WISE Ticket to Work Webinar
Ticket to Work: Career Preparation for College Students with Disabilities
December 18, 2019

Speakers: Sarah Hyland (Moderator), Ray Cebula (Presenter)

SARAH>> Good afternoon, and welcome to today's Ticket to Work webinar, "Ticket to Work: Career Preparation for College Students with Disabilities."

My name is Sarah Hyland, and I'm a member of the Ticket to Work Team. I will be your moderator for today's webinar. We are so glad that you were able to take time to spend with us today to learn about Social Security's Ticket to Work Program and how it can help you as you start your path to financial independence through work.

Each of us has had our own path to follow, and we hope you find some information today that will assist you in moving forward on your path to employment and financial independence. Let's get started by going over some functions of the webinar platform so that you can interact and get the most out of today's information.

First, you can manage your audio using the audio option at the top of your screen. The audio option is an icon that looks like a microphone or telephone. All attendees will be muted throughout today's webinar. Thus, when presented with the option to join the audio conference, choose "Listen Only," which appears at the bottom right in the audio menu. Clicking "Listen Only" allows the sound to be broadcast through your computer speakers or your headphones. Please make sure your speakers are turned on or your headphones are plugged in.

If you're unable to connect to audio with your computer or prefer listening to the webinar by phone, dial 1-800-832-0736 and enter access code: 4189148#.

Next, we will share some information about webinar accessibility. On the Adobe Connect platform, you will notice that on your screen there are four different boxes. These boxes are called "pods." We have the Presentation pod where the slides appear. Below that is the Closed Captioning pod. In the top right-hand corner, you will see the Q&A pod; and below the Q&A pod, is the Web Links pod. We will talk about these pods in more detail a little bit later.

If you need assistance navigating Adobe Connect, an Accessibility User Guide with a list of controls is available at http://bit.ly/adobe-accessibility. This link is also available in the Web Links pod at the bottom right-hand corner of your screen; and it's titled, "Adobe Accessibility User Guide."

Real-time captioning is available and is displayed in the Captioning pod, which is the box that appears below the slide that is on your screen right now. The captioning link can be found in the Web Links pod under the title "Closed Captioning." 

We are here today to answer questions you may have on the Ticket to Work Program. Please send your questions to us at any time throughout the webinar by typing them into the Q&A pod. We will direct the questions to our speaker during the Q&A portions of our webinar. We will be addressing questions at three different points throughout today's presentation, so go ahead and send those questions in. We will do our best to answer as many of them as possible.

If you are listening by phone and are not logged into the webinar, you may ask questions by sending an e-mail to Ticket to Work. The e-mail is webinars@choosework.ssa.gov. 

Another resource available that we think you will find extremely helpful in connecting to different resources mentioned today is the Web Links pod, which you will find at the bottom right-hand side of your screen. This pod lists all the links to the resources presented during today's webinar. To access any of these resources, simply highlight the topic you are interested in and would like to connect to; and then select the "Browse To" button at the bottom of the pod, and you will be taken to the website requested.

If you are listening by phone or are not logged into the webinar or if you don't have access to the Web Links pod, you can e-mail Ticket to Work. The e-mail address is webinars@choosework.ssa.gov, or reference the confirmation e-mail that you received for today's webinar for a list of available resources. Also, please note that SSA cannot guarantee and is not responsible for the accessibility of external websites.

Today's webinar is being recorded, and a copy of it will be available within two weeks on the Choose Work website, which can be accessed at http://bit.ly/WISE_OnDemand. This link, as well as others, can be found in the Web Links pod we just talked about at the bottom right-hand corner of your screen; and it is titled, "Wise Webinar Archives."

We hope everyone has a great experience on the webinar today; however, if you run into any technical difficulties, please use the Q&A pod to send us a message; or you can send us an e-mail at the Ticket to Work e-mail address, which is webinars@choosework.ssa.gov. 

As I mentioned earlier, my name is Sarah Hyland; and I am a member of the Ticket to Work Team. I am excited to be here with you today as your moderator. 

We are delighted to have Ray Cebula with us here today. Ray received his law degree from the Franklin Pierce Law Center. He spent 23 years working with Legal Services, providing direct representation to individuals with disabilities having legal issues with the SSA. He became part of Cornell University's Work Incentive Support Center in 2000; and in 2005, was brought on staff at ILR's Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability, where he now serves as the Program Director of YTIOnline, which is Cornell's Work Incentive Practitioner Credentialing Program.

Thank you all for joining us today. We have a very informative session planned where our guest presenter will discuss the Ticket Program features, Social Security Work Incentives, how Ticket Program service providers and Social Security Work Incentives can help college students prepare to transition to the workforce.

At the close of today's webinar, we hope you will be able to better understand the Ticket Program and other work incentives; know how to choose a service provider to help you meet your employment goals; and be able to identify resources to support your financial independence and successful transition to the workplace after college.

With that, it's my pleasure to introduce Ray to start us off with the Ticket to Work Program and support on your journey to work and plenty of other helpful information.

Thanks, Ray.

RAY>> Thank you, Sarah...thank you.

It's great to be with everybody here today. This is one of those topics that's near and dear to my heart...to get all of you transition-age youths to work through college or however else we can do it. We're going to share a lot of great information and tips about how Social Security can help you do that.

Now, there are two different programs that we're going to discuss today...the Social Security Disability Insurance program, which is a program that some transition-age youth may have but may not necessarily have it through their own work record. This is a program where if you are working and paying FICA taxes, you are buying insurance in case you need it for disability purposes. The other program, the SSI program, Supplemental Security Income, is more of a Federal welfare program that provides benefits to people with disabilities who have low income and low resources.

Both programs are going to provide a lot of great work incentives and a lot of...I'm going to call them "tag-along"...programs that are going to provide very important support and very important direct help to help you move through secondary education and into the workforce.

Now, of course it's up to you. We're not telling you anything that you have to do today. We're telling you to sit back, listen, and make your own decision...and make a list of what's good and what's bad about work. There are a lot of wonderful things about work that come beyond that paycheck that you're going to get, and there are lots of nasty things that come with not working. So you need to make that pro and con list and decide what is right for you.

Now, why choose work?

I can tell you that I'm sitting here talking to you because that's what I chose. I did a lot of what you are going to have to do, and I'll point those things out for you today. For college students receiving SSI or SSDI, we're going to have some very, very good resources to help identify what kinds of skills do you have, what kind of transferrable skills do you have from being in school period that are going to help you prepare for and find job opportunities and transition to the workplace after college.

Why the Ticket to Work?

The Ticket to Work is really a great program. It's going to get you the extra support you need. It might help you put together a plan to get through college and to find internships and find jobs during the summer or part-time work during the semester. Earning a living through employment is not something that everybody can do. I personally believe that everybody can do something, but it may very well be the right decision for you. If you want more in terms of money, in terms of living choices, in terms of going out to dinner...all of that can happen with work.

Once you understand the free services and supports that are available to you, I'm pretty much going to convince you before the end of the day that work is going to give you more benefits than anything that you're fearing right now. The risks are minimal at this point in time, regardless of what you've heard out there on the street. 

So if you take the time to do some studying, learn about employment services that are available through the Ticket Program, I think you're going to be surprised at how much support and protection Social Security is going to provide you while you're working to become financially independent; and financial independence is a big part of what we're striving for now. Ending your relationship with Social Security and public benefits is a great thing, but we want you to be financially independent at the end of it.

Now, the Ticket to Work, as Sarah mentioned, is the big program that we're going to talk about. It's free; and it's completely voluntary, which is why we talk to you about making a list...what's good about going to work, what's not so good about going to work, what would improve, what might not improve...completely voluntary. 

It offers career development and support services for people ages 18 through 64 who receive Social Security benefits based on disability and want to work. Now, at that age 18, everybody is going to go through a review; all the SSI folks out there will go through an age 18 review. That's just going to determine whether you are a disabled adult rather than a disabled child. In order to get the ticket, you need to be a disabled adult.

The ticket is going to connect you with, seriously, almost limitless free employment services; and what one employment network or one service provider can't get for you, we can pull in from other places to build a plan to help you get through this. They can start by having that discussion: Is working going to be a good decision for you? Have you put the right things in the pro column and the right things in the con column? How do you prepare for work? 

Today we're talking about transitioning through college education, but this is going to work even if we're talking about a community college, we're talking about a tech school, or we're talking about just high school to work. We're talking generally about transition here.

How to prepare for work...okay, what do you need? Is it schooling? Is it tech schooling? Is it equipment? Could it be a ramp? Could it be...oh, god, what's the term...assistive technology that you would be looking for to help you succeed? 

How do you find a job? An employment network can point and can provide you with information as to where the jobs are, can provide you with résumé assistance, can provide you with interview practice.

How to succeed at work...the good thing about this program is no one's going to leave you alone once you enter the workforce and find your job. We'll continue to provide you with support until you're ready to say, "Okay, Ray, I've had enough of you; go away. I can do this myself." We want you to succeed, and we're there to help you succeed.

So if you decide to participate, you can choose services from any authorized Ticket to Work service provider. There are employment networks, which are kind of like private rehabilitation agencies. They're all over the country. They're great to work with.

State vocational rehabilitation agencies...there's one in every state and every territory. They're going to be helping you if your needs are going to cost a lot of money. The good thing is you can use both of them if you do this right, and we'll talk about that later on. 

So what you're going to be looking at if you get onto www.socialsecurity.gov/choosework are these little triangles. The "EN" is for employment network, the workforce people, and VR people. You can just do a search with your ZIP code and find out who your service provider is and start there. Remember, all of these people are there to answer your questions. You're not obligated just because you call one. 

An EN, I said, is private or public...it could be a big agency...that has an agreement with Social Security to provide free services to people who are eligible for the Ticket Program.

The American Job Centers are workforce exploitation networks. Many of them are private agencies. Many of them are individuals who will help you. There are some national, some local; but they're all good, and they've all been approved by Social Security. 

Now, what might they do for you? 

They might cover your community. They might cover your ZIP code. They might cover the entire state. Some of them cover the entire country. 

How do you want your services provided?

That's something that you can decide as well. If you want in-person services, you look for somebody who's close to your home. As I said, it's an easy ZIP code search. Virtually or by telephone, maybe there's somebody in the state capitol or six hours away that you've decided is the employment network for you. Working by phone or by Zoom or by e-mail is perfectly possible and is pretty much as good as sitting down and talking to somebody face-to-face.

What about both?

You could very well go along with a national employment network. If they are close, you could visit with them in person; or if you're across the country, you could work virtually with them as well. So there are all kinds of options...some that don't require you to leave your home.

Now, how can working with an EN help you?

In infinite ways...the supports and services that they're going to provide to you to get you to financial independence in this discussion through education is going to be your plan. It's not going to be a plan that they use for everybody; it's going to be yours. It's going to identify your work goals...what is it that you want to do when you graduate from school? If you're not sure, there are tests out there that we can take to see what you might be interested in. They can have discussions with you about other people in your situation and what types of jobs they have placed people in.

They'll help you write and review a résumé, prepare for interviews which is critical. Interviewing skills are very, very important; so it's good to have a lot of practice. 

Requesting reasonable accommodations...now, they'll let you know when that should be done as well as how it should be done. Just as an example, it's not necessary for you to request a reasonable accommodation during your first interview. It's only necessary for you to request a reasonable accommodation if, in fact, you need it...but after you have been offered the job.

Receiving benefits counseling...lots of ENs out there have benefits planners in-house now. There are other outside benefits planners that are provided by Social Security, and you can see one of them as well. What these planners do is put together a plan for you projecting what's going to happen when earned income starts coming into your hands. How does that impact your benefits...not just your Social Security but your health care, your food stamps, your housing? They'll take you through all of those benefits so that you will know what will happen, when it's going to happen; and you won't be surprised by it.

The planner's goal is to make sure you are better off working. There will always be more money coming in if you're working with a benefits planner.

Now, some ENs are part of that public workforce system...which is the little triangle with the "WF" in it. It's a network of federal, state, and local offices that support all qualified people with their work goals. So they're open to everybody, but they are really good places. They're going to provide you with computer access if you don't have one, job search tools, job search websites. They'll help you put résumés together. They are really great places; and, again, all services are at no cost to you.

State vocational rehabilitation agencies...because you are a recipient of Social Security benefits based on disability, you are eligible. How your state is functioning at the moment and how many people they're able to accept at the moment is a state issue, but you are most certainly eligible. They're the ones that are going to help you if you need to take an aptitude test. 

"I don't know what I want to do. I do want to go to work, but I'm not sure what I can do or what I want to do." You can take a test. It will show you what you're interested in. 

I remember my mom took one years ago, and she came up with an auto mechanic. I thought that was quite interesting, and she actually thought it might be something that she'd be interested in had she been a little bit younger at the time she took it. But you'll know; there are ways to find out. They'll provide you with lots of other services. They may provide you with tuition; they may provide you with books; they may provide you with transportation to and from school. They have generally more money than most of the providers have, and we want to bring them into the picture.

Now, there are services...an agency is going to give you the same types of services that the ENs can do but, of course, they might be able to give you more. Let's say I'm an EN and it's just me, and you want to go to school for four years. It's not likely that I'm going to be able to afford that with what I'm going to receive from your Ticket to Work. However, the State VR agency can likely do that...the vocational rehabilitation as well as the training and education and equipment that's necessary to do that. I think that's important. 

It's also important to remember that we can use these State VR agencies and ENs in tandem. We can use the State VR agency to get college tuition, to get books; and then we could use an EN to help us prepare for jobs: How should I be dressing for this interview? What questions should I ask the employer when they say, "Do you have any questions?" How do I put together a résumé? Is this something that's all done online, or am I mailing something in?

Right now, we're going to switch gears a little bit; and we're going to talk about some particular work incentives. These are work incentives that are built into the Social Security Disability system that provide you with extra protection...four ways not to lose benefits as quickly as you otherwise would had they not been there. They're really, really good.

This first one is golden. This is such a special exclusion for students, and it's called the "Student Earned Income Exclusion." It's going to allow anyone who's in school under the age of 22 to exclude earnings. Remember, these are work incentives; so we're excluding earnings...your wages, your salary. You have to be in school full-time. Social Security defines "full-time" as being in college or university for at least eight hours a week, which isn't exactly full-time. The better thing about that rule is that if your disability prevents you from attending for eight hours and you can only take two courses, which would be six hours, that's okay too. So this is a really great work incentive.

Now, there's a monthly amount that you can exclude and an annual amount; and they're adjusted every year. So for this year, the monthly amount of income that you can exclude if you are working...again, this is wages and earnings...you can exclude $1,870 a month. So if you're out there receiving SSI and you're getting $771, which is this year's Federal benefit rate, you can earn $1,800; and none of it is deducted from your SSI. So rather than having $771, you have $2,571 in that month.

Now, there is an annual total. As you see in the middle here of this bullet, it's $7,550. It's not 12 times $1,870. What this is meant to do is to let you focus on school while you're in school. So you may have a part-time job; but in June, July, and August, you can go for broke and try to earn as much as you want. If you earn $1,800 a month, you've got extra money to pay for school, to pay for your needs; and you still have your SSI and your Medicaid. Next year, it's going up to $1,900 a month...$7,670 a year.

So what's your job? Your job is to keep track of how much you've used. You'll be in school in January; so if you work part-time and you earn $500, this rule says none of it counts. That means you only have $7,170 left for the year. A benefits planner can help you project how that's going to work out over the course of the year. 

All you need to do to get this started is to get a letter from the school that you're attending saying that you are attending the appropriate number of hours. If it's eight hours of college, you're all set; if it's six, it's six hours because my condition will not allow me to attend for eight. Get that information into Social Security and request that they apply that Student Earned Income Exclusion to your account. It's fabulous; it is absolutely a wonder!

So we can set aside these things, and remember those two programs? We're going to set aside some of that money because we're not going to let you spend all $2,500 in the month that you get it because you have to be financially responsible; and you've got some expenses coming up. So we can set some of that money aside in special accounts called "PASS" accounts, plans to achieve self-support.

Now, it is an SSI program; but they can be used by either recipient. They can be used to start a business. They can be used for your school expenses...you've got tuition, you've got fees, you've got books, transportation, uniforms, equipment and tools. All of your books and supplies that you need could all be built into this plan. What it would do is take some of that $2,500, or whatever you feel you can afford, and you put that into a special savings account. 

Now, for the SSI folks, you can only have $2,000 in countable resources. So that if I have $2,500 in resources, I'm not eligible; but if I take $2,000 of that and I put it into a PASS plan, it's protected so that I get my SSI and I get my healthcare and I have now $2,000 to use on school expenses. This is a very, very good plan; and you need to have a vocational goal. That vocational goal is whatever you want it to be. I want to be a...what can I call it...an electrical engineer. So I'm going to go to school to become an electrical engineer. 

What are you going to need?

You're clearly going to need a computer. You're going to have to apply to schools. You're going to have to pay tuition. You're going to have to maintain grades to stay in school. At the end, we're going to graduate. We're going to get somebody to help you put a résumé together, somebody to help you find a job, somebody to help you with that interviewing process. Maybe you need a car to get to and from work. If we need that car to be accessibilized, we can go back to the State VR agency and make sure that happens. So this is a very, very detailed spending plan and savings plan.

Now, there are goals here of course. If you receive SSI, you must use income other than SSI to save. So when we talked about getting that earned income, that's what we're setting aside. Your SSI is given to you for food and shelter. You can't put that money into the PASS; anything else that you have, you could...unearned income, like veterans benefits, income from a job or self-employment. That's where we're looking. We're looking to those internships that might be paid, those summer jobs, to save some money to build up that PASS account.

Now, if you receive SSDI, you can put a lot of that into the PASS because SSDI is unearned income. What happens at that point is that you don't have the SSDI to reduce your SSI, and your SSI goes up to the full amount. Now, this works for some people. It works for people's whose SSI and SSDI is close to that $771. Now, if you're on SSDI and you're receiving $1,500, if you save $1,500 you need to explain how you're going to live on $771. 

So there's a lot of planning if you're going to use your SSDI to support a PASS, but it can be done. I'd suggest you talk with a benefits planner. There are lots of people out there who can help you do that. The benefits planners are there. The PASS cadre is there. Those employment networks who have benefit planners are all going to be able to help you with that.

Yet another work incentive...and this is one of my favorite ones...Impairment-Related Work Expenses are, again, fabulous things. They are exactly what I said. They have to be related to your impairment; they have to be necessary for you to work; and they have to be paid for by you without any reimbursement. 

So if you were to go out and buy a new set of brakes for a wheelchair, that would be an impairment-related work expense. The wheelchair is related to your disability; you need it to work; and you paid for the new brakes. If you go to the drug store and pick up a prescription and pay a copay, the copay is an impairment-related work expense. You paid for it. The medication is related to an impairment, and you need it to work. 

So you need to think about everything that you possibly have that meets those three things. It could be over-the-counter medications. It could be almost anything, and it works in both programs. It works in the SSDI program or the SSI program. 

Now, here we go...the formal discussion. The item has to enable you to work...but notice it says "item" or "service." It could be some kind of personal care attendant services; it could be a visiting nurse who comes to the workplace; it could be therapy sessions. It could be just about anything. You need the service because of the physical or mental impairment, and you pay for that yourself and you're not reimbursed by anybody...by Medicare, by Medicaid, private insurance, or mom and dad. You're paying for this out of your pocket, and the cost is reasonable. 

Now, this is something you don't really need to worry about because it's a special rule related to the Medicare costs in your area; and you're not overly concerned about that. Paying a $5 copay is going to be fine. You're just not going to be getting a titanium wheelchair. You'll get a regular wheelchair. That's what we mean by "reasonable." We're not buying something over-the-top.

All right, so remember those impairment-related work expenses. Before we move on, if you think you don't have any, I want you to think about what you do when you get up in the morning. Do you go into the bathroom, like I do, and start taking pills out of bottles to take? Well, yeah, some of them are vitamins...one of them is a blood pressure pill, that sounds like it counts. A baby aspirin...that counts. Do you take any medications? 

Do you need a service? Do you need a PCA to help you out of bed to help you get ready? Write those things down and begin to figure out what your IRWEs are going to be. Just go through every step of your day until you go back to bed. Some of us also take pills before we go to bed.

Now, when we're looking at you going to college and getting a job, the last thing we need to worry about is $771 in SSI. You're ideally going to get a job that is going to pay a lot more than that, and you're not going to need the $771; but you're still going to need your healthcare which, in the SSI case, is Medicaid. Are you going to lose that because you're earning so much that you don't get any SSI? 

No, the 1619(b) program is another Ticket to Work program that is fantastic. If you earn enough money so that you do not stay eligible for any SSI payments, you can keep your healthcare at no cost. You have to have been eligible for SSI in at least one month. Those of you who are currently on SSDI, go back in history and remember...were you on SSI for a month? You have to still be disabled; you have not had a medical redetermination that says you have medically improved...that you're still disabled for Social Security purposes. 

You still have to meet the non-disability requirements. Now, those requirements...as you know...under the SSI program require that you have resources less than $2,000, eligible resources. So maybe you've saved some money and you've bought a car. The car doesn't count. If you can buy your own home, the home that you live in and own doesn't count. 

How do you save for that because you can only save up to $2,000?

Start looking at ABLE accounts, A-B-L-E. If you google "ABLE" in your state, you're going to find protected savings accounts that are going to allow you to stash some money away until you can pay for that car that you want, until you can put a down payment on a house; and it won't count as a resource, and that will help you meet the other non-disability requirements. If you don't do that, you can only have that $2,000 as a resource level.

You still have to need your medical benefits to continue to work. Now, for everybody, that's pretty much a given. If we don't have health insurance, we can't work. That's just the reality of the situation. You can go broke very quickly if you get ill and can't get health care or have to pay for it out of pocket. You have to have gross earnings that are insufficient to replace SSI, Medicaid, and publicly-funded attendant care services. 

That just means that every state is going to have what's called a "threshold." Some of them are very high, some of them are a little bit lower; but each state is different. If you go onto Google and google "1619(b) threshold," one of the first two hits is going to be the chart that will tell you what your state threshold is. I'll tell you right now, one of the big ones...Connecticut...$63,000. In Connecticut, you can earn up to $63,000 and still have Medicaid. So this is really a great program. 

What you need to do when you do lose your SSI because of your earnings is simply make sure that the state Medicaid agency has you coded properly. Your benefits planner...your EN or the State VR agency...or you can just call that agency and say, "Am I coded as 1619(b)," and you have Medicaid.

There is another way to get through this if you (inaudible) expenses. Now, I mentioned wheelchairs; and I mentioned PCAs, personal care attendants. If your Medicaid costs are very expensive, you can actually request that Social Security give you an individual threshold which could make that one...we did have a dear friend who passed away in New York State whose medical expenses were so high because he had 24-hour attendant care services that his individualized threshold was $105,000. He had a great job with the State of New Yok and was out there working and still had Medicaid. So this is a fabulous thing. Again, work with your EN, work with your benefits planners, to get through these.

Now we're going to start with the website, learning more about work incentives here to discover the truth about what the Street is saying. The Street does not really speak the truth. The Street is speaking in urban myths. So we want to look at some of these websites to see what is the truth and how do these programs really work. 

Debunking the three biggest myths...what you're going to want to do rather than have me read all of this to you is look at the Web Links blog. You'll find that under "Debunking the Three Biggest Myths." Read Choose to Work's Work Incentive Wednesday blogs. They're great things. You're going to see all kinds of great information in there. That's in the Links pod under "Work Incentives." 

Choose Work Blog...there's all kinds of stuff in there. You have the success stories in there. When you hear some of the people talk about their success stories, you're really going to understand that there may be some barriers; but you can overcome them, and we can help you overcome them. This is a team sport here. 

The Social Security's Red Book for more detail on some of these work incentives is in your Links pod under "Red Book." 

Now, transitioning with the Ticket to Work...this is something, again, that's your choice. People can transition without it, but you might be missing out on some very valuable services. The Ticket people, the providers...the employment networks, State VR agencies...are looking to find you experience. We're going to give you a bunch of new people here that you might not have heard about. We talked about the workforce programs, but there are lots of other types of programs. 

The Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities...now, I don't know if you knew that was out there, but it's focused on you; and they're looking for you and looking to get you into college.

Emerging Leaders Internship Program for College Students with Disabilities...this is a program that is truly believing in you and that you can do anything. 

Entry Point! ...which was actually a new one to me...Entry Point! Is a science and technology program that is looking for students with disabilities who are interested in the science and recruiting them to get into college. Why not? Here is the Entry Point! website. It's going to be in your Links pod as, "Entry Point!" Check that one out because it was very interesting.

Once you become involved in an internship, why do you want an internship? I told you I did some of this myself. I am not a person with a disability, but I did have internships. When I was in law school, I quickly realized that these classes are not fun; so I want to get out of class and do something. An internship allows you to do what you want to do when you're out of school. So what does that give you? It gives you a wonderful résumé because you've already got experience that this employer is looking for.

Now, how do you find them?

Talk to people. Go to those sessions in colleges where they're having an after-class session on people who have internships and other students are going to be there. I know of a student in my own personal life who went to one during Orientation and met a woman who was a year ahead of him and talked about the place that she was working, and he's now working there after doing all of the internships and the summer jobs with that same company. 

So ask questions...volunteer. Not only did I do internships, but after my first year of law school I was able to volunteer at Legal Services because a first-year law student is useless (laughing). So I volunteered. It gave me something to put on my résumé and got me a job and more internships while I was in school.

Seek constructive criticism. When you're doing these internships, if somebody is there who is mentoring you...and that's generally the case...talk to them. If you have an issue with something, talk to them. If you're not sure how to get from Point A to Point B, ask questions. The fact that you're asking questions and seeking some type of guidance or criticism is a very powerful thing. You're making new contacts every step of the way. If you're like me, you're going to want to write them all down because you're going to forget their names and phone numbers. 

Reflect on your own experience. What have you done already? If you're sitting there shaking your head...you haven't done anything yet...think harder because I know you have. You've done something in school. You've joined a club in high school. You've gone to a meeting to help plan something in high school. You've participated in an activity. That's where this all begins. Just think about it, and you're going to find what you need.

Do we have any questions, Sarah?

SARAH>> We sure do have a couple. Thanks for kicking us off, Ray. To start off: "What happens if I start the program and after getting halfway through schooling, I decide it's not for me? I suffer from an anxiety-related disability, and I am afraid I will not be able to finish due to stress."

RAY>> Okay, that's a great question. If you decide it's not for me, that's okay. You could sit down with your provider if it's an employment network, or with State VR, and change your plan. I would hope that you'd want to do that. I'm not forcing you to do that; but rather than going back to rely on benefits, is there something else?

Lots of us went to college having no idea what we were going to do other than go to college, and that changes. So things can change. The schools can provide counseling in jobs that might provide lower stress. Do you really need to stop going to school, or do you just need to cut back a little bit and take a little longer to finish? 

There are lots of ways we can do that; but the bottom line is if you feel you have to stop for a time or permanently, no harm/no foul. You tried. If you were doing what you were supposed to be doing until the time that you thought you had to stop and you want to start again later, it's very possible that you can pick that ball up and do it again later. So just think...there's a lot in between doing and stopping. That might help.

SARAH>> That's excellent advice, Ray. One more question for you: "If you are using both State VR and ENs, how would you decide which one gets the ticket assigned?"

RAY>> Ah, you don't have to decide that anymore. This is a great thing about this. There's a program where I said you could use them in tandem that's called Partnership Plus. I hope all of your states are participating in it. It's a fabulous, fabulous program where you can go to State VR and they put your ticket in what's called "in-use status" but it's not assigned to them. They'll provide you with all of the services they can to get you rehabilitated.

When you're case is closed, there is still value to your ticket so that you can go as somebody who has been successfully rehabilitated and has some work experience to a private EN, who can provide you with ongoing support to keep you working. So you don't have to make that decision right now. It's initially your decision to work with State VR to begin with, so you have that decision to make; but you don't have to make a decision as to who you're going to assign the ticket to.

SARAH>> All right, Ray, thank you for that. We want to make sure we have enough time to cover all the information we have today, so I'm going to have you go over the next portion and share some tools and resources. Thanks, Ray.

RAY>> All right, I was noticing the clock (laughing). 

College to Career: Employment Tools for Students with Disabilities...there's so much out there. You might hear how excited I am about this stuff. When you're preparing for employment, the questions that you need to think about are:
How do I keep my disability from holding me back in finding a job?
What type of career do I want?
Do I have the education and training I need?

You'll notice none of those questions say, "Can I work?" Of course you can. What type of work do you want to do is the question. Think about those...what might hold you back? If you're using a wheelchair and you want to be the first human on Mars, that might hold you back; but that doesn't mean you can't go to work for NASA working on the Mars mission. We can always make something fit that you want to happen, so think about that.

Social Security has lots of resources that can accommodate your needs and reduce those barriers. That's what this is all about. All of these people and services function as a team to help you. There are additional resources out there that can provide counseling in career services, and we're going to talk about those, to get you started. All you need to do is take advantage of them. These resources are out there to help you get education, get training, and get placement...figure out what you want to do, almost anything.

JAN is a great resource, the Job Accommodation Network. It is truly a leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues and practical solutions that benefit both you and your boss to be. They are really great and, again, in your Web Links pod...JAN, Job Accommodation Network. They are fantastic. 

These are people you can talk to about...what kind of accommodations do I need? Is it that expensive? How can I find out what it is and how much it is, and how do I tell my employer that I have a disability and I need an accommodation? How does that conversation happen and when should it happen? All very, very important stuff and these people are great.

The Corporation for National and Community Service...their mission is to support the American culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility. Citizenship, service, and responsibility...we are all citizens of this country, and part of that is work. This is a culture and a nation that's been based on work. Service? Yes, it depends on the type of work you're going to want to do; but every job has some focus on service...some more than others. You could be an electrical engineer working in your office and not thinking you're performing a service but make some discovery that's going to change the world.

Responsibility...we're all responsible for ourselves, and what we want you to do is to be able to be independent of your benefits and be responsible for yourselves.

National Service in your Web Links pod...The Arc helps individuals find jobs and helps employers adapt to the needs of their employees with disabilities. So notice we're coming at this from both sides now. When we were doing this 25 or 30 years ago, we were only coming at it from the side of the person with the disability. Now we're looking at employers and saying, "How do you need to adjust, and can we help you make those adjustments to make this a successful workplace for a person with a disability?" The Arc...take a look at that also in your Web pod links.

VolunteerMatch matches volunteers to nonprofits in their line of interest. I didn't have a VolunteerMatch. I went to Legal Services to get some legal experience and realized I'd found my career. I wish the same for all of you. We now have a matching program that will match your goals, your interests, with a volunteer opportunity while you're in school. Take it; it's a résumé point...again, in your pod link or Links pod under "VolunteerMatch."

I Can Connect is the Federal Communications Commission program that funds equipment and provides training for adaptive communications technologies if you have a combined hearing and vision loss. That's a critically important thing that is going to make or break a job search, and that is the key for that particular population to get a job. The services are out there; take advantage of them. That does not have to be a barrier to work... icanconnect.org under "I Can Connect" in the Links pod.

The Agency on Community Living, the ACL, funds programs throughout the country that support people with disabilities to live independently. Independent living skills are necessary, and the last thing that you want to do is stay dependent upon other people to do what you could do for yourself. So let's get some independent living skills... acl.gov, it's in the Links pod as "Agency on Community Living."

Assistive Technology Programs...there's one in every state, also funded by ACL. They allow people to play with different tools. What types of technology are out there to help me do my job? What types of technology are out there to help me live more independently? You can test them before you buy them to see if it's right for you. You could test them before you decide if that is the reasonable accommodation you want to request. So there are, again, right places to provide great services to make sure that when you ask for that accommodations, you're asking for one that's going to work. That's in your Links pod under "Assistive Technology."

Benefits.gov has a great list of resources for housing, transportation, employment, and financial support. So there are lots of different services they're going to provide. There may be some financial support to help you get transportation, to get housing. At the beginning, it's tough; you need that first, last, and security deposit. That's a big chunk of change. If somebody can help you with that, they're there to help you with it at Benefits.gov. 

Now, resources include programs for internships, job placement, job search, business loans if you want to become self-employed, or business start-up programs. So there are lots of options. Maybe you don't want to have a boss. Maybe you want to work for yourself. We can make that happen. 

Now, finding the employment destination...the National Center for College Students with Disabilities...these programs have grown so much since I was in college. It used to be the domain of community colleges, and now it's not. Every college has a center for college students with disabilities; and they're all generally very, very good. They're going to be able to give you some technical assistance and information about disability and higher education. How is this going to work? Do you need more time for tests? Are there issues with getting somewhere? Some colleges...when I was living in New England...have been there for hundreds of years. Some of those buildings might not be completely accessible. How do we make this work?

Well, there's a place to go now, the National Center for College Students with Disabilities, so that's not such a battle anymore. That's also in your Links pod.

The Department of Labor American Job Centers and the CareerOneStop centers are great places as I told you a little bit earlier. They're local places. They're near you. They can help you with job searches. They can help you with employment training programs. If you happen to become unemployed through no fault of your own, you can apply for unemployment benefits insurance at those offices, also in your Links pod under "My Next Move" or "The American Job Corps."

Your Money, Your Goals...staying on course with financial stability is critical. You have partners here again. Remember those benefits planners? They may be in your EN, your employment network. Keep in touch with them. Your Money, Your Goals is a federal program. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau...it's a minicourse that you're going to take online that's going to give you some hints...how to save money, how to open a checkbook, how to use an ATM. What should your savings goal be? How to build a budget, planning for that large purchase. If you've already gotten a car to get you back and forth to work, you've got a lot of insurance to pay; and what's going to happen when that car needs maintenance?

This program is going to help you understand just how much you have to set aside to save for those emergencies. Most particularly, track what you spend. It's amazing how many times I talk to somebody, and they no idea how much they spend every month or where their money is going to. You just have to pay attention. It's very important that we know because when you need a brake job on your car and you've got to find the money, you need to know how many times you stopped at Starbucks and paid $6 for a cup of coffee. That's the reality of the situation. So that's going to be something you can find also in the pod link or the Links pod...I'll get that right one of these times...under "Consumer Finance."

Those courses everybody can learn from...everybody.

We've got a couple of success stories for you, and we don't share these because we like to be proud of ourselves and what we've done. We share these because these people were you, and these people were us; and they succeeded.

Now, Josh experienced a traumatic brain injury at age four. With help from his Ticket Program service provider, he received a skills assessment...what can he do, what can't he do...benefit and career counseling. So he got both ends; benefit counseling to see what was going to happen to his public benefits and his healthcare and when it was going to happen, and career counseling. We're not just trying to get you in your first job. Where do you want to go? What's your next step? 

Help with his résumé and job hunting...many ENs are very, very good at that. 

Interviewing and job coaching...again, the interview process is very, very important and you happen to be the most important part. If you don't have a couple of questions that are ready for that employer when they say, "Do you have questions," it's not going to be a great interview. They'll help you have those questions ready. No one helped me, and I had quite a few interviews that were not great because of it. So Josh got help with all of that. 

What happened? 

Josh is financially self-sufficient. He's feeling free of the limitations that are imposed upon him, relying on a fixed income. Remember on that SSI side, a fixed income (inaudible) allow you to save any money. He's spending time with his girlfriend. He is living a normal life that he imagined for himself and tells friends that they should consider the Ticket to Work Program so that they can get a good job too.

Now, just this week...Monday...I met with somebody who was paralyzed through gun violence. When I met with him after the discussion because he wanted a personal consultation, his first statement to me, he said, "I want out of this. I want a job." That just lifted my spirits and got me ready to help him. We are going to remain in communication, and he's expecting to start college this May. So you don't have to be where you are; you can be financially self-sufficient; and Josh did that.

Now, I want you to go in and look at "Success Stories" in that Links pod because some of them are fabulous. A couple of them, I've had the opportunity, or honor, to meet and work with on some of these events; and it's just a wonderful, wonderful – they have wonderful stories.

Michelle, a young woman with Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, wanted to attend graduate school to become a counselor. She used a PASS plan because it allowed her to save money for tuition, books, the National Counseling Exam fees, her professional membership fees, and modifications to the van that accommodated her disability. So with help from the Ticket to Work Program and her VR agency, she received support for school, career counseling, job accommodation information.

What's Michele doing?

Here's Michelle's quote: "Everyone's definition of independence is different. My definition is living on my own and being financially independent. I love my job, and I love helping people to find their career path without having to worry about what will happen to their benefits if they make too much money. It is so rewarding." That's a story you should listen to. So get into that Links pod and listen to Michelle.

Okay, we've gotten through the two success stories and two good ones. Any more questions?

SARAH>> Ray, we are going to have you keep going. We want to make sure we get through all the information, and then we'll have more time for questions right at the end, okay?

RAY>> Okay, good enough.

SARAH>> Awesome, thanks so much.

RAY>> Finding employment resources...AHEAD, the Association of Higher Education, dedicated to equity for people with disability in higher education. Now, as I said, I'm hoping that's a problem that is going away...that we will be able to provide higher education with less problems, but there's an advocacy agency that is just for that purpose. 

Work with your EN to participate in benefits counseling. Benefits counseling is going to be an important thing because you've got to know when things are going to change. 

Apply for an AAPD Internship Program. We're looking to increase the political and economic power of people with disabilities. If you don't think economic power is power, it really, really is. So that link is also in the Links pod.

Career Opportunities for Students with Disabilities...now, you can either be in college or a recent graduate with a disability and you're looking for tools and knowledge necessary to secure your career of choice. As one of our earlier questioners asked, "What if I change my mind?" Well, maybe this is a place to talk to when you begin to change your mind or when you finally make that decision...what do I need? Knowing what you need before you start your job is a very, very powerful place to be.

Learning about ABLE...we talked a bit about Achieving a Better Life Experience accounts and the ABLE National Resource Center. They do phenomenal webinars, and they're all archived. You can go onto their website. It's in your Links pod under "ABLE," and you're going to learn about options for certain people with disabilities and their families to save money for the future in a tax incent savings account that doesn't count as a resource for any public benefits program. The disability has to have occurred before the age of 26, and savings from employment or employer contributions can go into that...a rollover from a college savings account or a family member's ABLE account. You can roll the money over from one to the other. 

What if you inherit some money? 

Several years ago, an inheritance meant you're no longer eligible for SSI because you have too much money. Now it means we can save that to go to school, to make this transition to become a worker with a disability. 

Earned income tax credits...things that you might be eligible for. When you start working and you hear the words "tax credit," you're going to do the happy dance. 

Your SSI or SSDI benefits...what's going to happen to those when this ABLE account comes into being, and what can you do with those benefits? These accounts will allow an individual with a disability that occurred before age 26 to save up to $100,000, and it won't count. They all have lifetime savings limits. They're all over the country. All you need to do is google "ABLE" and your state. You'll find out what's available or go into the Links pod and find "ABLE" ... great accounts.

Pathways:
Federal internship and employment opportunities for current students, for recent graduates, and those with advanced degrees.  Those are all good things. Again, those internship programs are very important if you're just getting started. 

Recent graduate programs...it can take some time to get a job if you're a recent graduate. Why not get involved with these folks and try to get some experience? The Presidential Management Fellows Program...lots of good opportunities. "USA Jobs" is the place to look in that pod link.

Resources...career fairs, they're out there. They're happening all the time. You just need to know where to look. The Center for Independent Living in your area might very well know where the career fairs are going to be. The employment networks most certainly will know where they're going to be, as well as your VR agency. 

You can subscribe to the Choose Work blog to get updates on available career fairs. Some of them are in-person; some of them are virtual now. So that link is under "CW Subscribe," Choose Work...in that pod. They'll let you know when they're happening near you or that you can participate in...a great way to network to start to advance that job search, a great way to talk to people. 

I live in New Mexico now, and they had one last week for the State Government. Big jobs, all kinds of jobs...you name it, the State of New Mexico was hiring. It was a three-day event; and people went there and were interviewed, talked to, and hired. It happened that quick, so some of these career fairs are very, very valuable. Don't let them pass by.

SARAH>> Thank you, Ray. We have one question for you before we wrap up today: "Can Ticket to Work be used by a part-time student who doesn't work consistently all year? Can I still maintain my (inaudible) benefits?"

RAY>> That's a very, very good question. I'm going to say at the beginning, yes, that that is an appropriate thing. The thing about the Ticket to Work is that the employment network -- if you're working with the VR, yes, that's a definite possibility. If you're working with a private EN, that private EN is paid by your making certain milestones; and some of those are involving work at certain levels. So the issue there is would you find an EN that would be willing to work with you under the conditions that you want, and that's a shopping experience basically. You just have to interview those ENs to see what's going on.

At some point, work will have to be involved in order for that EN to be paid by Social Security for the services that you're receiving free.

SARAH>> Thank you, Ray. We actually have one more quick question for you: "If using SEIE, can you exclude less than the expected monthly amount, making it take longer to reach the annual cap?"

RAY>> In the SEIE, you don't have to deduct the entire monthly amount. What you'd have to do is sit down with a planner. If you earn only $500, that's all you can deduct. If you earn $2,000, you can take $1,870 this month. The rest would count against your SSI. 

Could you choose to only take $1,000 of it to make that happen? 

What you'd have to do is sit down with a planner to see what that makes your SSI and your monthly income situation look like. You can figure out both ways. If I take it all, what does it look like? If I don't take it all, if I take half of it, what does it look like? That is something that there's no rule against doing, so you could work that out with your planner.

The other question is if you are earning over that or at the maximum amount is to see how long that yearly total lasts and what happens when it doesn't. In the SSI world, if you're working, you will have more money; so you may not have as much because that SEIE is used, but you'll still be better off. So work with a planner and figure out the three different scenarios we talked about.

SARAH>> Ray, thank you so much for all of your expertise today. We are out of time for questions, and we appreciate you being here.

RAY>> Thank you very much, I enjoyed it.

SARAH>> If you would like to know more about our monthly WISE webinars, we encourage you to subscribe in order to find out our upcoming topics and be among the first to register. To learn so much more about the Ticket Program, employment service providers, and other topics, please subscribe to the Choose Work blog. You will get weekly updates sent directly to your Inbox. Both of the links on this page can be found in the Web Links pod under "WISE Webinar Subscription" and "Choose Work Blog Subscription."

Social Security's Ticket to Work Program has a number of service providers and other resources ready to help you get started. To get a list of providers in your area or to get answers to questions about this that you may have about the Ticket Program and other work incentives, you can contact the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 or, for TTY, 1-866-833-2967, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

You can visit the Choose Work website at choosework.ssa.gov at any time. You can also find us on social media or subscribe to the blog and e-mail updates by visiting choosework.ssa.gov/contact. This link appears in the Web Links pod under "Ticket to Work Contact Information."

Please join us for our next WISE webinar. We will be covering, "Ticket to Work: Debunking the Three Biggest Myths about Disability Benefits and Work." This will be held on Wednesday, January 22, 2020, from 3:00 pm to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Registration is open, and we look forward to having you attend. To register online go to choosework.ssa.gov/wise; or you can call 1-866-968-7842 or, for TTY, 1-866-833-2967.

Your feedback is very important to us, and it helps us plan for future webinars. 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.