WISE Ticket to Work Webinar
Debunking the Three Biggest Myths About Disability Benefits and Work
February 27, 2019

Speakers: Stacey Plizga (Moderator); Jaime Head & Amy Wallish (Presenters)

STACEY>> Good afternoon, and welcome to today’s Ticket to Work webinar: Debunking the Three Biggest Myths About Disability Benefits and Work.

My name is Stacey Plizga, and I will be your moderator for today’s webinar. 

To get us started, I would like to review some items that will help you get the most out of 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. I’m very excited to be here with you all today as your moderator. We are also delighted to have with us two speakers from Full Circle Employment Solutions, who will not only share information about Social Security Ticket to Work programs, but will also help us to debunk the three biggest myths about disability benefits and work. And then, by doing that, they will assist you in your journey to financial independence.

Our first speaker, Jaime Head, has been working in the field of benefits counseling as a Community Work Incentive Coordinator, or CWIC, for various projects throughout the country for over ten years. She has recently joined the Ticket to Work program at Full Circle Employment Solutions as a Ticket to Work Program Coordinator. Jaime has also spent many years advocating for and with people with disabilities through the Centers for Independent Living and with adaptive recreation programs. Welcome to Jaime.

Our second speaker, Amy Wallish, is the founder and CEO of Full Circle Employment Solutions. Amy’s passion is helping people achieve their dreams and stepping outside the box to get there. Amy has worked for over 20 years with people with differing abilities. She is an expert on Social Security work incentives and the Ticket to Work program. Amy has trained across the country on Social Security benefits, Ticket to Work and asset development.

We have some very knowledgeable presenters with us today, and we are very excited that they are here to share their experiences and expertise and assist you with your employment journey.

I’d like to say welcome again and thank you to all of our participants out there for joining us today. We have a very informative session planned where our guest presenters will identify, discuss, and respond to your questions on the three biggest myths about disability benefits and work. They’ll also talk about Social Security disability benefits, including the Ticket to Work program and the work incentives that are offered.

Finally, we will tie it all together and provide additional resources to assist you in meeting your goals.

It is my pleasure to introduce Jaime Head, who will talk to us about the Ticket to Work program, work incentives, as well as debunk the first myth about disability benefits and work. So over to you, Jaime.

JAIME>> Great. Thank you so much, Stacey, and welcome, everybody to the webinar today.

So, getting into the Ticket to Work program, there’s a lot of different reasons for – for going to back to work or increasing what you’re doing with work. And really, you know, what we like to talk with people about is – is – is their own personal journey. And whatever decision you make for yourself is 100% fine and is completely up to you. So we’re there to really help guide you on your journey to meet the goals that – that you’re trying to achieve. 

When we’re thinking about work, we all – we all go to work, obviously, for a lot of different reasons. I think one of the biggest reasons is to increase our financial independence. A lot of times, you know, when we’re talking with folks, people want to set aside money or be able to save some money to reach those long-term goals, like maybe putting money down for a house or a vehicle. A lot of the times it’s just being able to pay those everyday bills. A lot of other benefits that come along, obviously, with choosing work is meeting new folks, new colleagues, new clients. Building onto the skills that you might already have. And tying it all together so that hopefully it leads you to that next step.

So when we, you know, start out by either starting work for the first time or returning back into the work world, that’s just one of the first steps, but we know there’s a lot of other steps that come after that.

So what is the Ticket to Work program? I think there’s a lot of, you know, different questions out there, and sometimes things can get a little bit confused. So with the Ticket to Work program, it is a work incentive with Social Security. And it is Social Security’s national employment program. So with that, the biggest – the intent for the Ticket to Work program is to help folks with their career development. And it is directed towards people who have disabilities and who receive disability benefits and are ages – I’m sorry, between the ages 18 through 64.

The Ticket to Work program is free. There is no cost to you as the – the beneficiary. And it is completely voluntary. So you don’t necessarily need to sign up with the Ticket to Work program in order to work, but it’s definitely a good support for a lot of people as far as getting to the next steps and reaching those different goals.

As far as the Ticket to Work program, there’s a lot of different employment networks and vocational rehabilitation agencies throughout the country that operate under the Ticket to Work program. And so every agency is different throughout the country as far as what their services are and their resources. But some of the things that are offered could include things like job coaching. So assisting with, you know, different tasks or building on different skills for jobs. Job counseling and career exploration. Trying to figure out what – what kind of job, you know, might be the best fit. Some agencies are able to provide resources for, let’s say, new training. So if you’re leaving one career field and trying to get into a different one, sometimes there’s employment networks (inaudible) your agencies that can assist with training to get into a new field.

Benefits counseling is oftentimes provided. Again, every agency is different. But with benefits counseling, it’s a – it’s an important piece because it really helps to explain all of the work rules for Social Security benefits as well a healthcare benefits and any other state or county benefits that you might be receiving so that you no, really, how to plan and how to manage those – the benefits and your financial goals going forward. 

And then some employment networks, there will be vocational rehabilitation agencies can assist with job placement as well. So some assist with finding jobs and some are able to assist with actual direct placement.

So with that, it’s really important to figure out which employment networks or vocational rehabilitation agencies provide what. So, oftentimes, you know, if a person is contacting the Ticket to Work Helpline, you might be coached in almost doing a – a quick interview of different employment networks that might be in your area to find out who provides what, and which employment network or VR agency – I’m sorry, vocational rehabilitation agency – might be the best fit for you.

So, again, it’s completely up to you, and it’s just about finding, you know, that right agency that works with us for you.

So once you have found the right employment network or vocational rehabilitation agency, the next step, really, is to create a plan. And that plan is called a – an IWP, an Individual Work Plan, if you’re working with an employment network. And that plan, really, it lays out nicely what your short-term and long-term employment goals are, as well as what services that employment network is able to provide for you given what your specific goals are.

With that, then the next step, really, if you haven’t already started a job, is to find work and with the ultimate goal of reducing and/or eliminating your reliance on Social Security Disability benefits, whether that’s Social Security disability or SSI. And with that, you know, making – part of making that IWP, the Individual Work Plan, when you’re reviewing what those goals are, it’s helpful to figure out at what point, you know, does it make sense to be able to let go of those – of the SSI or SSDI cash benefits. 

So, the ultimate goal, you know, really, of the Ticket to Work program is to provide support, implement support, so that you can reach that goal of eliminating – or reducing or eliminating your need for – for those cash benefits.

So, along with that, you know, we talk about how Ticket to Work is a work incentive through Social Security that helps to provide a lot of these employment supports. There’s also a lot of different work incentives that has their own specific rules that might be able to assist you with various things like receiving training for new skills. Sorry, improving the skills that you might already have. Pursuing education, so if you’re wanting to return to school to start a different career – career field, for example, there are some work incentives that might be able to assist with that.

And then, you know, besides that, as you’re building up all of your experience, whether we know it at not at the time, we are building up that confidence, and we are building on the skills that we have. So with the work incentives, I know a little bit later in the webinar, Amy will touch on some work incentives such as Pass or dispute and earned income exclusion. And some of these work incentives can assist with some of these topics that we just talked about.

All right. So moving on to debunking myths. What I always like to tell people is that in the world of Ticket to Work, and in the world of (inaudible) counselors, we’re – I like to think of ourselves as myth busters. Because there are a lot of myths out there, and they’re not intentional. It’s just, I think a lot of times kind of like the game of telephone, where a person hears one thing, and by the time it gets to the last person, the – the message has changed. Again, very unintentionally, but we know that – that they’re out there. So, it’s our job to really help to debunk these myths so that you have the most up-to-date and accurate information as far as how working affects the specific benefits that you have.

So one of the – the biggest myths is, if I go to work, I’ll automatically lose my healthcare, my Medicare, or my Medicaid. And the – the great news is that that’s not true. As long as you’re receiving either a benefit – a cash payment in any amount, you’ll receive your Medicare or your Medicaid, depending on, you know, which benefits – which benefits you receive.

Now, here’s the cool thing. If your benefit payments stop because you’re working and you’re earning amounts that either your cash benefit has reduced or been suspended, there’s still some really great safety nets, some protections, that will allow you to keep the healthcare, the Medicare or the Medicare. And so, you can keep these benefits, or maintain these benefits, through different work incentives. And one of the most powerful work incentives out there, I would say, is the Medicaid buy in. For a lot of states, there are Medicaid – they’re called Medicaid Buy-in programs. And with the buy-in programs, as many of us know, Medicaid, a lot of times the income threshold to become eligible or maintain eligibility for Medicaid is – is at a low enough level where it becomes hard to keep that Medicaid, especially once you start increasing your income through work.

So, for many states, there’s Medicaid buy-in programs specifically set up for folks with disabilities who are employed. Now, as far as the eligibility for the Medicaid buy-in programs, they are very different state to state, so you’ll definitely want to either check in with, for example, your local DHS office that (inaudible) administer the – the Medicaid program. Or even check in with a benefits counselor through either the Ticket to Work program or through the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance program to find out specifically what the criteria or the eligibility is for the Medicaid program. I’m sorry – for the Medicaid Buy-in program. But usually the income levels and the resource levels are much higher than just the standard resource and income limits for Medicaid. And the nice thing with that is it also keeps – usually – keeps the premiums quite low. So, if a person has standard Medicaid at no cost, the income and the resources – resource limits are lower, but then once you’re into the Medicaid Buy-in program, those limits are much higher. Usually what that means, though, is then you’re paying a little bit of a premium. But, again, those premiums for many states are usually quite low and can fluctuate, you know, based on your income. So, again, please check with your local agencies or benefits counselors to get the most updated information for your area on that.

And then, the other really important and powerful work incentive for folks receiving SSI is called 1619(b). And 1619(b) is a fantastic work incentive. I’ll say it’s one of my most favorite work incentives because it allows a person to maintain their Medicaid at no cost. And, again, this is specifically for SSI beneficiaries. 

So what happens is when you’re working, as an SSI beneficiary, you’re SSI checks start getting reduced based on your income. And once that SSI gets reduced to zero, then the safety net of 1619(b), for most states, kicks in. And what that does is it allows you to maintain your Medicaid, like I said, at no cost, as long as your resources are still under that resource limit for Medicaid. But the income limit suddenly goes up a lot higher, again depending on the state that you reside in. So, you’ll want to check, like I said, with your local agencies or local benefits counselor to find out the – the specific information for your area. But, again, it’s a way to maintain that Medicaid even if you’re SSI goes to zero because of work.

So then, with Medicare, the – there’s a lot of really great (inaudible) with Medicare as well. There is the extended period of Medicare coverage, and what that does is it allows a person to maintain their Medicaid – I’m sorry, Medicare – even once they have moved into the phases where the SSDI check is either suspended or has stopped due to how much income a person is earning. And that Medicare, that extended period of Medicare coverage, can last for quite a long time. It can actually last for at least 93 months from the time a person completes their ninth trial work period month, as long as the individual is still paying those Medicare premiums. So once that SSDI check is suspended or stopped, then what happens is Medicare will start billing you directly for that Medicare premium. So as long as you’re paying those premiums, that Medicare will continue.

And then Medicare for people with disabilities who work. So beyond that extended period of Medicare coverage, there are sometimes options that would allow you to maintain that Medicare even beyond the 93 months. So, again, getting with a – a benefits counselor or a certified work incentives counselor would be really helpful to be able to assess specifically where you are at in that time frame and that safety net for these two fairly important work incentives.

I think I jumped over this slide. We’re talking about SSI and 1619(b) on the last slide. So, again, to maintain 1619(b), you still need to meet Social Security’s definition of disability. And, again, your resources need to be below that resource limit for Medicaid. And then you have to have gross earnings that are below your state’s threshold of eligibility. So, again, please check with your local area to get the most accurate information for where you’re at.

And, again, with the Medicaid Buy-in program, just to recap. You do need to still be disabled or be found disabled under the Social Security Act. So, even if your SSDI cash benefit has been suspended or stopped because of how much you’re earning from the job, you still need to meet that definition of disability.

And the other – the other piece of it is as long as you would be eligible for SSI payments if you didn’t have the earnings from your job. So, that 1619(b), getting back to that, you still need to meet that definition of disability as well. And know that if the job were to stop, you would, as long as you meet that definition of disability, you could be found eligible for that benefit again.

All right. And then just getting into the technical part of the Medicare coverage, there’s a few different pieces to the Medicare. There’s the Part A which covers hospital – hospital stays. Part B which is why you receive those Medicare premiums, or why you pay those Medicare premiums. It helps to get you in to – in to see your providers. And then Part D is for prescription drug coverage. So, again, once you’ve completed your last, or your ninth, trial work period months, the Medicare – the extended Medicare – can continue for at least another 93 months from there.

All right. And again, to clarify, you must have already been eligible for Medicare. And be working at what’s called substantial gainful activity, or SGA. And that substantial gainful activity level, as of this year, is $1,220.00 gross per month. And so, if you’re earning above that, then you would be in the – in that extended period of Medicare coverage. Again, keeping that Medicare as long as you’re paying for those premiums.

And this last bullet here where it says you cannot be medically improved, what that really just means is that you need to still continue to meet the definition of disability. So as long as your disability hasn’t become medically improved or has gone away, then it’s likely that you would continue to meet that definition of disability.

All right. I have to apologize. I know I jumped into a lot of this here during one of the previous slides, but to get back to the Medicare for people with disabilities who work, this is after the premium-free Medicare coverage ends due to work, then you can actually buy into Medicare coverage. And, again, that’s usually after those – the 93 months has ended. And you can continue, potentially, receiving the Medicare for people with disabilities who work as long as you are under the age of 65, because at that magic age of 65, that’s when we become eligible for Medicare just simply based on age. And as long as you continue to have the – the disabling impairment or as long as you are found to still meet that definition of disability.

And you can continue eligible for this Medicare Buy-in if your Medicare stops due to work. So, again, if after the 93 months of extended Medicare has ended, then you can buy into this Medicare coverage.

All right. So, to get more information on the enrollment period, or, you know, figure out where you’re at, really, with these different safety nets, with the different time periods, certainly you can contact social security. And the phone numbers are listed on the slide.

And then with Medicare, you can also contact Medicare directly. You can go to their website, or you can call their 1-800 number to get more information.

Again, another way of getting a lot of accurate information that is specific to you, you can contact a – a benefits counselor, a certified work incentives counselor in your area. And, again, you can either find those services through a Ticket to Work program or through a work incentives (inaudible).

All right. Is this a good time for questions?

STACEY>> It sure is. And thank you, Jaime, for sharing the information on the Ticket to Work program and setting us all straight regarding working and Medicare and Medicaid.

You had talked about a number of services and work incentives that are available, so how about if we pause here and we take a few moments to address some of the questions that we have received from our audience on this topic.

And, Jaime, you talked about choosing a service provider. Could you give us some guidance on how to know which type of service provider is right for you?

JAIME>> Yes, definitely. So, there’s different ways to find service providers, whether they’re Employment That Works or vocational rehabilitation agencies in your area. You can certainly call the Ticket to Work Helpline. Or go to the Choose Work website, which I know we’ll talk a little bit more later as well. But once you find, you know, some service providers in your area, or service providers that provide services to your area, what we suggest is reaching out and actually contacting, you know, at least a few different providers and asking questions that are specific to you. So if you’re interested in, let’s say, for example, getting some retraining, make sure to ask that question, because, again, not every service provider will provide that depending on their services and their resources. 

You can also ask questions like if they assist with (inaudible) counseling, or with searching for jobs. Whatever your main goals are, feel free to ask those questions. Don’t be shy when you’re talking with the different service providers because really this is – this is your journey, and you want to make sure that you’re finding the agency that works the best for you.

STACEY>> Okay. Thank you, Jaime.

JAIME>> You’re welcome.

STACEY>> You also mentioned the Buy-in program and 1619(b) as work incentives. How long can – how long can a beneficiary receive work incentives such as the Buy-in program and 1619(b)?

JAIME>> So that’s a really good question. With 1619(b), specifically, and, again, that’s specifically for SSI beneficiaries, that can actually go on indefinitely as long as you meet the criteria of maintaining that – the definition of disability. So as long as you meet that definition of disability. As long as your resources are under that resource limit, and as long as your income is under the income threshold specific to your state, there is no time limit for 1619(b).

And if I go back real quick, I have to apologize, I meant to mention that there is – the updated state thresholds amounts can be accessed in the Weblinks pod as continuing Medicaid eligibility six – I’m sorry, section 1619(b). So with that you can find information that’s specific to your state.

As far as the Medicaid Buy-in programs, a lot of times, and, again, this is – it differs state to state, so you really want to make sure that you’re finding out the most accurate information for your area. But even with the Medicaid Buy-in program, a lot of times there’s not necessarily a time limit as long as you are maintaining your employment and you’re meeting the income and the resource criteria.

STACEY>> Okay. Thank you, Jaime, and thank you for letting us know that that link to the 1619(b) was in the Weblinks pod. That’s very helpful.

You mentioned that there is something called an employment network and a vocational rehab service. Could you tell us what the difference is between these two?

JAIME>> Yes, absolutely. So, vocational rehab – or vocational rehabilitation agencies, they’re state agencies that provide services to individuals with disabilities to, you know, really, with the intent of providing employment support. And a lot of times with vocational rehabilitation agencies, their services are pretty robust. So there’s a lot of different resources and assistance that they might be able to provide. And so, with that, when you’re working with a vocational rehabilitation agency, then your Ticket to Work is automatically in use. So, one of the biggest things to know is that if you’re – if you’re signed up and enrolled in services, for example, with a vocational rehabilitation agency, or if you’re signed up with an employment network, you can’t be signed up with both at the same time. So once your ticket is assigned to one of those programs, that’s the program that you work with until you decide to move on and work with another agency.

So hopefully that answers the question about vocational rehabilitation agencies. As far as employment networks, there’s lots of different employment networks throughout the country that are not – they’re not, you know, state agencies like vocational rehabilitation agencies. So employment networks, they are also – they also operate under the Ticket to Work program. And I would say with employment networks, they’re a lot more individualized as far as the services that are provided, but, again, with the same intent of providing employment supports to help you reach those goals to work and to reduce or eliminate your need for cash benefits.

STACEY>> Great. Thank you so much, Jaime. Many – many jobs may require obtaining certifications. Can the Ticket to Work programs help with obtaining these certifications?

JAIME>> You know, that’s a good question. It’s possible. Certainly I know that, like I said earlier, every employment network is different, so it’s – it’s not standard across the board, and that’s why it’s really important for folks to call around to different employment networks to find out specifically what resources and services they provide. But there are employment networks out there that may be able to assist with training, or, you know, certification, just depending on, you know, what it is that you want to do.

STACEY>> Great. So what I’m hearing, Jaime, is that it’s very important to call around and talk to different employment networks about which, you know, services they offer and what matches up most closely to what – to what your needs are. So, thank you for that.

JAIME>> Absolutely.

STACEY>> And to piggyback off of that question on certifications, does the Ticket to Work program provide any assistance with getting a college degree?

JAIME>> So with college degrees it’s – it’s – it’s a similar answer to certification. There may be employment networks out there that have either funding themselves to be able to assist with going back to school or obtaining that degree. Or even having connections to other resources that might be able to assist with returning to school. So, again, it literally depends on the employment network and – and the resources that they provide.

STACEY>> All right. Great. And I have one last question here for you, Jaime, before we move on. And you had discussed getting assistance with the Ticket to Work program. Does the Ticket to Work program provide assistance with finding a work-from-home job?

JAIME>> That’s a good question. And, amazingly enough (inaudible). I feel like, you know, with a lot of the calls that we get as an employment network, that’s becoming the more of the trend or more of a – a question, you know, that people are often asking. So – so, again, it depends on the employment network. I’m sorry, I feel like I’m a – a broken record with that. But, there’s, you know, employment networks that can assist with finding, you know, people jobs. A lot of times what employment networks will do, is the staff that works with the individual is not just send you, you know, generic job leads. And we try really hard to narrow down job leads that are out there that are specific to what you are looking for. So, if you’re looking for, you know, a job working from home, an employment network may be able to assist with that, again, just depending on what their specific services are.

STACEY>> Thank you, Jaime, for the thorough answers to the questions that were sent in by our participants. And, although we do have some more questions, we can address those a little later in the webinar. We are going to stop here.

But before we move on, I would like to remind everyone that accessible materials from today’s webinar are available in a number of places. You can either find them in the Weblinks pod that is the bottom – at the bottom right-hand side of your screen. Or you can go to your confirmation email that you received for today’s webinar. Or you can email Ticket to Work at webinars@choosework.ssa.gov. So a number of places you can find those accessible materials.

We will now hear from our second speaker, Amy Wallish, who will help debunk the second and third myths about disability benefits and work. So I will turn it over to Amy.

AMY>> Great. Thank you, Stacey. Hello, everybody.

So, myth number two. So one of the things that we often will hear when we’re talking to folks is the question about, if I use my ticket to go to work, Social Security is going to conduct a medical review of my case, and then I’m going to lose my benefits.

And so, that myth is actually false. It’s actually not true. When you go to work, and if you are participating in the Ticket to Work program, and you have already selected an employment network or a state vocational rehabilitation agency to work with you through the Ticket program, you are not going to have to go through a medical review. Now, if you get a notice from Social Security about a medical review prior to selecting and completing that individual work plan with the employment network, then you still would have that review completed. And as long as you’re – you have to be making timely progress, which we’re going to talk about. If you’re not making what’s called timely progress, then you may go through a medical review as well.

And so what is timely progress for this timely progress review? So, Social Security is going to complete a timely progress review to measure your success with achieving your work goals and what you put in that individual work plan with your employment network or with your vocational rehabilitation agency.

And so you’ll create this individual work plan, and it’s very specific to your goals. So they’re looking – we’re looking, when we talk and sit down with someone, we’re talking about what are the work goals you – you have? What are the earnings levels that you want to earn? And what are the supports that you might need to reach those goals? 

So some of the services Jaime already talked about. And there’s a few fact sheets in the weblink that you all can click on as well. There is an individual work plan fact sheet that talks a little bit about how you create the individual work plan. It talks about timely progress and what that looks like.

There is another fact sheet that – in that weblink – on Timely Progress Review Fact Sheet, is what it’s called. Or a TPR fact sheet is what it looks –it says in the Weblinks. And that’s going to be a little bit more information about what those different measures look like that Social Security is looking at.

And there is another fact sheet in here about Ticket – it’s called the Ticket Partnership Plus fact sheet. And I want to pause and talk just a little bit about Partnership Plus and Ticket Partnership Plus.

So when you select an agency to work with you under the Ticket to Work program, many times you’ll go to the state vocational rehabilitation agency. They’re the large agency in the state. They’re going to help you. They have a lot of different services that they provide. That’s great. You work with them. And at the point when they get ready to close your case with the VR, with that vocational rehab agency, typically you’re working and you’ve been stable in that job for a while. Once that happens, and they close your case, that allows your Ticket, if it’s been assigned to the state vocational rehab agency, to be allowed to now be assigned to another employment network of your choice. And so, as Jaime talked about and we’ll talk a little bit more later, is about how to find those employment networks.

But what Partnership Plus does is it allows you to have kind of a – a seamless transition. So, when you’re working with the vocational rehabilitation agency, and typically they will have their providers, their vendors, who provide employment support, so helping you find a job, and then potentially some job coaching, things like that, they may have already connected you to a provider. That provider may also be an employment network. And so, what Partnership Plus does, it allows you to have a seamless transition with, yes, I’m working with vocational rehab, my Ticket is in use for vocational rehab, I’m stable on the job, but I still want to have protection from the continuing disability reviews, and I still want to have some support. Maybe I need to continue to have benefits counseling, or I need some job coaching, or I’m in a job that’s not really my ultimate work goal, then I can have that smooth transition to continuing to work with that provider, just not as a vendor of VR, but now through the Ticket to Work program.

So that is kind of what Partnership Plus does. It allows there to be a smooth transition between the vocational rehab agency and an employment network, and you as the individual receiving services, will be able to continue to work with that same provider.

Now not all providers who are vendors of vocational rehabilitation are going to be employment networks, so you’ll want to look, and I will show you a tool where you can look to see who the employment networks are in a few minutes.

So back to timely progress. So, you will have a review done approximately every 12 months. Social Security is going to do a review. And typically what they’ll do, because people got kind of fearful of – of what this means or what it – what it is. So, basically, what they’ll do is they’ll – they’ll send you a letter in the mail, a questionnaire, and you have to answer it and send it back within a certain amount of time. And so you want to make sure that any time Social Security sends you any kind of request for information or paperwork to complete, that you’re completing it within their timeframe and sending it back.

So, some examples of timely progress review requirements, and they’re on that fact sheet, that Timely Progress Review fact sheet in the Weblinks, but at the first 12-month review – so, typically, when you sign your individual plan for employment, or your Individual Work Plan, and you’ve selected an employment network to work with, that Ticket is assigned or put in use. Then about 12 months later, you’re going to get a questionnaire. And what Social Security is going to be looking at is have you worked three out of the last 12 months at what’s called the trial work period level. Which is – right now it’s $880.00 in a month of gross wages. That trial work threshold changes every January. But right now it’s $880.00. So Social Security is looking, are you – are you – have worked at least three months out of the last 12 earning at this trial work level? Or, have you completed 60% of a full-time course load? Have you been in school, you’ve completed this course load towards one year of a degree, a certification? It can be technical. It can be a vocational program. It could be getting your GED. There’s – project search would fall under this. There are a lot of things that fall under this particular requirement.

It can also be a combination of both working and educational programs. So maybe I’m working part time. I’m not actually earning the $880.00 threshold right now, but I’m also participating and I’m taking a couple of courses, a few courses, at my local community college. That may qualify you as meeting timely progress.

So what you’ll do is you’ll just answer the questionnaire that you receive, and you’ll send that back. And then Social Security will review if you’re – if you’re making timely progress.

So what happens if you don’t meet that timely progress review requirement? So the first thing I will say is don’t panic. Sometimes we’ll get phone calls – I’ll get a phone call from someone who got this letter that says, you no – you are no longer meeting timely progress. You are now potentially eligible to have a continuing disability review. It’s not necessarily the end of the world. It’s important for you to know what that means.

So, first of all, if you don’t make timely progress, so maybe you weren’t able to achieve finding that employment or working the period of time that you needed to to meet that requirement, you can still continue to participate and be a part of the Ticket to Work program. The Ticket to Work program is not contingent upon meeting that review. 

Your benefits are not going to necessarily be affected by not meeting timely progress review requirements. Okay? One thing that you want to keep in mind, though, is if – if you’re not meeting that timely progress review, then you’re no longer protected from having a continuing disability review. And what that means is then Social Security can do a review to determine if you’re still eligible, if you still meet the definitions of having a disability and eligibility requirements for the benefits that you are receiving.

And, so, sometimes – most often I will counsel people that, you know, for the most part the continuing disability review is not necessarily a huge thing. It’s a lot of paperwork that you have to complete. However, for some people it is an incredibly huge deal. And I’ll give you a short example of one of our Ticket participants a few years ago who came in and was receiving Social Security Disability Insurance. And she was a – a transplant recipient. And as a transplant recipient, according to Social Security, you’re consid – you’re considered to have a disability for three years. After those three years, if – if everything has gone fine with the transplant, you’re – you’re considered no longer to have a disability. And so, for this young person, when she came to us, and she assigned her Ticket, and she was working, she was making timely progress. She continued to make timely progress, which protected her from that continuing disability review when if she would have had it, she potentially would have no longer been have been eligible for the benefits she was receiving.

So for some people it’s very important. For the vast majority of people, it – it’s a matter of being protected from, you know, not having to do it, not having to go through paperwork, things like that. So, again, it’s really important for you to speak with a certified benefits planner to gather information about that. To talk more with your employment network about that. Every employment network should be giving you some guidance about timely progress and about continuing disability reviews. 

Okay. So, our third myth is, if my Social Security payments stop because I go to work, and then I have to stop working because of my disability, I will have to reapply for benefits all over again. And we hear this one a lot as well because we hear it – it was incredibly difficult for me to get on my Social Security benefits to begin with, I don’t want to have to go through this again. So what’s going to happen if I go to work?

So, the good news is it’s false. You are not going to necessarily lose your benefits. There are protections in place. When – when you work, and if you earn enough money, and you go through all of the protections that might already be there that Social Security has in place. And then at that point Social Security terminates you from the benefit program you’re on, then you have a five-year window of time where you can request to have your benefits reinstated – it’s called Expedited Reinstatement – if the reason you had to stop working was due to your disability.

I’m going to repeat that. If you’re working, and you’re terminated from the Social Security program, either SSI or SSDI, and you have to reduce your hours or you leave your job, and it has to be disability related, then you can reapply a very quick way through Expedited Reinstatement. So it’s a really great protection for – for folks. And I have specifically worked with several people to help them get Expedited Reinstatement done.

So, what EXR, Expedited Reinstatement, does is, as I said, it is a protection. It’s a safety net there for when – when you are terminated from either SSI or SSDI, you have a five-year period of time. There is a – a simplified application or simplified form that you do have to complete. But once you notify Social Security, and you tell them, you know, the reason you had to stop working or your hours are reduced, and you’re requesting Expedited Reinstatement, they will restart your cash benefit temporarily, for six months, while you get that paperwork in and it’s processed by Social Security. The six months you receive those cash benefits, there’s no strings attached. So what happens, if Social Security determines you’re eligible, continuing to be eligible, for the benefits based on your previous disability, then you’ll just keep getting your benefit check again? If Social Security determines you’re no longer eligible for – based on the same disability that you previously had, then you don’t have to pay back those six months.

So it’s a great way, especially for individuals when – when you have a – when you have an impairment that you know flares, it comes and goes, you may have good – good periods of time and not so good periods of time, this is a protection out there for you where if something were to happen after – after termination, it’s a way to potentially get those benefits back. And, again, a certified work incentive counselor or benefits counselor can help – can help with this work incentive.

Okay. I think we’re ready for more questions.

STACEY>> We sure are, and thank you, Amy, for sharing the information on debunking the second and third myths about the Ticket and medical reviews and reapplying for benefits.

So, yes, we are going to pause here for a few moments to address some of the questions that we have received from our audience about this topic. 

And Amy, you had talked a little bit about the trial work period. Can you tell us a little more about the trial work period and what that entails?

AMY>> Sure. So, the trial work period is an SSDI, or Social Security Disability Insurance, work incentive. It is the first protection that anybody who receives Social Security Disability Insurance will get. And the trial work period, it’s there for someone to test their ability to go back to work without fear of losing their check at all. It’s nine months. The trial work period is nine months. The nine months don’t have to happen all in a row, though. It can – it – you have to complete all nine months within a five-year period of time. And if you don’t, no problem, it just keeps moving forward and the oldest months drop off. So it allows you this period of time where – to test whether or not you can work at this level. And like I mentioned earlier, the level right now is earning $880.00 a month in gross wages. And you could earn $10,000.00 in a month. You could earn $900.00 in a month. Social Security doesn’t really care. What they care about is, are you earning above or below that threshold? You still keep your SSDI checks for those nine months.

STACEY>> All right. Great information on the trail work period. Amy, can you tell us how someone can transition from a vocational rehab agency, or a VR, to an EN, which is an employment network?

AMY>> Sure. So, typically when you’re with a vocational rehabilitation agency, and when – when the VR – when that agency gets ready to close your case, so you’re talking with your vocational rehab counselor, they should be talking to you and saying, hey, I’m going to get ready to close your case. Once the case is closed, you can choose any employment network that you want to select to continue to work with. And, again, as Jaime has said earlier, you will want to research, you’ll want to ask questions, to get the right match for you.

If you are not super satisfied with the services you are receiving when you have an open case with your vocational rehabilitation agency, you can also potentially request – well, you can, you can request to have your case closed. We very much caution people about actually closing a VR – a vocational rehab case – if you have one open just because there’s a lot of resources that they have. We would instead recommend you kind of talk to your counselor, the counselor’s supervisor, or someone from the client assistance program to make sure that you are getting the services that you need before you would potentially close out that case and look for an employment network.

STACEY>> So it’s very important, then, to keep those open lines of communication back and forth. So thank you very much for that.

Another question, Amy, when someone is looking for a job, is it necessary to tell a potential employer about your disability?

AMY>> That’s a very good question. And the answer is – it’s no, it’s not necessary. It’s totally up to your personal decision making. We will definitely have a conversation, but I’ve had people ask me, well, what should I do? And I’m like, well, totally your – your decision. Things to think about, you want to consider when you’re – when you’re thinking about that is, you know, why would you – why do you need to disclose it? Are there accommodations that you need? Because if there are accommodations that you are requesting, most likely you will disclose. But if you’re not requesting accommodations, it’s not necessary at all to be disclosing that.

STACEY>> Okay. Well, thank you, Amy, for helping us to understand timely progress requirements and providing the information on those vocational rehabilitation agencies and the employment networks. I particularly liked how the employment team, when you talked about them, creates an individual work plan to help identify goals and provides the services to help the individuals reach their goals. So, lots of great information and great support and services there.

It is time now to move on, but before we do that, I would like to, again, remind everyone out there that the accessible materials from today’s webinar are available either in the Weblinks pod or in the confirmation email that you received for today’s webinar. Or by emailing the Ticket to Work team at webinars@choosework.ssa.gov.

So next Amy is going to tell us more about the Ticket program and the tools that are available and share some success stories of some of the participants. So, at this time I will turn it back over to you, Amy.

AMY>> Great. So, tying it all together, so it really is about Ticket. So, as we’ve heard, we’ve heard about, you know, what is Ticket. The goals of Ticket. To go to work. Eventually work your way off those cash benefits. We’ve talked about some of the work incentives, and I’ll talk a little bit more about them. It’s about, you know, how can I receive continuing support on my journey through work. And it’s really – that’s what Ticket does. The Ticket to Work program is there to support you on your journey, wherever you’re at on that journey.

And, so, again, only you can really decide if work is the right choice for you, and really what that work looks like. Some, you know, some people will work full time, part time, minimal. It’s really, you know, it’s an individualized choice. But there are tools and resources there to help you make some of those choices. 

And one of the things that I always tell folks when I’m presenting on just benefits and Ticket in general, is really, it’s understanding the – the rules around the benefits that you’re receiving. Understanding what are the resources out there for you. And one of the things, you guys are all on this call today, so you’re learning a lot about some of these resources, and I encourage you to look at the weblinks and to, you know, click on those and gather some of that information.

And, so, getting the education and the resources is going to set you up for success. It’s going to set you up for that financial independence. Whatever that financial independence is defined as for you.

And, so, it’s really, again, important to look at your Social Security benefits. And equally the tools that are out there for you.

And so, Social Security has over 20 work incentives. There are a lot of different work incentives, or I like to call them protections, available to people who receive SSI or SSDI, or if you receive both of them. These protections are – some of them are fairly well known. Some of them are not as well known. But they range, as we talked about the trail work period, as we talked about Expedited Reinstatement, Ticket to Work, those are all work incentives or protections. Tools to help you achieve your employment goals.

There are a few more listed on this slide. There is something called a Plan to Achieve Self Support. So one of the questions that was asked earlier about does an employment network help with school, with getting a degree. And Jaime answered that question in – in the way that I would as well, that it really depends on the employment network. But a Plan to Achieve Self Support is a potential tool that’s underutilized across the country for people who are on SSI. It is – it allows someone who has income, so you have to be a – qualify for SSI, and you have to have income other than SSI. And you can create a Plan to Achieve Self Support, both talking about what is my – my occupational, my work goal. And what are the steps to reach that work goal? And what are the costs related to those steps to reach that work goal?

So, for example, I helped create a PASS plan for a woman who wanted to be a museum curator. And she was – needed to have a modified vehicle. She needed to – wanted to help pay for tuition expenses to finish up her degree – her Bachelor’s degree. And then she wanted to have some professional business attire for interviews after that. 

So, that PASS plan that we created had to be approved by Social Security, but what we put in there were some of these – these things. And she was working part time. So we took all of her part-time income, and it went into this PASS plan. It allowed her to keep her full SSI check. And then the money that went into the PASS plan paid for some of these things. The state vocational rehab agency also paid for some of the things. But it allowed her to get to that goal. It was time limited.

Another quick example on a PASS plan, or a Plan to Achieve Self Support, was I worked with a woman where it was a six-month plan. And, really, she had gotten all the way through her, um, getting her schooling, or her training, to be a hairstylist. But she wound up not paying off the last portion of her tuition from the school. And she had taken a test, because you have to have a license, she took the license test, but they would not release that until she paid off that last little bit. And so she had been working a little bit part time, so she put that aside for six months to save to pay that off so that she could then get her certification – get the license so that she could then go out and get that full-time job.

So, for those of you who are on SSI, if you have income, it can be from work, it can be if you’re also receiving SSDI, you know, if a parent gifts you money, it could go into a PASS plan. It’s a really under-utilized plan.

Impairment-related work expenses are both for SSI and SSDI. And this is when someone is working. And you have expenses that are related to your disability and support you going to work. Common things would be copays for medication, doctor visits, therapy, if you took specialized transportation, things like that, we can tell Social Security about those things, and it changes what Social Security looks at, so depending on if you’re SSI or SSDI. And you potentially can keep some or – or more of your benefit check. It depends on your situation. But that’s something, again, that a benefits counselor would go over with you.

The Student-Earned Income Exclusion is a really, really great one for anybody who is considering work, and they’re young, under age 22, and are a student. So you can start this as early as 14, if I’m working, you know, when I’m 16, and I’m in high school, and I only work in the summer, and I’m on SSI, none of that income up to – the threshold this year is $1,870.00 I can earn in a month and Social Security is not going to look at, I’m going to still keep my full SSI check.

There’s more with that, but it’s a really great tool. It’s a great work incentive for a young person.

Unincurred business expenses. If I’m self-employed, there’s ways that some of the supports that I might be getting, help from families or friends, isn’t looked at.

Blind work expenses. So there is a special work incentive if my primary disability on record with Social Security is blindness. 

You can learn more about all of these and many more at the links that are on here. They’re also in the Weblinks pod. One is the Ticket to Work website. And the other one is the Red Book. That’s in the Weblinks, so I encourage you to look at those. The Red Book gives you all kinds of information, and if you’re trying to develop or use these work incentives, and you go to Social Security to report them, I always recommend you take a Red Book with you and you have it ready for the page for that work incentive. Because sometimes even Social Security staff at the front end, they’re not going to know it very well, and so if you’re able to show them, look, this is your publication, this is what I’m trying to do, that can help give you legitimacy to your claim that you’re requesting. Can help them understand what you’re trying to request.

I could go on and on about work incentives, but we’re going to keep going to talk about some success stories.

So, on the Ticket to Work website, there are a whole host of success stories. And there’s a link in the Weblinks. It’s the Ticket to Work Success Stories link. You can click on that, and you can learn and read about all kinds of different individuals and their stories. 

The three that are highlighted here today, so Brenda, she worked with an EN. They developed an individual work plan to develop her career where she gets to help others.

Laura used a Social Security-approved PASS Plan, which I was just talking about, to allow her to set aside resources, or set aside money, to help pursue the education and training she needed to reach her ultimate work goal.

Amy is actually a Full Circle success story, so I personally worked with Amy. So, Amy actually started working with us, she was connected to Full Circle through the vocational rehabilitation agency. So she was initially connected to the vocational rehab agency, who then referred her to use for fee-for-service benefits planning. Which, again, you may want to check in your state, if you’re looking for benefits planning, there’s different ways to find services. And one of them, sometimes the vocational rehab agency has a benefits planning fee-for-service where they can send you to a vendor for that. The other way is through your Work Incentive Planning and Assistance program, or WIPA. 

But Amy was with the VR agency, and then she was sent to us for benefits planning. And so her Ticket at that point had been assigned to the state vocational rehab agency. And she was actually receiving both SSI and SSDI, and she was in one of Social Security’s demonstration projects at that time. So she had a lot of benefit questions, her and her mom both.

She also, then, started to participate in Project Search, which some of you may have heard of. But it’s a – it’s a program typically for transition-age individuals in their last year of school to get real work experience in internships. And so she was participating with another vendor, another service provider, through the state vocational rehab agency, for those services.

And so what happened is when she was hired, after she completed Project Search she was hired by the – actually the county government where she lived, and – full time, and she was supported by the vocational rehab agency until they got ready to close her out. And we used Partnership Plus to have a seamless handoff where we, as Full Circle, came in to become the employment network that she chose after vocational rehab closed her case. And we partner with other agencies, and so (inaudible) was one of our agencies, and so the – (inaudible) the provider agency continued to provide, you know, supports on the job that she needed, and we continued to provide long-term benefits planning. And so because she received – continued to receive those supports, and because she’s pretty awesome, she continued to work through her – on her job, and everybody there just loved her. She’s still there today. She graduated from the Ticket to Work program I think early last year. And she’s just been really great.

So you can hear about all of these different folks on this website. Everybody has a unique story, and in some way, Social Security’s employment networks or vocational rehab agencies through the Ticket program has, you know, supported them through their journey.

Okay. So there is a Find Help tool. I love this tool. It’s on Social Security – on the website. It’s called choosework.ssa.gov/findhelp. This is the Choose Work website, and then the Find Help. You can then do a search to find all of the different service providers that participate. On the right side of the slide you’ll see there’s different icons, so there is – there is EN, Employment Network. There is Work Force, the WF. VR, Vocational Rehabilitation service agencies. WIPA, which is the Work Incentive Planning and Assistance program. And PASS, which is the Protection and Advocacy agencies across the country.

And so when you go to this Find Help tool, you can choose, if you’re looking for an employment network, if you’re looking for WIPA, which is the Work Incentive Planning and Assistance, or benefits planning program in your area. Or the VR, the Vocational Rehab. You can select who you are looking for. And you can do a search by zip code. You can do it by services offered. So someone had asked the question about if I want to work from home, or self-employment, you can potentially do searches on those things. Disability types. Languages spoken. And then provider types, which are these different five types. And so it’s a really useful tool. You can also select – I think on there if you – once you go in – typically I’ll do it by zip code, punch in a zip code, then you can select if you want to see everybody in the state. You can download this as an Excel document. And then you can do a sort, and that way you can make notes because, again, you want to research and talk to a few different people. But it gives you a contact person, a phone number, a website. You can look at the services they’ve done, how long they’ve been in business, how many Ticket holders they currently work with. That’s all right there on this tool for you to use. And so I love it. And it’s super helpful.

Okay. I think we’re back to questions.

STACEY>> We sure are, Amy. And I just wanted to say that I think one of the most – one of the things that stuck with me most about when you were talking was how you said that you have to make the right choice for you. And how important it is to find a service provider to help support you with that choice, and hence, you know, supporting you on your journey. So, you know, very important. So I hope everybody keeps that in mind, and, you know, makes that choice that is the right one for them.

Thank you for sharing the information on the success stories and for tying it all together for us. It’s very encouraging to hear about the individuals who have reached their employment and their career goals with the help of the Ticket to Work program. It helps to show us, too, that, you know, we can do the same. So, thank you for that.

Okay. So, for the remainder of our time today, we are going to try to address some additional questions. We just do have a few more minutes, so, the next question I’m going to address to Jaime.

So, Jaime, we do have some individuals who are interested in the Ticket to Work program on the line with us today. Would you provide some guidance on how they would get started with participating in Ticket to Work?

JAIME>> Absolutely. So, to, you know, really start the process, you can either contact the Ticket to Work Helpline, and a representative would be able to send you a list of different employment networks and VR agencies in your area. Or you can visit the Choose Work website that Amy just reviewed to find, you know, service providers in your area. And then, once you do that, really it’s just about reaching out, you know, to a few of the service providers, and asking what services they provide, and their processes to decide which employment network really would be the best fit for you.

STACEY>> Okay. Great. So, definitely we can take a look at that Weblinks pod and look at some of the links there, specifically like the Choose Work website to go to get some additional information. So thank you very much, Jaime.

And, Amy, I’m going to ask one last question of you. And that is, if someone is working with an employment network and they’re unhappy with the services the employment network provides, what happens then?

AMY>> Yeah, that’s a good question. So, ultimately it’s always your individual choice and right to choose who you want to work with. So, if you feel like you’re not getting the services that was agreed upon in the – in your individual work plan, or your employment network is not responding for some reason, the first thing I would recommend is that you actually try to talk to a supervisor at that agency just to get some more information and to see if you can work it out.

But if things aren’t able to be worked out, you can, at any time, unassign your Ticket and not participate with that agency any more. And there is a – there is a specific form that you can use to unassign it. And I – I don’t know if it’s on the Choose Work website, but I know if you call the Ticket to Work Helpline, that they can help you with that as well.

And then you can choose another employment network if you want to, or you can choose not to participate if that’s your choice. But it’s ultimately always your choice on whether to participate, not to participate, and who you want to participate with.

STACEY>> Great. All right. Thank you so much, Amy.

We are out of time for questions for today’s webinar. So thank you to everybody for sending in all of your great questions. Based on the ones we received, you have been a very attentive and thoughtful audience. So we will talk a little bit later about where you can go should you have additional questions.

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

If you are not able – or if we were not able to answer your question today or you have additional questions, you can reach out to the Ticket to Work Helpline at 1-866-968-7842. Or for TTY, 1-866-833-2967. 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. Can follow us on Twitter. Can subscribe to our YouTube channel. And/or you can follow us LinkedIn. All of these social media sites can be found in the Weblinks pod under Ticket to Work Social Media pages. So you can find them there in the Weblinks pod. 

And, finally, please join us for our next WISE webinar, which will be held on Wednesday, March 27, 2019, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. You can register online at choosework.ssa.gov/ - I’m sorry – forward slash WISE. Or you can call 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 for TTY. And please note that the March WISE registration is now open.

Your feedback is very important to us, so please provide your feedback and tell us what you think about today’s webinar by taking our survey. To take the survey, you can follow the link that will pop up after the webinar or visit the Ticket to Work website to complete the survey.

Thank you again for attending today and helping us debunk the three biggest myths about disability and benefits.

Please take the opportunity to reach out to any of the resources 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. And, again, these accessible materials can be – are available either in the Weblinks pod, or in your confirmation email from today’s webinar, or by emailing Ticket to Work. 

This concludes today’s webinar. Have a wonderful evening.