WISE Ticket to Work Webinar
Setting Goals with Ticket to Work
January 23, 2019

Speakers: Stacey Plizga (Moderator); Tina Skeel & Kathleen Bowers (Presenters)

STACEY>> Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to today’s Ticket to Work webinar: Setting Goals with Ticket to Work. My name is Stacey Plizga, and I am a member of the Ticket to Work Team, and I am going to be your moderator for today’s webinar.

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As I mentioned earlier, my name is Stacey Plizga, and I am a member of the Ticket to Work team. And I am very excited to be here with all of you today moderating this webinar. We are delighted to have with us two speakers from the northern and central Indiana works at Aspire, Indiana who will share information about Social Security’s Ticket to Work program and how to set goals with Ticket to Work.

Our first speaker, Tina Skeel, is the Project Director for Northern and Central Indiana Works at Aspire Indiana, Inc. Tina has devoted over 25 years to promoting employment opportunities for persons with barriers to employment. She is a nationally-recognized trainer and consultant in the field of Supportive Employment and Benefits Counseling. She has an initial trainer – I’m sorry, she was an initial trainer for the Ticket to Work Program in Indiana and has since been working with ENs to develop an enhance employment programming under the Ticket to Work program.

Out second speaker, Kathleen Bowers, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Kathleen has spent over 15 years helping individuals with disabilities become and stay employed. Kathleen’s passion and success at helping people find jobs has led her to become the current supervisor of Aspire Indiana’s Employment Services Department, which includes the Employment Network team.

We are so very excited to have these knowledgeable speakers with us today to share their experience and their expertise.

It is my pleasure to introduce Tina Skeel, who will discuss the Ticket to Work program and service providers who can help you to achieve your work goals. Over to you, Tina.

TINA>> All right. Well, thank you so very much. It’s exciting to be back here again. It’s been about a year since I have presented, so it’s super awesome to be back. Thank you, Stacey, for having us. And to all of you, thank you so much for joining us today.

We’re going to discuss a lot of different things. We have just a short amount of time. We’re going to talk about Social Security Disability benefits. We’re also going to talk about the Social Security Ticket to Work program and the various service providers. We’re going to talk about SMART goals. And we’re also going to talk about work plans. 

So we have a lot to cover. Let’s get ‘er started. The first thing that we’re going to talk about is the Ticket to Work program itself.

So, like when you are getting ready to start out on a journey, you have to kind of figure out where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. Only you can decide if work is the right road for you on your road to life.

So, why choose work? Well, first of all, we know with work you earn more money. But work is so much more than just money. It’s about meeting new people. As a matter of fact, some of my best friends have been people that I’ve met through work. You’re going to learn new skills. And you’re going to obtain financial independence. And who wouldn’t like that?

So, what is the Ticket to Work program? The Ticket to Work, sometimes called the Ticket program, is Social Security’s national employment program. It supports career development for people with disabilities who want to work. It is for Social Security beneficiaries from the ages of 18 all through the way through 64 or full retirement age.

It is a free and voluntary program. Now, what this means is that there is no cost at all for the services you can receive under the program. And it is your choice to participate.

So what services does the Ticket to Work program offer? It can offer job coaching. This is someone who can assist you with learning a job. It can provide job counseling, such as career counseling. It can provide training. Sometimes you may need additional training to meet your job requirements. It can also provide benefits counseling that will assist you in understanding the impact of work as well as the many work incentives that are available to you. It can also provide job placement that can help you in finding a job.

So how does it all work? If you receive benefits, you’ll choose a provider and assign your ticket. Now, there’s a link at the side that you may see that says Find an EN. That’s a great way to find an employment network that provides services in your area.

Now it also says to Assign Your Ticket. Now that’s not a physical ticket but more like an agreement to participate in the program. They will help you find – so once you find that provider that is the right person for you, then they will work with you and help prepare you for work. They might assist you with creating a résumé. They might assist with practicing some interviewing skills. They will help you find work. And when the time is right, they can help you reduce, and maybe even possibly eliminate your reliance on Social Security.

The overall goal is to replace your disability benefits with earnings from work. Not that this means immediately. But it may take a little bit of time. For example, I have two friends who used the Ticket to Work who took several years before they were financially, and well, quite frankly, personally ready to go off their benefits.

In the next section we’re going to talk about the Ticket to Work service providers. There are a number of them, and these folks can help you achieve your work goals.

So, as you can see on the slide, there are a number of them that we’re going to talk about. We’re going to talk about vocational rehabilitation, sometimes referred to as VR, agencies. We’re going to talk about employment networks, or EN. We’re going to talk about Workforce ENs and Work Incentive Planning and Assistance, or WIPA, projects. And lastly we’re going to talk a little bit about Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries on Social Security. The acronym is PABSS, so if you hear us say that, that’s what we’re talking about.

Kathleen, are you ready to take over?

STACEY>> Tina, this is Stacey. I think Kathleen needs another minute.

TINA>> Okay. Well, I tell you what. I’m going to go ahead and slide on to vocational rehabilitation. We’re going to talk just a little bit about vocational rehabilitation agencies. State vocational agencies provide a whole bunch of different services. So they have a wide variety of services that help people with disabilities return to work and enter new lines of work or enter the workforce for the first time.

Some states have separate vocational rehabilitation agencies that serve individuals who are blind and visually impaired. So in Indiana, we call our agencies Vocational Rehabilitations. One way that you might know Vocational Rehabilitation is the right course for you is to assess what your needs are. So if you may need prosthetics, or you may need a number of accommodations for your job site, Vocational Rehabilitation may be an option for you.

And I’m going to hand it over to Kathleen. Are you ready?

STACEY>> Hi, Tina. This is Stacey. Kathleen is having some difficulties still at this point. If you can continue on, that would be – 

TINA>> I’ll just keep on going, how about that?

STACEY>> That sounds great.

TINA>> No worries. We’ve done this before. It’s not our first rodeo. So.

I’m going to talk a little bit about Employment Networks. Now that’s what Kathleen does. She is an Employment Network through Aspire Indiana. An Employment Network is a private or public organization that has the agreement with Social Security to provide free employment services to people eligible for the Ticket to Work.

Many states’ public workforce systems such as the American Job Centers or Workforce ENs also are employment networks. So in Indiana, just to give you an example, in the Indianapolis area there are five local Employment Networks. And then there’s a Workforce EN as well. So, while they are both ENs, they’re a little bit different in the services that they provide. What we encourage you is that you really take a look at your Employment Network or the provider that you are choosing, and really do some evaluation on which is the best one for you.

So let’s talk a little bit about the support services that may be provided. And I kind of mentioned them earlier when I went through the list of the many things that Employment Networks do.

So first of all, an Employment Network or a Service Provider can provide career planning and counseling. They can provide job searches or job placement assistance. State vocational rehabilitations may provide training programs. And sometimes the Workforce ENs do as well. So, again, it’s up to that particular provider on what they serve. I even know some ENs that have specific training programs as well. So do your research.

So, there are special programs for veterans and youth in transition. There are ongoing employment supports. So once you get a job, your services don’t stop there. An Employment Network can follow you on throughout your job career. They can also assist with job placement. And, again, benefits counseling for – and information about work incentives.

All right. So I’m going to transition on to the next provider, which is the one that I am most familiar with because it’s what I do here in Indiana. It is the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance Project, or WIPA. So WIPAs are different than an Employment Network. WIPAs are – are programs that are designed and staffed by Community Work Incentive Coordinators, or what’s called CWIC. Now this is a very important title because each one of those staff have to go through a rigorous training through Virginia Commonwealth University. It is the only accredited body to be certified by Social Security to provide this training.

So, most states have a WIPA program. In Indiana we have two WIPA programs. We have one in the north, and we have one in the south. And even though we work on different teams, we still work together collaboratively.

What we do on those teams is that we provide free, in-depth counseling regarding benefits. So when you’re going to work, and you have some questions about how work will impact your benefits, that’s what we’re there for. We look at your working history. We look at earned money and how money will affect benefits. And, quite frankly, the most important part is linkage with many of the work incentives that you may be available for. So there are a number of resources out there for you to take advantage of.

So the WIPA projects also work pretty in-depth with making sure that your benefits are kept in alignment.

So, who qualifies for the WIPA services? Well, first of all, you must have at least one of the following criteria – whoops! Let me get there. So one of the following criteria, which is, one, be active in working. So that means you have a job. You have a job offer pending. Be actively interviewing for jobs or have an interview in the past 30 days. Or have an interview scheduled within the next few weeks.

If you’re a veteran, you also qualify as long as you are on Social Security benefits. And, if you’re between the ages of 14 and 25. It doesn’t mean that you have to necessarily be active pursuing work at this time.

So, the last – the last provider, and I think this is a very important one, is the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security. And, again, I call that the PABSS program. So PABSS organizations help Social Security beneficiaries who have disability-related employment problems. So they’re really your advocates out there. PABSS work organizations and advocates provide legal support. It’s free of charge. It doesn’t cost you anything. They can provide specific advocacy. And they can also provide information to assist beneficiaries with removing disability-related barriers to employment with either your employer, the Social Security office, an Employment Network, a state vocational rehabilitation, even a WIPA project, and others. So they can help you a great deal.

All right. So we’re on to our next section, which is Choosing a Service Provider. Kathleen, are we back in?

KATHLEEN>> I am back in. Can you hear me?

TINA>> We can hear ya’. 

KATHLEEN>> Awesome. 

Well, as you guys have learned, there’s all kinds of different service providers, and how do you – if you pick one, how do you find the right Employment Network for you? There are tons of Employment Networks out there, and they all have different specialties, different skills. So Social Security has kind of thought of that for you and to help you kind of come up with a guide.

So Finding an EN is at http://bit.ly/Finding-an-EN. This is a great tool. It’s got a bunch of different questions on it that you can, when you’re looking for an Employment Network, you can call and ask them questions. Do they work with your disability? Do they work in your area? Do they work with people that have the skills that you have? What’s their knowledge base? So this is a good tool to use when you’re investigating what kind of Employment Network do you want to use.

The next website they have is Choosing the Right EN. And that’s at http://bit.ly/Choosing-the-Right-EN. And this is kind of a summary to help you figure out are you ready to explore work? Are you ready to – to look at getting off your benefits? What are ENs? What are Employment Networks? We were talking about that a little bit today, but that will give you some more information about what services they can provide. And then helping you, kind of a quick summary of how do you find the right EN? Finding an Employment Network is important so that you find the right match for you.

So, how do you know – there are so many Employment Networks out there – how do you know what’s going to be a good one for you or what’s in your area? Social Security has thought of that, too. They have choosework.ssa.gov/findhelp. And they’ve done a great job of letting you know what’s out there and what kind of services all of these providers can provide you. They have two different areas. One is a guided search, which I really like this one. It’s for – for when you don’t know what you want. You don’t know what you need. You know, VR has the training but Employment Networks might have some specific benefits and they can help you learn about your benefits. They might be connected to a WIPA project.

So this questionnaire on the guided search helps you kind of pick. They’re yes or no questions. They’re super simple. And then the formula comes out and tells you where’s a good place for you to start. Should you start with a VR agency? Should you start with an employment network? And then once you get that area, then it will give you organizations in your area that you can start contacting and using the guides on the previous slides, what they do.

So, the other thing they have is if you kind of know what you want, you know that you’re ready to get a job, or you need schooling to get the right job, they have a let you pick by the zip code. So there’s a second area that’s a direct thing, and you can decide if you want in person, if you want virtual. And you can search all the different agencies based on what they’re experienced in. What do they know? Do they know about your specific disability? Do they know about how to write resumes? How to do career searching? And so this will give you a chance to kind of do a – a preliminary search before you call them up and get the, you know, specifics about what each agency does and how they can help you.

So, Stacey, I’m going to let you take some questions now.

STACEY>> Okay. Thank you, Kathleen. And Tina, thank you also for sharing the information on the Ticket to Work program and the Ticket program providers. You talked about the number of services that are available, so we will pause here and take a few moments to address some of the questions that we have received from our audience on this topic thus far.

And, Kathleen, we were talking about the fact that there are different programs and services available. And are any of those programs or services able to provide assistance with purchasing technical equipment if it’s needed to find a job or for use at work? And, if so, can an EN help to connect with these services?

KATHLEEN>> Your best bet for those technical things would be to look at vocational rehabilitation. They are going to be able to provide services like that. The one thing that I do caution people with VR is they – they can’t provide everything. So, an example I give is I had a client who needed a van – an adaptive, hand-controlled van to get to work. They were able to provide for the hand controls, but they weren’t able to buy her van. So if you need a program like Dragon or something, a lot of times your VR agencies can provide that, and depending on the type of job would be dependent on what other types of technology they can provide and what your disability is.

STACEY>> All right. Thank you. Kathleen, there are a number of different service providers that are available to the participants. Where can our participants go to find more information about choosing a particular service provider?

KATHLEEN>> The best website if you want to just find some providers and what they offer is that choosework.ssa.gov/findhelp. But there’s a lot of resources on that Choose Work website that will kind of walk you through what – what do specific providers provide. I know there is a Meet Your Employment Team, I believe is the tab on there that it’s called. And it will walk you through what can Employment Networks provide? What can Workforce Employment Networks provide? And vocational rehabilitation. And it’s a nice little checkbox area where you can see what agencies provide what services.

STACEY>> Okay. Thank you, Kathleen. And I’m going to switch gears a little bit over to you, Tina, and you had talked about a number of different work incentives that are available. Can you tell us how to know which work incentives can be used?

TINA>> So, one of the best things that you can do is contact your WIPA project. Each entitlement has very different work incentives. So, whether you’re on Title 2, which is SSDI, or Title 16, it will depend on what work incentive is available to you. So, take a look at your state, if you go to that Choose Work website, you will also be able to find those WIPA projects on that website.

STACEY>> All right. So that website is a very good resource for anyone to use.

So piggybacking off of – off of that last question, can only one work incentive be used, or can a combination of ones that you are eligible for be used?

TINA>> That’s a great question, Stacey. You can use a whole number of work incentives together. Again, you have to know which – which entitlement you’re on through Social Security. But there are so many that are available out there.

And it’s not just through Social Security. WIPA projects can also help you with your state, different work incentives through Medicaid and through HUD.

STACEY>> All right. And Tina, we do have some individuals who are interested in the Ticket to Work program. Would you provide some guidance for them on how they can get started with participating in the Ticket to Work program?

TINA>> Well, I think one of the – the first things you want to do is get on that website. Check out all the different services. Educate yourself on the – on the program itself. There’s a great video called Meet Ben. And I think it’s a wonderful overview of the Ticket to Work program.

Once you’ve done that, you might want to check out the website that Kathleen talked about, the choosework.ssa.gov. And check out some Employment Networks. Check out what they’re – what they specialize in. You might want to check out how many tickets they have assigned to them. And some ENs even actually have a specialty. I know that there’s a few ENs that actually do work specifically around the work-from-home jobs. There are ENs that specialize in customized employment. So, do your homework.

STACEY>> Thanks, Tina.

So now that we have given them information on where to go to get started, is there a timeframe for how long someone can participate in the Ticket to Work program?

TINA>> So, like I said early – 

(Inaudible).

TINA>> Oh, Kathleen? 

KATHLEEN>> Yeah, I can go ahead and take that question. There is not a time limit for how long you can participate in the Ticket to Work program. There is set some ideas and goals set forth. Social Security wants you to make timely progress while your ticket is being used. And that can be – they have it set up in kind of some baby steps where you can work part time for nine, ten months. But once you hit that, they want you to start working towards working yourself off your benefits. And so, part of working with an Employment Network is to kind of set those goals, those short-term goals, those long-term goals, to get you off of your benefits eventually if that’s where things lead. And so when your ticket is being used, that is the expectation from Social Security. If you don’t meet those expectations, nothing horrible happens. It’s just you might have to have your ticket unassigned. Get some ducks in a row, get your life figured out a little bit, and then reassign your ticket. 

So there’s no timeframe. You can move back and forth in that program. But when you’re in the program, you know, we do want you to, and Social Security wants you to, look for work to working towards ultimately eliminating your use for benefits.

STACEY>> Okay. Thank you very much, Kathleen. And I’m going to jump back over to you, Tina. We talked about the Ticket to Work program and services that they offer. Can the Ticket to Work program help someone find a job working from home?

TINA>> Absolutely. Like I said, there are actually some ENs that that is their specialty, the work-from-home job. So, know that they’re out there.

STACEY>> Okay. And that could be an ideal job for many people is working from home, so that’s great to know that that’s an option for them.

So, Kathleen, can you tell us a little bit about what services an EN can offer if you haven’t worked before?

KATHLEEN>> Well, ENs are going to give you some, first, some career counseling. Figure out, you know, what are you interested in doing? What, you know, what makes working interesting to you? And, so, figuring out what your skills are. So, talking about maybe doing some online testing or some, like, typing testing. Not any like SATs or anything like that, but just figuring out, you know, what – what are your skills, what are your interests. And then, you know, how does that match up with your barriers? How can we find a job to – that’s notched together like that. And a lot of times with people who don’t have experience, we start out small. And Social Security allows us to do that. They allow us to do that part-time job where, you know, you can get your feet wet. You can learn how to do some customer service. Or how to just enter the workforce. How to clock in. How to clock out.

So your – your EN network can – can go out there. We have – we offer job coaching at Acquire, so we do go out on site, and if you’re – you’ve never been to an interview before, we can go out on site with you and do that interview or help you with the interview. You’re going to do it yourself, but help train you and be there for, you know, emotional support. Encouragement. We don’t have to do that, but that’s an option that Aspire offers. 

And so, if you don’t have that work history, we will work with you to figure out what do you need to get the work history to help you move forward.

STACEY>> All right. And then, Kathleen, if someone is working with a state vocational rehab agency or a VN, can they also work with an Employment Network at the same time? 

KATHLEEN>> There are going to be – there are times where we have clients that are signed up with vocational rehabilitation, and they – they work with our Employment Services department. They’re not necessarily part of our Employment Network yet. So you would work with VR, and you might have an Employment Specialist that’s also an EN. And then the minute your case is closed, you’ve been working 90 to 120 days successfully, the VR can always assign your ticket to that EN so that you don’t have to change providers, you don’t have to do anything. And then that EN would help you stay employed and help you maximize your earnings.

STACEY>> Okay. Thank you very much, Kathleen. Earlier we talked about where to go to get information on a service provider. Kathleen, would you be able to tell us how – how to know which type of service provider is right for a particular individual?

KATHLEEN>> I think a lot of it’s going to be at where you’re at in your career. You know, if you need that education and that training, you know, a VR agency, if you need more significant support, the VR is going to be a good fit. If not, if you’re ready to go to work, an EN is going to probably be a good fit. ENs happen a lot faster. VR is a state-federal agency, so they kind of run slower so it’s going to take a little longer. Employment Networks, at Aspire at least, we are ready to go right away. So as soon as you call us, we can meet with you and figure out what your goals are.

And how to pick the right EN. It’s individual for everybody. I know when I’m talking to prospective ticket holders, you know, I want to have a good fit with them. I want to make sure they feel comfortable with me. That they – they know that I’m out there to help them, and I’ll do whatever I can to help them. You know, I’m kind of a high-energy, bubbly person, so I, you know, I want someone that’s going to – to respond well to that. We have other service providers in our agency that are more laid back. So, personality is really important. And then, what skills do they have? The other thing that I always tell my – my ticket holders that are calling me is, you know, at Aspire, we are always getting up-to-date information. We are always going to training on résumé building, interview skills. That is a little bit the same as it’s been for the last 30 years, but there’s a lot of new caveats. And so you want to make sure that your Employment Network is up to date and they are not just doing the same things that they have done for the last 30 years. So that’s one question that I like to let our ticket – perspective ticket holders know that that’s what we do at Aspire. We want to keep up to date. So you might ask that question.

STACEY>> That’s a great question to ask when looking at an Employment Network. And I just wanted to add that in our Web Links pod, we do have a link that we have labeled as Finding an Employment Network. And you can go there to connect to that link. And I will read the link out loud also. It is http://bit.ly/Finding-an-EN. So that link is available to get some more information about Employment Networks.

And then, Kathleen, I just had one last question here before we move on. And we all know that starting a new job can be – can be stressful. And to make the transition easier, can a Ticket program service provider still help individuals as they get used to their new workplace? 

KATHLEEN>> I think that would be a question to ask an Employment Network. I think that’s a great question to ask because it’s so vital. It’s one of the things that we specialize at Aspire to make sure that, you know, starting a new job is scary. And making sure that you have the support network, the cheerleader behind you. I have someone that just started a job today, and I expect a text from her when she gets off work to make sure she had a good day. And if not, we’re going to talk about it. We’re going to make sure that – that you’re supported through that progress. And that’s when you’re interviewing an Employment Network, you want to make sure you ask those questions. Are they going to stay with you? Are they going to work with you if you do have a problem in three months, six months, nine months? Or even the first week. What services do they offer? And that’s a great question to ask them because you’re right, that is something that’s a scary prospect and nobody wants to do it alone, and that’s what a lot of Employment Networks are here to help you with.

STACEY>> Okay. That’s awesome. Thank you so much, Kathleen. And it’s good to know that – that there are those services and those supports out there to help – help us as we transition into the workplace.

So I wanted to thank Tina and Kathleen for their thorough answers to the questions that were sent in by our participants. And we will have opportunities later on in this webinar to ask additional questions. But we are going to stop here, and we are going to hear more from our speakers on the very important topic of setting SMART goals, planning your employment goals, and reaching your work goals.

So now I will turn it over to Tina Skeel who will lead us through what SMART goals are and how to go about setting them. So over to you, Tina.

TINA>> Thank you. 

So, in this section, as Stacey said, we’re going to talk about setting goals, more specifically, the SMART goals. This is one of the things they taught us, but really, it was like the first thing I learned when I got my MBA is when we were setting down plans and setting goals, they really talked about this method of creating SMART goals. So I hope that this section will be as helpful for you as it has been for me in my career.

So let’s talk about SMART. SMART isn’t talking about an IQ. It’s talking about an acronym. So it’s just an acronym. When I – I used to train for various marathons years ago, and I used the SMART goal method to help me prepare. So as we kind of go along this journey talking about SMART goals, I kind of want you to think about preparing for that marathon. 

So, S stands for Specific. Making sure the goal that you set is clearly defined. One of the main things I say is write it down. Let’s have a very specific goal and write it down.

Make sure it’s Measurable. This includes exact amounts in dates. For example, setting specific dates and ranges for how far you’re going to run. So for me, I would set a date that by X day, I’m going to be able to run a mile comfortably.

The next letter is A, and it stands for Achievable. Make sure the goal is realistic. You don’t want to overestimate what you can do because then it becomes really easy to get defeated. So, you don’t have to shoot all the way for the sky. You can simply set small goals at a time, making sure that they are realistic.

The T stands for Time-Bound. Include deadlines to reach targets. And one of the main things I tell people is find somebody who will make you accountable for meeting that deadline. So, making sure you have a very clear-cut deadline there so you’re time-bound.

So why – why are these SMART goals so powerful? Just like training for a mini-marathon, goal setting can keep you focused on being accountable, especially when you start to get down. So it was real easy for me when I would start training for a marathon. I would start kind of getting a little down or frustrated. Those goals helped keep me focused and accountable for what I was doing.

It reminds you of the steps that you need to take to achieve success.

It helps you recognize and celebrate those accomplishments. For example, for me, the very first part of the race is always the hardest. My marker is that first mile.

So it really helps you recognize and celebrate those little successes.

They also create opportunities to review and revise efforts if necessary. So sometimes we think things will work, but they just don’t work out. And so we need to change our efforts and revise our goals.

So, on slide 34, you’re going to see an example of SMART goals. So, here is an example. As a SMART goal, to find work I will contact at least five employers each week, applying for at least two open positions, and follow up with my EN or VR counselor every month. So, Specific includes actions to help make progress towards the goal. Is it measurable? Yes. At least one action to make sure the progress – that you’re making progress towards that goal. Achievable steps that are reasonable and likely to help you achieve your overall goals. Relevant actions are related to your goals to find work. Time-bound, have a set schedule.

So you can see right here we have a very clear definition that we’re going to contact at least five employers, so we can measure that the five employers were contacted. We’ve identified what types. We’re going to look for at least two job openings. And we’re going to make sure and follow up with our Employment Network or VR counselor every month. So we are very locked in to that time-bound section.

It’s important to review and revise your goals. As you pursue your goals, evaluate how effective the plan is. Review the progress to make sure you’re following the action steps. So, sometimes I would get a little, maybe, lazy, and I might not run every single day. And sometimes I had to go back and change my goal to maybe running every other day so I didn’t get burnt out or get injuries from running too much.

Consider any additional actions that you may need to take, like training opportunities. You might want to think about volunteer work. You might even want to think about your own network. So who do you know? Is there a potential of networking with someone that you know? Is there a potential of working with a mentor? Is there somebody that you know that could be a mentor to you? 

So, another strategy to identify a large or long-term goal that you have to work towards, as well as a short-term goal that you can reach on the path to larger goals?

Celebrating achievement of a small goal may keep you motivated and on the track to reach a larger goal. So you remember that conversation about that first mile? I’m telling you, by the time I got to that first mile, I was rejoicing. And then it wasn’t over. My next goal was to set it for five miles. So, when I was doing a 15-mile race, what I would do is my first goal would be to get – my small, short-term goal, would be to get to that first mile. Then to the fifth mile. Then to the tenth mile. And all the way up to 15 miles. And before you know it, we were there and crossing the finish line.

So there’s also something called the ABCs of Short and Long-Term Goals. So A, job. Okay. So there’s our A. Finding a job that is relevant to your career goals to learn some of the basic roles and responsibilities of industry. So you don’t have to start out right at the very top career development. So when you’re on this road to employment, you may need to start out at the A. And get some real ideas on the basic roles and responsibilities of the industry you’re interested in. 

You also may find out that the industry you thought you were interested in may not be the one you want.

The next one is the B, a better job. Looking for a promotion or apply for a more advanced position in the same field helps you build on your existing skills and learning new ones. So, again, you start out with the – the general job, the basic job. So I think about me, I started out at Burger King. And then from Burger King, I went and worked in a toy store. 

And then from there comes the C, or the Career development. Your career progress includes all relevant experience you can gain as you look for higher positions in the skills that make you an asset to an employer. So, obviously I didn’t continue to work at Burger King nor the toy store. But I took the – the experience that I had working in both fast food and retail, and applied it as an employment specialist about 25 years ago. So, again, using that experience can be a great opportunity.

So remember the ABCs. You don’t have to start out at the very top. You know, just get your foot in the door and work from there.

So, what is the difference between a short-term and a long-term goal? A long – a long-term goal might be because of the general manager or – or – I’m sorry, becoming a general or an assistant manager at a retail store, which is actually what I did. I moved up from working as a regular clerk at the toy store all the way up to being the manager. 

A short-term goal might look like finding work in a retail store, building customer service skills, and gaining experience with cashier responsibilities. So you see those little short-term goals underneath there? Another one might be earning promotion to shift manager. So, those small goals might be improving and building on skills you’ve learned. Learning leadership and decision-making skills. Learning computer systems for money management and scheduling as well as inventory.

All right. So that is a little bit about SMART goals and short and long-term goals. And I believe we’re going to bring it back to Kathleen. Are you ready?

KATHLEEN>> Yes. So now we’re going to talk about planning your employment goals with the Ticket to Work program. 

So working with a ticket service provider, you’re going to work with them to come up with those short and long-term goals. You’re going to discuss your employment goals, your previous experience, and really what supports you need to be successful.

The provider you work with is going to offer you the supports you need to increase both your ability to work and your earnings. And by doing that, they’re going to help you come up with those SMART goals. You know, looking at the short and long-term goals. What is your recent work history and earnings history? One of the really big things is the benefit counseling and how will earning and income affect those benefits? And then, do you need education, do you need training to get where you’re going? And then what accommodations might you need in the workplace?

And as Tina described, you know, it’s like running a marathon. We don’t expect, Social Security doesn’t expect, that the first step you take towards that marathon is full-time employment, working off your benefits. You know, it’s taking that first step. And making that short-term goal. And making it measurable and something that you can really feel good about. About a cheerleader in your background – in the background saying, Good job, you hit that goal! That’s awesome. Super proud of you.

So we don’t expect you to run the marathon the first day. We expect you to take one step at a time, and the service provider you pick is going to help you kind of figure out what are going to be those short and long-term goals.

How they do that is through setting up a work plan. So, work plans have a bunch of different names. You see the here on the screen. They all basically mean the same thing. It’s just you guys getting together with your service provider and talking about what are your goals and what supports do you need to reach them. And you’ll come up with a plan that will help you decide that. I always tell my clients that – that they’re driving. They’re in charge of where we go. I’m going to help them. I’m more the GPS. I’m going to give them some directions. I’m going to give them some ideas, and then – and they take the – they take whatever path they want. And just like your GPS, if you take a different path than what we started on with your plan, I recalculate. We can amend that plan. It’s a living document. We’re going to work with you in live time to make sure that your goals are achievable, measurable, and something that you want to work towards. 

So, with your work plan, we’re looking at those SMART goals again. And we’re – kind of with the Ticket to Work program, we want to make those progressive steps, so we’re going to talk about how much earnings do you want to earn with your short-term goals. You know, I worked with a participant who, her short-term goals, similar to the example, was she wanted to be a cashier. So we got – we found her a part-time cashier job. Built her confidence. Built her skills. Made sure that she was ready to go. And then we trained her on how do you ask for that full-time job. And so we worked on that full-time job. And then, you know, we eventually got to the full-time cashier, and then the part-time – or the night deli manager. And then we went to the daytime deli manager. And I just heard from her a couple months ago. She just bought her first house. And she is the manager of a retail store, and makes tons more money than I do. And I couldn’t be prouder of her. And, so, we work with that – the supports that you need to make you meet your short and long-term goals through that work plan that we’re creating as a team.

So what kind of supports can we provide? You know, whatever you need in the employment world to reach your goals is what I tell my clients. You know, that career counseling. If you’re brand new to the workforce, so you know what you want to do? And that’s going through and figuring out, you know, what – what interests you and what do you like. That job search and job placement assistance. Helping you go out and find a job. What employers are hiring right now? What’s a good employer to work for? That résumé writing and interview prep, that’s really important to make sure that you have an up-to-date résumé. And that, you know, a lot of interviewers are still doing the what are your strengths and weaknesses. But a lot of interviewers are doing those behavioral questions. So the service provider you pick can help you work with those behavioral questions, and how do I answer that, and do you need that help. Or training opportunities to help you meet those short-term goals.

And then once you’ve – you’ve got to be, you know, you found a job, you’re ready for your long-term support. You know, your provider shouldn’t just leave you, and that would be a question you would ask when you pick them. You know, are they going to help you become stable? Are they going to help you keep your job? You know, it’s so much easier to find a job when you have a job. It’s so much easier to keep a job you already have than to get a new job. So you want to have that long-term support to help you become stable and keep your job.

And then, what do you – how do you get promoted? How do you advance in your career? How do you get a raise? Those are delicate things that you might need some counseling to help you on, to act appropriately, and figure out to advance yourself.

So when you’re doing this work plan, it’s an agreement. It’s a contract that, you know, you’re buying in, and you’re saying, hey, this service provider agrees to invest time and resources to help me find work and maximize my earnings, and I’m going to work with them to do that. You’re going to agree to make timely progress, as we talked about earlier. The Ticket program wants you to make some timely progress. Again, you’re not penalized if you don’t, but they want you to continue to move forward in your goals.

And then you sign and you date the work plan, and that’s kind of your – your road map for where you’re going. So you both have expectations of, I know that my Employment Network, or my VR agent is going to do this, and I know I’m going to do this, and if we both come together and agree on this, then we have a plan, we have a road map.

And as I said earlier, you can always amend that. It’s a living document, and it can be changed at any time.

So the timely progress is something that, you know, we talked about a little bit earlier, that Ticket to Work wants you to make timely progress. If you’re making timely progress, you do have a – it stops that continuing medical review. Sometimes people have those every year, every two years, every five years. It just depends on your award and where you’re at with that. But if you are making progress and your Ticket is being used, it does stop that certified medical review. And so every year Social Security is going to review your efforts towards that timely progress to see if – if they can suspend that review while you’re working towards eliminating benefits.

They’re interested in you reducing and ultimately eliminating your disability benefits, but you’re not penalized, again, if you don’t. And Social Security has made just an amazing program so that they offer you the incentives, they offer you the baby steps, the just starting out part time. They have safety nets where if you, you know, do go over substantial gainful activity and you lose your job, you don’t lose your Social Security as long as it’s within the five years. You know, Medicare is – stays in place. 

So, there’s a lot of things that Social Security done – has done to make it advantageous for you to get out there and try to start working.

What are your responsibilities in this whole agreement? It’s just basically that you’re going to meet with your Employment Network, your VR person, you know, to talk about what your goals are and be honest with them, and figure out where you are and what you want to do.

So, then the next section is, you know, there are different goals for everybody, so there are different things to meet. But a lot of them are pretty much the same. So, making timely progress. And that can be through education, training, and your earnings. So, when you meet with your Employment Network, they can talk to you about how that specifically breaks down so that you can make sure you’re making timely progress. I will say that if you don’t make timely progress, and you fail a review, nothing horrible happens, and you can always work with your EN to start making timely progress. And we report to Social Security so that they can pass you on to the next review.

A big deal is reporting your earnings to Social Security on time. This is something Tina and I see a lot where people get excited, they get a job. You know, you’re EN should hopefully help you figure out where and when to report your earnings. But make sure you’re on top of this. Social Security does not like when you miss deadlines with this. So you have about six days – not about. You have six days after the end of the month to report your earnings. And, so, you can do this online at My Social Security. You can do it via telephone. You can do it by mail. And if you have Social Security Supplemental Insurance, you can do it through a mobile app. So it’s really important that you report your earnings, because that will affect your benefits, in a timely manner.

And then any change in status. If you get a job, you want to let Social Security know so they can start being prepared to figure out where your benefits are going to go. If you lose a job, you definitely want to let Social Security know right away so that you can get your benefits reinstated as quickly as possible.

Same thing if your marital status changes, if your last name changes, if your address changes. You just want to update Social Security with whatever is going on to make sure that your benefits are safe.

So, I think, Tina, you’re going to talk about reaching your goals?

TINA>> I sure am.

I just want to kind of add to Kathleen’s statement. She is 100% correct, reporting your Social Security in a timely manner is so important. But it’s not just about Social Security. Remember, if you have health insurance through your state Medicaid system, or you receive HUD resources, you need to report those to them as well. So, don’t forget that. We don’t want somebody to get into a pickle.

All right. So let’s talk a little bit about reaching your goals. So I want you to kind of think back, we talked earlier about SMART goals. I want you to really ask yourself these questions when you’re going through the process of setting your goals.

First of all, what are my career goals for 2019? Now, you may have a career goal way out here in 2025. But start at 2019. Get that set in place. Are your goals SMART goals? So remember, that’s what we talked about. Specific. Measurable. Attainable. So just make sure that you get all of those goals to be SMART.

What are the next steps I need to take to achieve my goals? So, thinking about, okay, what is it that I need to do to make this happen? So those little steps.

The next question is, who can help me achieve my goals? So, we’re all interdependent. So, I know everybody likes to say, I’m dependent. But really, as a society we’re interdependent. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask people for help. Not only those providers through an Employment Network or Vocational Rehabilitation, but you may have friends and family that can help you as well.

The other thing to reach your goals with the Ticket to Work is really getting connected with the Ticket program service providers. We’ve talked about it a couple of times, but, again, I want to remind you to use the Find Help tool. There are wonderful resources that will tell you all about your employment network. All you need to do is go to choosework.ssa.gov/findhelp. Again, there’s a link at the side. You can take a look at it there. But don’t forget that it’s there for your resources.

Write down your goals and create a plan of action. I can’t stress that enough. Once you see your goals in writing, it’s a whole lot easier to move forward. And for me personally, and we talked about this marathon thing, I tape it right to the refrigerator.

So, if you want to learn a little bit more about the work plan that – that Kathleen talked about, again, go to http://bit.ly/WorkPlansFAQ. And that will tell you a little bit more about those work plans. 

I’d also encourage you to check in with your Employment Networks or state VR agencies regularly, just to kind of make sure everything is on track.

And, for goodness sakes, whatever you do, don’t forget to celebrate your victories and your progress. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in moving forward that we forget to celebrate when we do actually move forward.

So, our last section, which is probably my favorite section, and I wish we had time to share the video, but we’re a little tight. So I’m just going to walk through it a little bit. One of the best ways to feel a little more comfortable with the idea about going back to work is to hear other people’s stories. So today we’re going to talk about Walter.

So, Walter’s goals included working at a local university. With help from the Ticket to Work program service provider, first of all he developed his soft skills that he really needed to be able to work. He wasn’t very adept in the social skills that occur in a worksite. And so by working with his service provider, he was able to develop those skills. 

He gained some career experience, and guess what? He landed the job he always wanted. He became the first person in his family to own a home. Is that just amazing? That is just a wonderful success story. So I’m going to encourage you to grab a hold of that link there on the right-hand side and check out Walter’s story. But I wanted to share with you a quote. And I just think this is very powerful. He says, for me, work is not all about the paycheck. It’s about the other things that go with the job. I like being part of Cornell’s community. Everyone is so nice. The surroundings are so beautiful. And I’ve met people from many different cultures, too. Now I get to go to work every day in a place where I am comfortable, where I can be myself.

Isn’t that just amazing? If you want to hear more about Walter’s full story, just go to the link at the side, or go to this link, which is https://choosework.ssa.gov/library/walter-success-story. So, again, it’s a great success story. I would encourage you to check that out.

And I’m going to hand it back to Stacey for some questions.

STACEY>> Right. Thank you, Tina and Kathleen, for the great information on setting and reaching goals. I particularly liked how you suggested setting short-term goals so that you can celebrate your successes as you are working toward that long-term goal. I think that would do a whole lot in keeping you motivated and keeping you on task. So, very good piece of information.

For the remainder of our time today, we are going to address additional questions that we have received about today’s topic. And, Tina, I’m going to start with you with a question that we received from our audience that is asking if you can explain a little more about how the trial work period works.

TINA>> Great question. So, a trial work period applies for those individuals who are Title 2 or SSDI benefits. What that basically entails, the opportunity for you to, as the term says, try working. So Social Security looks at a five-year period. And what they’re looking at is to see if you are working above what’s called a trial work period amount. Now this year, for 2019, it’s $880.00. Now don’t panic. Going over $880.00 is no worries. As you remember, I said you can work as much as you want during that trial work period. But once you’ve gathered nine months of trial work periods within that five-year period, you’re going to go into a brand-new type of work incentive called an Extended Period of Eligibility. So a trial work period is that opportunity. It’s a work incentive, one of the best-known work incentives, to let you try out work. You would receive not only your paycheck, but you would also receive your benefits during that trial work period.

STACEY>> Thank you.

TINA>> I hope that helps the audience.

STACEY>> Yes, it was a very good response. Thank you, Tina. I am going to jump over to Kathleen. And, Kathleen, we talked about people bettering themselves, and getting into careers, and different jobs. Is it reasonable to think that someone could do a totally different career, like, for example, switching from an administrative position to something like repurposing furniture?

KATHLEEN>> Yeah, I think that, you know, you’re going to have to look at your area, but switching is one of our new norms. So we’re very familiar with the norms, you know, with switching. So, the only thing that I would have to look at when you meet with your EN would be to ask, you know, is repurposing furniture a goal where you can earn the kind of money that you need to survive. And so that would be the only thing I would look at. I do caution people to make the choice between what’s a hobby and what’s a job. But I know I have an online retail business that, you know, people thought was silly that I sold on eBay and Amazon. And I make, you know, very good money doing that. So, there’s never a goal that’s not realistic, but there are things that you need to look at to make sure that it can be realistic.

STACEY>> Okay. I definitely agree that changing careers is very, very common today, so good to know that that is something that they can be thinking about as they are planning for their future.

So, Tina, if somebody already has credentials or has graduated from college, can they still use the Ticket to Work program?

TINA>> Absolutely. Utilizing the Ticket to Work after you have completed college is probably the best thing that you can do. Because it’s the next step in your career. So, if you’re a college student out there getting ready to graduate, look into those providers. I would also encourage you if you are a college student or if you are a student in general, there are some work incentives around, called a Student Earned Income Disregard. I would encourage you to look at that.

STACEY>> Okay, great. Thanks. Also, Tina, what about people who may not have attended college but their career is requesting that maybe they get some college training. Is that something that the Ticket to Work program can help with?

TINA>> So, if you’re looking for additional training, I would say that an Employment Network might be able to link you up with various entities that could provide training. I know Kathleen talked about Vocational Rehabilitation as an option. Again, some of those Workforce ENs also have trainings. Or just utilizing the American Job Centers would be a great idea as well for training.

So, to say that Employment Networks would provide the training, I think that depends on the Employment Network itself.

STACEY>> All right. Great. Thank you. And Kathleen, we’re going to jump to you for our next question. You had discussed that part of a work plan agreement is making sure timely progress is being made. Does timely progress mean that I have a specific amount of time to find a job and start working? And what happens if I can’t get hired?

KATHLEEN>> It doesn’t have a specific amount of time, per se. Usually they do the review every year, so they want you to be looking towards a job, and then once you get a job, to be working at least part time over the trial work limit, which is $880.00 as Tina said, for nine months. And then having a plan to move forward. But if it takes you longer to have a job – I have some people that they failed their first timely progress review. And we just, you know, we keep working, we know what their goal is, we know that it’s a sound goal, and we’re working to get them moving forward. Once they get employed and they’re over that trial work limit, your Employment Network can supply Social Security with some documentation so that then when your next review comes around, you’ll be able to pass it. So, they don’t kick you off the program. They don’t have any negative consequences if you’re not making that timely progress. And if it takes you longer to find a job, you just would have to submit a document once you are back moving forward to Social Security.

STACEY>> Thank you, Kathleen. Sticking with you for this next question kind of related, for making timely progress. Do you have some recommendations as to what are some things that can be done to ensure that timely progress is being made in achieving employment goals?

KATHLEEN>> I think it’s starting with those short-term goals and looking at what skills do I need to reach my long-term goals but starting out similar to what Tina was talking about, you know, with that first mile. And figuring out Social Security allows you to work part time, or is okay with you working part time, and still be making timely progress. So, you know, maybe you don’t want to just jump right into being the manager of a store. You need those skills first. And Social Security allows you the time to build those skills. So I think that that, you know, starting at a smaller goal, reaching that, building your confidence, and then moving forward helps you move a little faster in the process to make that timely progress.

All right. So I think the key word here is timely progress, and that it’s just making that progress sometimes that can be, you know, little bits and pieces at a time, but as long as you’re making progress, that’s – you’re definitely doing good.

STACEY>> On the other side of that, Kathleen, there’s times when maybe people aren’t making timely progress. If it’s not made, can the services still be received from an Employment Network?

KATHLEEN>> You would have to talk to your Employment Network about that. You know, I know at Aspire we make that decision on an individual basis. But the goals of the Ticket to Work program are to offer you the support to help you reduce and ultimately eliminate your dependency on your benefits. So, you know, if it’s a little hiccup in your life, you know, I think your Employment Network, you can talk to them, and that would be fine. But if it becomes a larger barrier that’s going to take some time for you to get over, they might want to unassign your ticket. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t be assigned as soon as you’re ready to go.

STACEY>> Okay. And then, Kathleen, you had mentioned earlier that one of the responsibilities is to report wages to Social Security. So, what happens if you forget to report your income or your wage?

KATHLEEN>> A lot of it depends on the benefit that you’re receiving. I have some of my Social Security recipients that – that kind of talk to their Social Security, they’re on SSDI and they talk to their particular agent. And they have an agreement worked out where maybe they just in their W-2 every year, or they turn in pay stubs every six months. On SSI, it’s really, really important that you turn them in every month because your benefits are affected by those earnings. And so if you forget, you want to get the – contact Social Security immediately because you can be put in an overpayment status where they will pay you more than they should. And, I don’t know, Tina, do you want to talk a little bit more about that?

TINA>> I’m watching our time. I think you’ve done a pretty good explanation of it.

KATHLEEN>> Okay.

STACEY>> Okay, great. Thank you so much, Kathleen. And I did want to mention that in our Web Links pod there is a resource called Preventing and Managing Overpayments where you can get more information on this topic. And that link is https://choosework.ssa.gov/library/FAQ-Preventing-and-Managing-Overpayments. So if you would like more information on reporting your income and preventing and managing those overpayments, go ahead and you can click on that link in the Web Links pod.

All right.  I do have a couple more questions that we’re going to try to cover before we wrap things up for today. So, Tina, I’m going to jump over to you with our next question that we received. And that question asks if we can get help from the Ticket to Work program to start your own business. 

TINA>> So, when you say start your own business, the financial piece of it, typically, financially the answer may – may be no. However, what is helpful is to work with an Employment Network who can help guide you in setting up that business. Your WIPA project will be able to help you look at how taxes are pulled out. Not that they will do their taxes for you, but they can talk about how work impacts the – how self-employment impacts your benefits. Again, think of the EN and the WIPA project as your kind of the connector to the many resources out there. I know with our WIPA projects, we connect a lot of people to SBOR in Indiana. Which is a small business community that helps individuals connect together. There are agencies that can help you put together an actual business plan. So, we’re more of the linkage agent, if that makes any sense.

STACEY>> It sure does. And I do have another question for you here, Tina. Would you talk a little bit more about why goal setting is important to help the people achieve – achieve their financial independence?

TINA>> Well, in all actuality, I – I continually go back to that conversation about running races. Is when you’re talking about going out and building a career, you have to start out with those basic pieces. Remember we talked about a job, then a better job, and then a career. So if you think about your goal settings, putting that in place, if I look back at my career personally, I could clearly state that I – I started out just getting some basic knowledge of the workforce. So, setting that first goal, then the next goal, and then the next goal. And to be honest, I talked to a lot of people about going back to work who were often very nervous about going back to work. They may have had a bad experience. They may have little or no work history. So talking about going to work is kind of a scary thing. So what they basically – what I advise people is that that first step sometimes is the absolute hardest step. So if you can make that into one of those short-term goals that’s achievable, and you can make it there, then you feel a little bit better. That’s why I always set my first goal when I start training for marathons for one mile. Because I know I can make it to the first mile. I’m not sure I can make it to the fifth mile, but at least I can get to that first. So, again, setting those goals helps you get to those next stages.

STACEY>> All right. Thank you, Tina. So it sounds like a really good next step for somebody is to start with those – those short-term goals and just keep building on them and celebrating them.

TINA>> Keep building and hopefully you’ll get to that full marathon.

STACEY>> Excellent. Thank you so much.

All right. So we are out of time for questions today, and thank you to everyone for sending in your questions, and we’ll talk a little bit later about where you can go if you have some additional questions.

But, to stay on top of what’s going on with WISE and the Ticket program, you can subscribe to learn about the latest WISE webinar or get email and text message updates about new blog posts as they become available. To subscribe for WISE emails, go to http://bit.ly/WISEsubscribe. And to subscribe for Ticket program updates, please go to http://bit.ly/SubscribeCW. 

If we were not able to answer your question today or you have additional questions, you can reach out to the Ticket to Work help line at 866-968-7842. Or for TTY, 866-833-2967. Or you can visit the Ticket to Work website at choosework.ssa.gov.

You can also stay in touch or connected to us by liking us on Facebook @choosework. You can follow us on Twitter @chooseworkSSA. You can subscribe to our YouTube channel @choosework. And/or you can follow us on LinkedIn @ticket-to-work.

Please join us for our next WISE webinar, which will be held on Wednesday, February 27, 2019, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern time. And registration is currently open, and you can register online at chooework.ssa.gov/WISE. Or you can call 866-968-7842. Or for TTY, 866-833-2967.

Your feedback is very important to us, so please take some time and provide your feedback. Tell us what you think about today’s webinar by taking our survey. And to take the survey, you can follow the link that will pop up after this webinar, or you can visit the Ticket to Work website to complete the survey at choosework.ssa.gov/surveys/WISE.

Thank you again for attending today, and please take the opportunity to reach out to any of the resources that we discussed and take the next step in your career path. We have resources and support services to help you no matter what stage you are at in your journey.

Thank you so much. And this concludes our webinar.