill jobs to high -- >> Absolutely. >> -- skill jobs. Okay. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> Absolutely. There is no educational requirement, you know, to participate in Section 503. You do have to be qualified for the job that you apply for. That's, you know -- >> Mm-hmm. >> -- as with any job, you have to be qualified for it. But that's the only restriction. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Sure. So let's talk about self-identification. Self-identification means that you notify your employer or potential employer that you have a disability. I really want to stress that self-identification is a personal choice. There is no obligation for you to disclose a disability, but under Section 503 you have to make a determination as to whether or not you believe it is in your best interest to disclose your disability to an employer or potential employer. And so we're going to talk a little bit about that, okay? Again, I mention that Federal contractors are reaching out and they're doing some recruiting because now under Section 503 they have to show that they're doing that. And the government can come in and say, well, you know, "How many people did you interview that applied that had a disability? And out of those that you interviewed, how many did you hire?" You know, they want to see what these companies are doing, you know, to raise the percentage of people with disabilities that they hire. So, in order to kind of track what they're doing, Federal contractors provide a special self-identification form to applicants and to their employees. And to the employees they do it at least annually. And on that form everyone has an opportunity to self-identify either before a job offer is made, and if you don't identify before a job offer is made you still have an opportunity to disclose or self-identify that you have a disability. Again, even after the job is [inaudible]. Now, you will see on the slide right now that there is a link that you can use to view the form that you will see from Federal contractors. And so you can pull that up and look at it in detail. But on the next slide we're going to have a picture of what that voluntary self-identification of disability looks like. And, again, this form is to help measure how well the Federal contractors are doing, and in order to attain that measurement applicants and employees will be asked to complete this form as part of the application process if you're a new applicant, and annually if you are currently working for a company. Completion of the form is voluntary, and if you look at the form -- I hope you can see it a little bit -- that down at the bottom, right above the signature line, it says, "Please check one of the boxes below." And you have three choices on these forms. You can click, "Yes, I have a disability or previously had a disability," or "No, I don't have a disability." And then the third box is "I don't wish to answer." Well, most of us feel that if you have a disability and you're willing to disclose, then obviously you're going to mark yes. But, if you mark box three, "I don't wish to answer," that kind of alerts a potential employer that you have a disability. So my recommendation is, you know, if you choose to disclose, mark yes. If you don't want to disclose, mark no. You're not going to get into any trouble if you mark no and later they find out you have a disability because you don't have to disclose. It is voluntary, okay? But, if you mark "I do not wish to answer," then someone out there, some employer is, you know, is going to think, well, they must have a disability because they decided not to answer no. So I wanted to make you aware of that. Now, again, why are you asked to complete this form? All the information on the form is going to be kept private and it will not be used against anyone for any reason. And that's why I say, if you voluntarily self-identify, you can do that and not have any fear of any punishment. And if you mark no and later you decide to step forward and, you know, with your current employer and say, "Yes, I do have disability," they're not going to compare the forms. You're not going to get into, you know, to any issues or lose your job because you choose later to self-identify. But by filling out this form what it does is it allows the company to measure how they're doing. And if they are really making a heavy push to bring in people to try to meet their goal, then it's likely self-identification could help you get that job. So in a lot of instances it's going to help. And that's why you have to make the decision about how comfortable you are disclosing your disability and give it some thought before you start making the application so when you see that form you know what it's about and you already have in your mind, you know, how you would like to answer it. Another thing that people ask is, "How do I know if I have a disability?" A lot of people may have what they deem to be a disability but they're not necessarily receiving Social Security Disability benefits. A person can have a physical or mental or medical condition that substantially limits a major life activity or they may have a history or record of such impairment. And, you know, that could be considered a disability. So you can look at that when you're trying to make your decision about how you wish to handle that form. Okay. Let's talk a little bit about reasonable accommodation because the self-identification form also addresses reasonable accommodation. So what is reasonable accommodation? And do you know when you apply if you need one? So in relation to employment, reasonable accommodation is any modification or adjustment to a job or possibly the work environment that will enable a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to participate and actually perform the essential job functions that they're being required to do. That may be something if they might need some types of tools because of visual impairment. It could be -- an accommodation could be that someone has limited sitting or standing issues and they need to be in a position where they have a special type of chair or where they're able to get up and walk around and move, you know, from time to time. So reasonable accommodations can be almost anything that help someone with a disability perform the essential functions of their job. And Federal law requires all employers to provide reasonable accommodations to individuals with disability. And, again, sometimes you don't know that you're going to need a reasonable accommodation until you actually start work. But even after you're employed you can still request reasonable accommodation after you see that you need one. So if you need a reasonable accommodation when you apply for a job or as you start performing your job, you should ask to speak to the company's Affirmative Action Compliance Officer, and that person can help you through the process to see what accommodation you need. Maybe come up with some accommodation ideas that you have not thought of that might be a better fit. So they can like make a change to an application process or work procedures or provide documents in an alternate format so that you can read them easier. If someone needs a sign language interpreter or specialized equipment to read or hear, those are other types of accommodation that a person might need that they could certainly ask for during the process. And so just because you feel like, you know, if you feel like on the front end that you may need an accommodation, don't let that prevent you from applying for jobs because the employers and -- there's other organizations that the employers can call in that can actually help come up with a accommodation that will help you do the job. So there is help in that area. >> Okay, Pam. Before we get into the next section I do have a question for you. >> Okay. >> And somebody was looking at that form and they want to know what to do if your disability isn't listed. >> Mm-hmm. Let me go back to the form here and -- everything is not going to be listed, but what I would recommend, number one, is that when you're looking at the form you mark the closest thing, or if there's not a box for what you think fits you, you can always just put "other." >> Mm-hmm. >> Just write in "other." >> Yeah, it just -- >> Mm-hmm. >> I have to agree with you. It's just not possible to put -- >> Right. >> -- a form together to cover everything. >> Right, right. >> Now [background talking] -- >> Go ahead. >> I was going to say, some of them, you know, cover whole groups that -- obviously there's not going to fit everything there, so probably putting "other" would be the best thing if there's not a group that you fall into. Okay. >> And who decides if the accommodation is reasonable? >> Well, that's why it's really best to contact a person that can help you with that modification, the Affirmative Action Compliance Officer. You may be asking for -- or a person may be asking for one accommodation, but because the Affirmative Action Compliance Officers work so much with reasonable accommodation -- I've had several instances where I was trying to help a beneficiary get one accommodation and the Compliance Officer actually came up with something totally different that was a much better fit. >> Mm-hmm. >> So it has to be reasonable in that it can't be so cost-prohibitive -- that's hard to say today -- for the company, but, yes, if it's reasonable and they can do it and it's not going to, you know, totally disrupt other operations, then they pretty much have to find a way to do it. >> Yeah, yeah, I agree with you. I mean that was pretty much a loaded question because it really -- yeah, I mean, it's my favorite bit of legal advice. It depends, you know, it depends on how big the employer is, how expensive the accommodation is, and it's really a give and take negotiation type thing. >> Mm-hmm. >> I do want to point out that the agency known as JAN, J-A-N, the Job Accommodation Network, is a good place to help figure out what you might need as an accommodation, and as Pam said, what you think you need. If you do talk to somebody and there's somebody in every state that can help you, you know, it could be something completely different that's better. >> And a lot of the times, why, we will actually tell the employers or recommend that the employers contact JAN -- >> Mm-hmm. >> -- because they just have a wealth of knowledge. So -- >> Yeah, oh, yeah, they do. >> They can solve those problems. >> Okay. And I think this is a clarification question for you, Pam. Is 503 only applicable to Federal employers? >> It's not applicable to Federal employers. It's applicable to Federal contractors and Federal subcontractors. So when I think of Federal employers I think of actual Federal agencies, you know, like IRS and the Department of Defense, and actual agencies of the Federal Government. Whereas Federal contractors are people that do business with the Federal Government. In other words, one that we all are familiar with is Boeing, you know. So any company that has a contract to either provide services or provide, you know, materials or office supplies or, you know, everything. Any purchases that the government makes, you know, they have a Federal contractor or subcontractor that supplies those things. That's where the 503 comes in. So, anybody that has a contract with the Federal Government or has a contact or a subcontract with a Federal contractor who does business with the Federal Government falls under 503, depending on the size of the company. >> Okay. >> Does that help? >> Yeah, that helps. And we are getting questions from everybody. It's a very active audience. Okay. This question -- >> This is a 30-hour webinar, right? >> Yeah. >> There's a question here that says, are there work-from-home positions in this field? And I think I want to tackle that one because, yeah, I think there could be. You know, I am a faculty member at Cornell and right now am working under a Federal subcontract, and I work at home. >> Mm-hmm. >> Jamie is sitting at home, you know, and she is the person who subcontracts with me. So she's getting -- she's working right now at this very moment with Federal money as well. So, yeah, I mean, and when we talk, you know, with what Pam just said about reasonable accommodations, it could be a reasonable accommodation to work from home. So, yeah, I think, you know, working at home is becoming more and more common, and yes, there would be positions. >> Absolutely. >> Okay. And here's another one. What size company's most likely to offer or provide a reasonable accommodation? >> I don't think that size really matters as far as how large a company is to provide accommodation. The larger companies are probably more familiar with providing accommodation. But we work directly with employers and Federal contractors of all sizes who provide accommodation when they hire people with disabilities, so. >> Absolutely, yeah. >> Yes. >> I agree with you. Okay. And the last one, for the moment, because there are going to be more, is how would we find out who the Affirmative Action Compliance Officer is? >> My best response to that would be, and we'll discuss it at the end of the session today, but get some help from an employment network or from the vocational rehabilitation agency and let them help you with that. A lot of times you can find it on the Internet, but there are people that can help you not only track down the Affirmative Action Officer but also teach you ways to find out how to locate Federal contractors and subcontractors in your local area. So you can almost make that, you know, job search efforts if you want to go back to work. You can almost key in on those companies because you know that they're going to be looking to hire people with disabilities. You know that they're going to be familiar with accommodations. And so it may be a good start to jumpstart your job search if you're ready to go back to work. >> Yeah. >> You know, to do it that way. It helps -- >> Absolutely. I agree, I agree. All right. I'm going to let you get back to your slides. >> Okay, great. Thank you, Ray. [ Laughter ] All right. We've talked about Section 503. So what does it mean to you? And some of the questions we just answered tell you a little bit about what it means to you, because Section 503 provides job opportunities for qualified people who receive Social Security Disability benefits or who are disabled, okay? And, again, I want to stress you must be qualified for the jobs that you apply for. Section 503 doesn't eliminate the need for you to be able to perform the duties with or without, you know, modifications to the worksite, and you have to be qualified. So if you, for instance, if you can do the job and you're qualified for the job but maybe you need some computer changes so that you can better read the information because you have low vision, okay, that would be an accommodation. So as long as you're qualified you can apply for the job and then, if you get the job, then it's a matter of working with the employer to get you the technology that you need to help you do your job better, okay, and perform the minimum qualifications required for that position, okay? The Ticket to Work Program can help connect you with the jobs and resources, businesses, technology, and everything that you need to put into place to help people with -- individuals with disability to get back to work. I just mentioned Ticket to Work, and so now I guess I better tell everybody what Ticket to Work is. If you haven't already heard, Ticket to Work is a Social Security program and the program supports people with disabilities who want to go back to work. To qualify for the program you have to be between the ages of 18 to 64. It's a free program and it's voluntary. So individuals like myself who work for employment networks and also state vocational rehabilitation offices can provide services and it doesn't cost individuals who are participating anything. It can really be a huge help when people are trying to connect to Federal contractors or subcontractors who are hiring, you know, helping people find the Federal contractors and then helping people find the people that they need to help with the accommodations. Sometimes the employment networks can actually work on your behalf, you know, to either make job placement or contact employers with your, you know, with permission, of course, you know, to help find jobs. Other employment networks can teach individuals with disabilities the steps that they need to take to prepare for the job search themselves. Really, the way the services are provided depends on the individual because it depends on whether they want to disclose a disability or choose not to disclose a disability, and so that impacts whether an employment network would go out and make calls and reach out to companies on their behalf or whether they work just with the individuals that teach them how to do those steps on their own. If you learn to do the steps on your own, Ray, I might add for those who are listening, it doesn't -- the teachings don't just stop here. Once you learn to do things like that on your own, then when promotions come around or someone decides they want to change jobs again, they can revert back to those trainings that they had to help them get the jobs that they're currently in. So that's what employment networks do and we'll get into that a little more detail I think toward the end of the presentation. But, Ray, I'm going to turn it back over to you for a few minutes, if you don't mind to talk about Ben. >> Okay. I want to let everybody know by way of information that Social Security is planning some virtual job fairs. That planning process has been delayed just a bit, but it has not been cancelled. So we're running late but know that those virtual job fairs will happen, and watch out on the website choosework.net to find out when those virtual job fairs are going to be. And I can pretty much assure you there will be lots of Federal contractors on those. What we want to do now is get to know Ben, and he's going to pretty much talk -- tell -- you know, his story's going to take us through the Ticket to Work and getting a job and some of the work incentives. So, Mike, if you could queue up Ben's video. >> [Background Music] 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 service 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 disability. Meet Ben. Ben qualified for the Ticket to Work Program because he was age 18 through 64 and received Social Security Disability Insurance. If Ben received Supplemental Security Income, he would also qualify for the program. Ben wanted to work but need 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 Helpline they talked to him about supports from Social Security he could use to go to work. He found out with Social Security's Ticket to Work and work incentives he might be able to work while keeping his Medicaid of Medicare with the peace of mind that if he needed to stop working due to his disability 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 goal. 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. EN's are private or public organizations that may help with career counseling and assistance with job placement and more. Different EN's 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 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 road 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 or 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 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 Helpline 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. [ Music ] >> Okay. So that's a real quick overview of the Ticket to Work, how it's going to work, and how it can help. The important thing is that it's free and it's voluntary, and it can make a great deal of difference in making the transition from being a benefits recipient to financial independence also. I'm going to turn it back to Pam for one more slide before she gets to turn it back to me. >> Right. Thank you, Ray. The employment networks are agencies who contract with Social Security and the employment networks can help you find work. They offer free employment services. Sometimes they will offer rehabilitation services. And they can connect with other organizations to provide different types of services and support to individuals who are receiving disability benefits. And, Ray, I guess I'll let you pick it up from there to talk about the EN, the different services that are available and talk a little bit more about what Ben talked about. >> All right. And if you want to chime in at any point, just chime in away. Okay. We're going to talk about your employment team. This is a big job and it's very important to know that once you sign up for Ticket to Work it's important that you know that there's a team behind you, and you are the leader of the team. No one's making you do anything. We are here to do what you want us to do. A team can be made up of an employment network. You're part of it. It could be a doctor; it could be a counselor; it could be a teacher; it could be a spouse; it could be a child; it could be anybody who can help further you along the road to work. The employment networks are going to be very important. As Pam said, they are there. They include the state vocational rehabilitation agencies. But there are others. If you think about looking for an EN that suits your needs, EN's of all sizes and shapes have signed up with Social Security to provide free employment services. Now what might that be in terms of 503? You might be able to find an employment network who knows everybody in their area who has Federal contracts. You know, that's part of the job of an EN -- know where those jobs are. They can provide vocational rehabilitation services. Now, as I said, State VR is also considered an employment network, so if you have very expensive vocational rehabilitation needs, you'll likely be at the State VR Agency. But that doesn't mean you can't use an EN. You can use an EN if you choose to, and that EN chooses to work with you to provide ongoing on-the-job supports. You know, once you're finished with State VR getting that heavy-duty rehab work that you need. And there are lots of other types of support services that people receiving Social Security Disability Benefits, either SSDI or SSI, can receive under the Ticket to Work. It could be as simple as trying to help you prepare a resume, give you a little bit of preparation for interviews. Making that determination as to whether or not you want to disclose your disability or not. That's what the EN's are there to help you with. And if we're going to get a little deeper involved with an EN, we could be asking them -- before I sign up with you, Pam, how many people in my position have you placed successfully in jobs? And what kind of jobs are they, you know? You need to shop for your EN and make sure that that person is a good fit with you because there's a lot of give and take here, you know. And, again, you're the leader of the team, so you are the person who has to stay involved with that. Now, again, the services can be career planning. Maybe you just don't want a job, you know. Pam mentioned maybe when a promotion comes up you want it, you know, and that takes a career plan. How are you going to secure that promotion? Job leads and job placement -- you're going to want to know what their experience is with those two things because if you have somebody who does not have a lot of placement experience, maybe that's not the right place for you. Ongoing employment supports. If we take a job coach for instance. It's possible that the State VR Agency might provide you with a job coach for a couple of months or a Goodwill or some other agency might provide you with a job coach for a couple of months. But if you want or feel the need to continue with that type of ongoing support service on the job you might want to contact an EN to get that put into place. Yeah, as I like to tell people, Pam might very well just be the person that I need to call on Thursday night because I am so stressed out about work I'm ready to throw it all up in the air and let it land where it wants to. And Pam might be the person that I talk to, to talk me down and calm me down and allow me to go on. So it could be very complex services; it could be something very simple. And benefits counseling services are also something that you can get from an employment network. Now you can get those from a WIPA, the Work Incentive Planning and Assistance agency as well, but many benefits planners work within employment networks, and they're very, very important, too, because they're the people that are going to put together the plan that helps you know when things will happen to your benefits. If I earn x amount of dollars what will happen to my benefits package? What will happen to my healthcare? What will happen to my SNAP benefits? If I earn a little bit less, what will happen? Or what if I earn $5000 a month, what is it all going to look like? How do I get healthcare? That's what benefits counseling is. It's a plan to show you what your options are, and that can be had from an employment network as well. Now when we talked about the State VR Agency, they tend to be big. You know, they're covering entire states. They are certainly Federal contractors. They get a lot of Federal money, you know. And they're going to be able to provide you with lots of service, you know. Intensive training, you know. College educations if you need it, you know. Whereas when we look at some of the EN's, some of them are one-person shops and they're just not going to have the resources to put you through college. They may be able to help you get into college and get loans, but if you want to go to school, VR may be the best place to go. So education, intensive rehabilitation, career counseling, job placement assistance, and there are benefits counselors that work at State VR Agencies as well, you know. My history in working with this is that State VR does a great job [barking dog] of rehabilitating people. But they don't do such a great job at placing people [dog barking]. The wonderful thing about today's world is there's a notion called "Partnership Plus." And if I go to State VR for services my Ticket to Work is considered being used but it's not going to go away. And when I finish with the State VR Agency I can take my Ticket to somebody like Pam for placement and on-the-job supports. So it's a very continuous, very cooperative system. And remember once again that this employment team and all the people that are making up your team take orders from you. You know, we may suggest, we may do some counseling along the way and try to talk you down another road, but the ultimate decision is yours. So, Pam, I'm going to give it back to you for one slide about how 503 impacts all of this. >> Right. Thank you, Ray. Well, 503 -- it really depends on which route you choose to go. You have some employment networks who are very active with Section 503 and Federal employment in general. So when you approach an employment network or your State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency you're going to want to ask them about job opportunities with companies who are contractors or subcontractors for the Federal Government if that's something that's of interest to you. You know, if you want to go to work for one of those companies then you certainly want to find an employment network or a vocational rehabilitation counselor who is familiar with Section 503, understands it, and is able to connect you with those companies or teach you how to find those companies so that you can reach out and make applications with those jobs. So you'll want to ask when you start a college screening or making contact with the employment networks in vocational rehabilitation, ask them how actively they're involved in Section 503. Find out if they, you know, understand what Section 503 is all about. And then the next thing, you're going to want to have a conversation about self-identification or self-disclosure about how to go -- what's the best way for you as an individual to go about disclosing your disability or not disclosing your disability, and get some help in that regard before you start making applications with Federal contractors or subcontractors. And to get started and start screening employment networks and vocational rehabilitation agencies, you can find a list by going to the choosework.net website that's listed at the bottom of the screen and it will walk you through the process of searching to find employment networks and BR agencies that serve your area. You will find that some employment networks are local and those employment networks, you generally go into their facility and work with them one-on-one. You have other employment networks that serve either multiple regions and some of us are even national representatives and we can assist by phone, and by email, and internet webinars like the ones today for training. So, you have to decide what you're comfortable with. Are you comfortable, you know, going into an office and working with somebody one-on-one or are you just as comfortable working by phone and internet with another provider? So, you really need to screen about the services that you need, the way you want those services delivered to you. Whether or not you're interested in Section 503 Federal Employment, or whether you're looking to work in a smaller office or, you know, kind of have an idea of what you think your goal is when you start contacting these organizations, so that you can have a real good chat with them about what they can provide and how they would go about it and get information from them about their participation in 503. >> Okay, Pam, I've got a great question for you. >> Okay. >> Somebody -- well somebody's putting -- they're making this more complex a little bit. Somebody wants to know how 503 would impact a veteran with disabilities. >> Well, the forms would be the -- would be the same. Everybody's going to have that same form. Now, with veterans, there are some companies that give veterans preferences, so you would have to research that company a little bit and see if they had specific programs where they were looking to hire veterans and maybe they had some status program or preferential system for accepting applications from veterans. So -- but the process is primarily the same, it's just if you are a veteran, then you would want to dig a little deeper and see if there's something that could, you know, get you a little further up to be considered for jobs with that company. >> Yeah. >> But some of them do. A lot of them do. >> Yeah, I think that's the major point here. That gives you two points rather than one point because if there is a veteran's preference, you get that veteran's preference along with the 503 considerations. So, let's see -- what else do I have? I have some questions that I think I'm going to have to answer. Okay, somebody's asking, "What happens if you try to go to work and have to stop work because of your disability? Will I be able to go back on benefits?" And the answer to that is, "Yes." If you go to work and depending upon the phase of work incentives that you're in, you might be able to go back on benefits with a simple phone call. But even if you are terminated from benefits because of work, there's a process known as "Expedited Reinstatement" that could get you benefits very quickly if you are feeling the impact of the same disability or something significantly related to it. Now, it doesn't matter that the disability stopped you from going to work. What matters is does the disability now prevent you from working. So, the answer to that is even after you're terminated from Social Security benefits, you can get your benefits back really quick. Now, it's the 21st of January today -- if I went into Social Security and filed an Expedited Reinstatement application, it's possible I could have benefits March 1st. If it were a little bit earlier, say the 7th or 8th of January, it would have been possible that I could have received payment as early as February and you receive six months of payments while they're determining your EXR, Expedited Reinstatement Status and those benefits will never be an overpayment. So, it's a great safety net even if you've gone back to work and have been terminated because of work. Okay, Pammy, here's one for you. "Do all ENs have to give me employment services if I'm a ticket-holder? >> And that answer is, "No," because the employment networks will only accept tickets from individuals if they feel their organization is able to provide the services that that individual needs. So, it's actually a -- like a partnership. When a beneficiary calls, the Employment Network is going to do an intake and ask a bunch of questions about work history and the type of job that they're looking for and where they're geographically located in the country and a lot of other things that they can have the big picture about the beneficiary's needs. So, if for instance, a beneficiary calls and wants to sign their ticket and it turns out that I don't provide service to that area, or I feel like the beneficiary needs more services than I can provide. I might refer them to, depending on their needs; to another employment network that I'm familiar with that I think is a better fit for what they need. Or I might refer them to their state vocational rehabilitation office to get services there so -- and then perhaps, after they receive the services from vocational rehabilitation, then I could then take their ticket and help them, you know, on an ongoing basis, you know, and with future employment, once they got the services that they needed from vocational rehabilitation. So -- but there's no requirement for an employment network to accept tickets that they don't feel they can serve. So, if, you know, the beneficiary -- >> Okay. >> -- EN have to come to a meeting of the minds. >> Absolutely, absolutely, and yet, I mean, when we're -- to be perfectly honest, and I can be perfectly honest about this, the EN is making a business decision as well, and because they are paid by Social Security when you begin working and participating. Remember Ben was talking about timely progress, when you start making timely progress and be into work, that's when the EN begins to get paid. So, it truly is a partnership when you sign up with an EN, that EN has to have a good understanding that you are actually going to follow through with this and it's voluntary on your part and it's voluntary on that EN's part as well. So, it is a big step. And let's see, what are we going to ask you next? Okay, well here we are. What is the timely progress goal [laughter]? The timely progress goals are set forth by Social Security. Now, you will have a plan with an EN the same way you have a plan with the VR agency and it's going to require you to do certain things, you know, and it's going to -- each 12 month period will require you to do a certain amount of work or finish a certain amount of training or education. And it's up to the EN to help monitor that and every 12 month period, Social Security will look at your individual plan, look at their standards, and determine whether or not you are making progress with your plan. And what that's going to do is provide you with protection from those medical CVRs, you know, the Continuing Disability Reviews. If you are making timely progress, you get your protection. If you're not, you're not going to get your protection. Do you have anything to add to that, Pam, or did I do that easy enough? >> You covered it very well. >> Thank you. Okay, oh -- that's from Jamie. We'll go on beyond that. Pam, do you have any recommendations for explaining GAP in your resume? >> Well, I think it's an individual choice and how we recommend that before you put anything in your resume and start applying, that you find an Employment Network or sign up with vocational rehabilitation and let them help you with that because a lot of it depends on whether or not, you're willing to disclose your disability. Those GAPS will have to be explained somehow, okay? If you're willing to disclose your disability, then you can just put in your resume that you were recovering from a serious illness or injury. If you choose not to disclose your disability, then the best thing you can do is really think about what was going on in your life during that time. You know, were you attending classes? Were you doing volunteer work? Were you caring for a sick relative? Well, that sick relative may have been you [laughter], you know what I mean? So, how you handle it really is a personal choice, and it's best to have somebody discuss your options before you make a decision, you know. And so you'll get into the self-disclosure and you'll get into "how do I want to cover this on my resume," at that time because there's not a set answer that works for every individual situation. >> Okay. Okay, somebody's asking, "Do I have to have a paper ticket and how can I find out if I have one?" Well, the truth of the matter is, there are no paper tickets at the moment. There were several years ago and then Social Security stopped sending them. They are going to begin sending them sometime late this spring again, but you don't need it. You never did need it. You need to know where your ENs are and how to get services. I can assure you that if you contact an EN, they're going to find out if you have a ticket. But if you want to get in contact with some of the people we're going to give you, the calling number, Social Security helpline, they can help you find out if you do have a ticket. Now, everybody who is between the ages of 18 and 64 and has been determined to be a disabled adult under the Social Security rules has a ticket. The question is, "Have you used it?" And if you're not sure if it has any value remaining, that's when it's time to contact the helpline so that they can begin to do that search for you. Okay, and I'm looking -- I'm looking at a very difficult question. All right, I can't quite -- I'm not quite understanding it. "I need to understand where the federal workplace contract comes from. I need to understand how the Social Security Payer Payee Agreement covenant works with the federal contractor and if this is a federal subcontract document." Okay, I think we have lots of things mixed together there that shouldn't be mixed together. The Social Security Payer Payee Agreement is, I believe, what you're getting at, when Pam registered with Social Security to be an Employment Network. She has a contract with Social Security that allows her to be an approved EN and accept payments upon providing services to Social Security beneficiaries. It's very different than the federal contractors. You know, when I said that Jamie and I were working under federal contracts, that's because Cornell University and the agency that Jamie works for bid on certain federal proposals and got a contract with the federal government. So, those things don't necessarily go together. What we're trying to do here is show you how, with 503, we can fit them together better to help promote job availability for people with disabilities. Does that kind of make sense to you, Pam? >> Yes, it does. >> Okay, good. That was a hard one [laughter]. Okay. All right, now I'm going to go back. I think we finished up pretty much all of the questions that we have in there for the moment. So, I'm going to get us through some of the extra resources that we have because if people do have questions or if we haven't gotten to your question, know that there are places you can get some help. And one is the American Jobs Centers. They used to be called One-Stops. It's a single access point. It's very important federal programs including the Ticket to Work and ENs, and have lots of local resources to help people find a job, get any training they need and gain skills in growing industries. Now, this is a big country. What's happening here in Massachusetts is very different than what's happening in Tennessee Yeah and those American Job Centers know what's going on in their area. They can provide you with computer access, with help applying for jobs using their computer systems, help search for jobs, do all kinds of great things. So, don't forget about the American Jobs Centers and you can find out where your local job center is by visiting wwwjobcenter.usa.gov. If I can get my arrow in the right place, Work Force Recruitment Program. This is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal employers nationwide with motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities who want to prove their abilities in the workplace through summer or permanent jobs. Now, I can't tell you how important some of those summer jobs and some of those internships are, you know, and some of you out there may very well be in a position to get a temporary position, and that gives you the opportunity to prove your value and could very well turn into a permanent job. This is directed at students and recent graduates but don't let the strategy fall away from you because you can still use that. Many, many times, some of these large companies, you know, we just went through the Christmas holidays, you know. Do you know how many people were hired for temporary holiday jobs and they're working now through inventory? My guess is a good percentage of them might be kept on as permanent employees. So, don't discount temporary jobs and if you are a student or a recent graduate, that Workforce Recruitment Program might be something you want to look at. To be eligible, you must be a current full-time undergraduate student or a graduate student with a disability or have graduated within one year. So, we are limiting the Workforce Recruitment Program to students. For more information, www.wrp.gov but once again, for those of you who don't meet this criteria, those temporary jobs can be your way in the door. The Job Accommodation Network which we talked about, JAN, it's a great agency. They provide free expert and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues. So, if you're not sure what kind of accommodation you need, if you want to run a scenario by an expert, see if it's reasonable, or you want to discuss the denial of a reasonable accommodation with somebody, JAN is a great place to contact -- www.askjan.org. They're great folks and have a lot of information. We have our own fine help tool at wwwchoosework.net/findhelp and it's going to find the right service provider for you. What are you looking for? Are you looking for a state BR agency? Are you looking for an employment network? Are you looking for a benefits planner or are you looking for legal services? We haven't even talked about the legal services, the PABs Program, the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security. They're there to help you if you believe you're being discriminated against, if you want to talk to them about how to disclose, when to disclose. They're also there to provide that type of information. Anytime you face a barrier, the PABS Program can help. So, if you go to our choosework.net/findhelp tool, you can search by zip code, the types of services you're looking for, the disabity types. As Pam said, not every EN is going to be qualified to help every person with a disability. You know, if I am an EN that helps people with physical disabilities and your condition is a mental disability, you might not even want to talk to me because the chances of my providing you with valuable services is not real great because I just don't have that experience. You can search by languages spoken. Many of the ENs provide services in several languages and again, by provider types. Are you looking for an EN? A workforce EN? A VR agency, the work incentive protect [laughter] -- oh God -- the work incentive planning and assistance program -- excuse me -- or the PABS program that we talked about. All you have to do is plug your zip code in, plug your state in. If you just pick a state, you're going to get everything that's available to you. And for more information, the Ticket-to-Work Helpline. We mentioned this when we were talking about whether or not you had a ticket to work. This is the place to call. If you have something very specific about your own situation that you wanted to ask today, this is the place to call. There'll be an expert waiting for you to help talk to you about your particular situation. They can be reached at 1-866-968-7842 or for TTY users, at 1-866-833-2967 and again, socialsecurity.gov/work. It's a great website. You can look at it in total confidence and find everything you need there and it's a very user friendly website with a search engine so you can type in what you're looking for and you'll get your hits just like you would for anything else. And you then connect with us. If you want to know what's going on right at the moment, you can "Like" us on Facebook at www.facebook. com/choose work or if you're one of those people that need to know right away, follow us on Twitter, wwwtwitter.com/chooseworkssa. And, okay -- we're getting [laughter], we're having some issues with something I said and I'm going to try to take a shot at clarifying it because I clearly have some people upset. I said earlier in my experience as an advocate for poor people and people with disabilities that an EN might be better at placing someone than is the state vocational rehabilitation agency. That again, is my experience; my experience is based in Massachusetts. Yes, it is the job of a state VR agency to place somebody and they do place somebody. When I mentioned the Partnership Plus Program, I mentioned that because state VR agencies close cases after a worker has worked at substantial gainful activity levels for 90 days. An EN can step in if you're not comfortable yet and continue to provide services for another six months. In my opinion, that's the way to go because you would, at that point, have been placed, could be learning a job and not quite be ready to go it alone yet, and continue to receive ongoing supports. It's also the job of an EN to place people and that's the only job of some of the ENs. So, where your vocational counselor from the state VR agency has lots of things to do, the EN is going to have more time to keep their pulse on the local economy and know where the jobs are and what are the developing industries in your area. So, I was not dissing state VR. They're a very important player in this. I was just humbly giving my own opinion. So, Pam, do you want to yell at me or [laughter] -- >> No, no, no -- you explained it very well. >> Okay. >> [Inaudible] months -- a lot of employment networks even if they're not participating in Partnership Plus still have very good relationships with vocational rehabilitation. >> Yeah. >> And, you know, as an employment network, I want to help individuals do what is best for them. And if they need additional training or education in order to get a job that's going to pay them enough to eventually come off of benefits, it's better to do that on the front end, and to refer them to the state VR to get what they need and then that puts me in a better position to help them down the road to make more money and become self-sufficient. So, everybody pretty much works together. Beneficiaries have a team when they go -- whether they go to the state VR or employment networks or WIPAs. We all work together as a team to try to do what's best for the beneficiary. >> Thank you, very much, Pam, because it is all about that employment team and everybody can be playing the same role and sometimes, they overlap. Okay. A couple of things right now. Join us for our next webinar; we're going to talk about support for people with disabilities on the journey to financial independence. That's what this is all about. It's not just getting you a job that's going to keep you poor. It's about financial independence and stability. That is happening on Wednesday, February 25th, 2015, 3:00 to 4:30 Eastern Standard Time and you can register at www.choosework.net/whys or call 866-968-7842 or for TTY, 866-833-2967 to register. There will be a quick survey that's going to pop up on your screen in a minute as soon as we shut down. We ask you to take less than a minute to fill it out and give us some feedback and I want to thank Jamie for watching all the questions. I want to thank Pam for being a wonderful presenter and Mike in the background for making this webinar work and we hope to see you all next month. Have a great afternoon. [ Silence ]