WISE Ticket to Work Webinar
Understanding Ticket to Work: How to Help Your Clients and the People You Serve
September 30, 2020

Speakers: Sarah Hyland (Moderator), Ray Cebula & Jayme Pendergraft (Presenters)

SARAH>> Good afternoon, and welcome to today’s Ticket to Work webinar: Understanding Ticket to Work: How to Help Your Clients and the People You Serve. My name is Sarah Hyland, and I am a member of the Ticket to Work team. I will be your moderator for today’s webinar.

We are so glad you were able to take time to spend with us today to learn about Social Security’s Ticket to Work program, how it functions, and how you can be a part of it. We hope you find some information today that will help you spread the word and connect with the Ticket program.

Let’s get started by going over some functions of the webinar platform so that you can interact and get the most information out of today.

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 and your headphones are plugged in. 

If you are unable to connect to the audio with your computer or prefer to listen 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 link pod. And we will talk about these pods in a little bit more detail shortly.

If you need assistance navigating Adobe Connect, an Accessibility User Guide with a list of controls is available at http://bits.ly/adobe-accessability. This link is also available in the Web links pod at the bottom right-hand corner of your screen and is 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 also be found in the Web links pod under the title Closed Captioning.

If you are fluent in ASL and would like support for today’s webinar, follow the link below that provides instructions to connect with an interpreter through the Federal Communications Commission, FCC, Video Relay Service, VRS. The ASL User Guide can be found in the Web links pod under the title ASL User Guide. 

We are here today to answer questions that 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 speakers during the Q&A portions of our webinar. We will be addressing questions at two different points throughout today’s presentation. So, go ahead and send in those questions, and we will do our best to get to as many of them as possible.

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

Another resource that we think you will find extremely helpful in connecting to different resources mentioned today is the Web links pod. You will find that 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, please 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. (Inaudible.) If you are listening by phone and not logged in to the webinar, or you don’t have access to the Web links pod, you can always email Ticket to Work at webinars@choosework.ssa.gov or reference the confirmation email that you received for today’s webinar for a list of available resources. 

Also please note that SSA cannot guaranty 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 that we were just talking about in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. It will be titled WISE Webinar Archive.

We certainly hope that 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 email at 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 very excited to be here with you today as your moderator. We are delighted to have with us Ray Cebula and Jayme Pendergraft. 

Ray Cebula received his law degree from the University of New Hampshire’s Franklin Pierce School of Law. He spent 23 years providing legal services to individuals with disabilities in their interactions with Social Security. He became part of Cornell University’s Work Incentive Support Center in 2000, and in 2005, he joined the staff of Cornell’s Yang Tan Institution on Employment and Disabilities where he now serves as the Program Director of YTI Online, Cornell’s Work Incentive Practitioner credentialing program.

Jayme Pendergraft is the Outreach Manager for Social Security’s Ticket program. She oversees Ticket program communication efforts, including WISE webinars, social media, and the Choose Work blog, and other outreach channels as well. She has supported the Ticket program for more than ten years, and she has dedicated her career to improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities.

Thank you for joining us today. We will be discussing how Social Security’s Ticket program can help you and answer your questions relating to understanding the Social Security Ticket program and other work incentives. Learn about Ticket program service providers. Find out how to spread the word about Ticket to Work. Learn how to become an employment network.

And a quick reminder that today’s webinar is for providers. Anyone who is a beneficiary of the Ticket program, please look in the Web links pod to the bottom right-hand corner for resources about the program, registration for our next webinar, which is open now, and the archives of the past webinars to find out more. 

And with that, it is my pleasure to introduce Ray, who will start us off with the Ticket to Work program. Thanks, Ray.

RAY>> Thank you. 

Hi, everybody. I’m very happy to be here today with my friend Jayme. And if you can keep the two of us from talking, we’ll get through this.

I just want to let you know a few ground rules as we start out. We’re not going to be taking any questions related to COVID-19. There is, in your Web link pod, a link to Social Security COVID-19 resources, and I’m going to read you the website in case you would like to take that down. It’s https://www.ssa.gov/coronavirus/. And you’ll find all of the updates that Social Security has been adding to the website as we press through this.

The other thing, I want to just echo Sarah saying that we are directing today’s webinar at providers. However, if any of you are beneficiaries, you are more than welcome to hang out with us and hope you pick up a few tips and join us at another webinar in the future. 

So we’re going to talk about basically the two disability programs today as an introduction. I do this real quick. We have Social Security Disability Insurance, otherwise known as SSDI. You may hear some people refer to it as Title II. It is an insurance program. It’s just what it says. When you work and FICA taxes are withheld from your paycheck, they are buying insurance. And depending upon your age, as you purchase those credits, you become insured for Social Security Disability Insurance and retirement. 

Everybody’s payment is going to be different. It’s based upon how much you work, how much you make. And the payments are based on that work history.

Then we have the SSI program. A very, very different program. It’s called Supplemental Security Income or Title XVI. This is a federal welfare program. And it provides people who don’t have enough credits for SSDI and who have very low income and low resources. And this is a program for those in need. It pays a federal benefits rate of $783.00 a month. Your state may supplement it. 

That’s the difference between those two programs. One is insurance. One is a welfare program. 

So what we are looking at is the same definition of disability. And a lot of the rules that we’re going to talk about today concerning work incentives are going to apply to one or the other. And I’ll make sure I point that out to you as we go along.

Now, the Ticket to Work is a great thing. I believed in the Ticket when it first was signed in 1999 by President Clinton. And I still believe in the Ticket to Work. So you’re going to have a little cheerleading going on. It was, again, signed in December, 19th I think it was, in 1999. And pretty much changed the world for beneficiaries who want to try to go to work. Made it much safer. Increased the number of people who can – you can add to your employment team. Provides services to not only get you to work, but to stay on the job. And it’s just a really, really great program.

Now, for the beneficiary, the Ticket is free, and it’s voluntary. Meaning I can seek a provider, an employment network, state VR, and get the services that I need to help prepare me to work at no charge. If I am not ready to go to work, I don’t have to use my ticket. There’s no harm, no foul. I use my Ticket when I want to. 

It's free for me, the recipient. But the recipient has to understand that they need to cooperate with the plan that’s put together so that the state VR agency for that employment network can be paid. So it’s kind of like a three-way contract.

You know, we can get you career development for people ages 18 through 64 who receive an SSDI or an SSI benefit and want to work. Very simple eligibility. Again, voluntary and free services. 

Within the Ticket to Work community, Social Security disability beneficiaries who are eligible are called Ticketholders. You know, everybody has a Ticket if you’re between 18 and are a disabled adult through age 64. So, do you know if you have a Ticket? You probably do. If you want to talk to the Ticket program manager to find out if you have a Ticket, that’s okay. If you want to reach out to one of the providers who would provide services, they can find out from the Ticket manager if, in fact, there is a Ticket available. 

You need to assign a Ticket to an employment service provider. So you would take your Ticket, and they are sent out in the mail, and find a service provider that you choose to work with. Somebody who is familiar with your disabling condition and can help you make the move to work. So you can shop. You can visit two or three. Talk to people. How do they get along? How do they move people from disability into the workforce?

You collaborate with service providers to make a plan for employment that describes all the services that are going to be provided, the supports that the recipient needs to go to work, and how they’re going to meet those work goals. 

Now we find work, based on that plan if we’re cooperating with the plan, finding a job somewhere along the line is part of it. And when possible, this is going to eliminate your benefits or reduce your reliance on Social Security benefits.

Now that’s planned, too. You need to understand that when we’re talking about eliminating your benefits or reducing reliance on benefits, there is a plan to ensure that you have more money through wages than you were receiving benefits.

Over time, you’re earning more, you’re saving more, you’re out in the community, you’re doing what most people do. You know, going to work. Complaining about it, coming home and having dinner, only to do it again tomorrow. But it is a great thing to be doing. It gets you out of the house. It really gets you active in your community. And you could go out to dinner on Friday, you know, if the restaurants are open in your state.

There are work incentives that go along with all of this. And the work incentives have always been there, and they’re separate from the Ticket. If you choose to assign your Ticket, you have an umbrella that provides you with more services and more assistance. And more support to go to work.

The work incentives exist separately, and you can use these on your journey to work with or without a Ticket. And we want to talk about a couple of the important ones. 

Now, there are more than 20 of them. There are a lot of wonderful work incentives. And Social Security makes it easier for disability beneficiaries to work and be eligible to receive benefits, including health benefits, as you explore and make that journey to work. Nobody is interested in pulling the rug out from under you because you start work next Monday. This is a gradual process that can be done at your own comfort level. And the goal, of course, is to make you financially stable and independent of benefits. 

And those healthcare benefits that are very important to every worker are going to stick with you for a long time. A long time. 

So, I said we’re going to talk about a couple. You want to learn more? Choose Work’s website. You can find that in the link pod. Social Security’s Red Book, a great overview. You know, that’s online. Also in that web pod of if you want to take a look at it. And it will describe all of the work incentives and how they work. And the Choose Work blog. Also a link in the web pod. That’s going to actually talk about certain work incentives. And maybe some of the ones that you’re interested in. I encourage you to look at these things. These are great websites. They are absolutely really informative. 

The first work incentive we’re going to talk about is expedited reinstatement. Now, we know that it takes a long time to get a benefits application processed and to get an award. That doesn’t really feel right when you start working. You know, people do have some fear. Expedited reinstatement removes some of that fear. If you are terminated from SSI or SSDI because of work and earnings, for the next five years – five years after you’ve been terminated – there is a safety net there to catch you. 

So starting with the month you were terminated, for the next 60 months, if you have an exacerbation and your work drops below what’s called substantial gainful activity, or stops completely, you can apply for EXR. And it’s a very quick process. Social Security local offices like to take a new application with that. That’s fine. File both. They will process EXR. You will receive temporary benefits, called provisional benefits, for up to six months while that application process is pending. Sometimes you don’t get six because they make a decision in month four and you’re in regular payment again. These – this can happen very, very quickly. 

Now I’m going to give a caveat because we’re doing everything by distance. It could take a little bit longer now. But generally we’re done with these applications for EXR before that six months is up.

When you are reinstated, you receive Medicare, if you’re on SSDI, and Medicaid. 

Now the reason your work has to stop is because of the medical condition that gave rise to the earlier disability. Or something significantly related to it. So, let’s say I have – I broke my back at work. I’m on disability benefits, and I return to work. I am terminated because of work. And I begin to develop a gait problem. I’m not able to walk appropriately. It’s hurting a little bit more. My hips are out of line. I’m not able to lift as much as I was when I started this job. Is that gait issue related to a broken back? Well, you know the old song, the head bone is connected to the next bone. It probably is. So that’s okay for EXR. 

If I broke my back, and got into a car accident on the way home and broke both legs, that’s a different impairment. So it would require a new application.

EXR is a quick way to get your money back in line and get your healthcare back in line. You have the option, of course, Social Security helps you make the decision if a switch will be better for you. But they took both, remember that? So if you are denied EXR, and very few people are, you will have an application on file that has the same date as the EXR. This is, I mean, it’s actually a phenomenal thing. There is no wait for an initial decision. An appeal if necessary. A hearing before an administrative law judge. You just don’t need to do that anymore. So that should make it more comfortable to go to work. And why am I telling you that? If you’re providing services right away? Why am I telling you that if you’re a recipient who’s looking to go to work? Because I want you to know that this is comfortable. That this is safe. And EXR makes it safe. I can assure you, you can look at almost any other public benefits program and it will not have a post-termination safety net. So this was a big, big step.

Then we have these things called Subsidies or Special Conditions. These are, for you providers out there, very, very underutilized. And we have to think about these things. They’re very important. As you can see, Social Security uses earnings that represent the real value of your performance. If you have ten job duties, and because of your disability you can’t do three, so somebody else on your team has to do those three, and your boss tells me that, yes, all ten of those duties are equal, each one is ten percent. If you’re not doing three of them, that’s 30% subsidy. You may be getting paid for the full job, but remember, only your real value of work will be counted by Social Security. So if I make $1,000.00 a month, Social Security will apply a subsidy and only count $700.00 a month. That is a great work incentive. And for providers, I like to tell my clients when I’m working with them, that we all have subsidies. You know, we all go out to lunch and it turns into an hour-and-a-half. And if we don’t get docked, that’s a subsidy. If I come in 15 minutes late because the traffic was bad, and I don’t get docked, that’s a subsidy. So this is not in any way diminishing your work effort, or your client’s work effort. We’re just counting what you’ve actually earned. It’s a great thing. We just have to explain this in a way that doesn’t diminish anybody’s work effort.

Now, subsidies are provided by the beneficiary’s employer. And it’s the result of services, or the removal of some duties, or extra help by other employees. But you’re paid the same as those employees who are helping you. So it costs money to the employer. We want to know how much money it costs them. We want to know the value of that. So that we can reduce your gross wages to countable wages.

There is another part of this, and that’s called the Special Condition. Special Condition is the same thing I’ve just described to you, but it’s paid for by somebody else. It’s paid for by a state VR agency. It could be paid by Goodwill. And I’m going to use a job coach as an example. If you have a job coach that is provided by VR, or Goodwill, you need to know that because it’s not paid for by the worker, or not paid for by the employer, that the only difference is the value. We take the number of hours of job coach services and multiply it by the worker’s wage. Still a valuable support, it’s just counted differently.

Now, notice subsidies or special conditions do not apply to SSI. That’s because SSI is a welfare program. And whether or not your labor provided the salary, you got the salary. So it’s all going to be earned income for SSI. Special conditions and subsidies apply to SSDI. And let me tell you, they’re there if you look and talk to your workers. We just need to find them because they’re very valuable supports.

Now, these are examples of when a red flag goes up. A subsidy or a special condition may exist in these circumstances. It just means we’ve got to ask. They may not.

Somebody receives more supervision than other workers doing the same or the similar job for the same pay. Now, you know, Jayme and I have worked together at different agencies for a long time. And Jayme is a good worker. She gets her hour of supervision every month. Just like everybody else gets. But Ray, he’s a problem. Ray has to have supervision every Monday for an hour. To keep him on track. To let him know what his goals are for the week. That extra supervision represents a subsidy. It costs the employer money. So how much does my boss make an hour? If he makes $50.00 an hour, and I get three hours of extra supervision every month, that’s $150.00 deducted from gross pay. That’s a lot of money. And it’s going to affect everything when you’re planning this return to work.

What if you have fewer or simpler tasks to complete than other workers doing the same job? I kind of mentioned that. You know, if I use a wheelchair, and I’m a stock boy in the canned vegetable aisle of the grocery store. And Jayme and I are responsible for stocking that aisle, something – something doesn’t seem right. So the red flag goes up. And we have to ask, Ray, how do you stock the top two shelves and the bottom shelf? Well, I don’t do that. You know, Jayme gives me a couple of cases of canned vegetables, and I put them on shelves two, three, and four. And she then gives me more, and I keep going down the aisle stocking those three shelves. And Jayme does the others that I can’t do. Well, that’s extra help. We’re getting the same pay. What is the value of Jayme’s extra help? That can be a deduction.

I’m getting longer breaks than other people who are doing the same job for the same pay. I told you I had a broken back. You know, 15 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes in the afternoon, those are my break times. But I can’t do that. I need to lay down in the break room for a half an hour. And my doctor has told me that. And my employer says it’s okay. So that’s a half-an-hour a day. Take a half-an-hour-a-day of my pay and subtract it from your wages. That’s going to help. It’s going to make me feel comfortable making this transition longer.

And the job coach, we already talked about that. It can be a job coach who’s helping you do that work. Is it a subsidy? It is if the employer pays for it. Is it a special condition? It is if a third party, VR or Goodwill, helps you. 

These are just two work incentives that are really underutilized. And, as I said, I believe we all have subsidies. You know, just today I’ve been on Zoom meetings since 6:00 in the morning. And I can assure you that when I’m finished, I’m likely not to work that last half hour of the day. You know, I haven’t had lunch yet. I just had breakfast during one of my breaks. You know, so, I am going to shut off the computer. I’m not going to be docked a half-an-hour’s worth of time. So I’m going to have a subsidy for today. Again, we all have them, we just have to look for them. And these situations raise the red flag when we’re talking to people. Is there one there? Can we document it? And we need to use it.

Now, your employment team. Ticket to Work providers. Everybody, and I’ve said this so many times I’m sure Sarah is going to say, here he goes again. Hillary was right. It takes a village. It takes a village to make a worker, too. And your employment team is your village. And we have to gather the villagers.

We’ve got lots of villagers. We’ve got employment networks. We’ve got workforce employment networks. We have state vocational rehabilitation agencies. The WIPA projects, Work Incentive Planning and Assistance projects, and Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security, the PABSS organizations. There are five of those there. You will probably be involved with two or three at any one time. All supporting your efforts to go to work. There’s a lot of help out there. All providing you with free services.

Now an employment network is a private, or it could be a public, organization. It could be a one-person shop. It could be a big agency. It has an agreement with Social Security to provide free services to people who are eligible for the Ticket. And, remember, we told you. You got a cash benefit. You’re 18. And under 65. You’re eligible for services. 

Many state public workforce systems, the American Job Centers. We used to call them one-stop centers, are workforce employment networks. So, remember, there are two different types. All there to help you do things. Depending on what you need. Depending on what your disability may be. Depending on where they’re located. You know, there is an array of ENs out there who are now doing fabulous work helping people return to work. And you get to pick from them. Whichever is right for you. 

Now, the supports that can be provided. 

Career planning or counseling. If you have a disability, maybe you don’t know what you’re able to do. Some career planning and counseling sounds pretty good. You know, if you used to be a heavy worker, and now you can’t do that, how do we switch jobs? How do we switch careers? How do I make what was a job and transfer those skills to a career?

Job search assistance. The ENs should know where those jobs are, if they’re local, right? If they only serve a couple of zip codes, they should know where the jobs are located and who’s hiring.

Special programs for veterans and youth in transition. We had the great pleasure of doing a – a webinar, a WISE event, with an EN who primarily serves veterans. And she was just wonderful to listen to. And youth in transition is a very special group, too, because we have to deal with mom and dad. And everybody needs to be on the same page to give that youth a chance to become a worker with a disability. And that’s important. You know, we can always make that youth a disabled adult if it doesn’t work out. But I’d rather give the kid, or young person, a chance to become a worker with a disability.

Look at this next one. Very critical. No one has said we’re putting you to work and we’re making – and we’re done with you. You know, here’s a job. Do it. The employment networks, state VR, and the workforce folks can provide you with on-the-job support. You know, can provide you with somebody to listen if you get frustrated. What if you need assistance with asking for a job accommodation? It’s nice to talk to somebody who knows how much that accommodation might cost. How to go about talking to your employer. Your employer may not know that you have a disability and you’re receiving benefits. How do you have that discussion in a comfortable way? You know, the ultimate decision is yours, but we can assist you in having that discussion.

Benefits and work incentive counseling, that’s critically important, too. You go to work, things are going to happen to your benefits package. We know that because you have earned income. Would you rather just have it happen, or would you rather meet with a planner who can tell you when things are going to happen? And how they are going to happen. And what you can expect by returning to work. That’s a much better way than waiting to react to something that happens to you. You take the control and know when things are going to happen.

All of these services are going to make returning to work much more comfortable. Why? Because you’re going to know. And if you know what’s around the corner, you’ll take that step to go around the corner. You’re not worried about it.

State VR agencies, they are obligated to help anybody on Social Security benefits. And their goal is to rehabilitate people in order to enter new lines of work, go back to their old work, or enter the workforce for the first time. They can also help with benefits counselors. Many of them have benefits counselors on staff, as do the employment networks. 

Vocational rehabilitation. Maybe I can go back to my job. But I now have a prosthetic arm and need to learn to do my job a little differently. That’s what vocational rehabilitation is all about.

Training and education. Maybe I can’t go back to the heavy lifting job, but if I had a little bit of education and training, I might be able to manage other people who still can lift those bags.

Why not? Let’s take a chance. We’re turning that job into a career.

Now remember that some states have separate agencies for people who are blind or visually impaired. So if you’re in one of those states and you do have a visual impairment, you’re going to be going to that agency. The Commission for the Blind, something of that nature.

VR is not doing anything right now for us. For you. It’s not their (inaudible).

All right. So, Work Incentive Planning and Assistance. I’ve pretty much gone over this for you, but I’m going to do a quick review.

Free benefits counseling. What happens if I go to work and earn $1,500.00 a month? How is that money counted? What does it do to my benefits? What does it do to my healthcare? If you are currently working or self-employed, have a job offer pending or are actively interviewing for jobs, which is defined as, I had an interview within the past 30 days and I have another one scheduled within two weeks, and are age 14 to 25, transition-age youth who are in the early stages of considering work, in the very first stages of considering work, you’re a priority for the Work Incentive Planning and Assistance projects. 

If you don’t meet those priorities, there are other planners available who can tell you what will happen if. Who can talk to you? What are these work incentives? Tell me more about them. You know, Ray spent five minutes talking about that subsidy thing. I want to know more about it. That can all happen. And they will be developing plans for you. That may have to be adjusted because if I predict what’s going to happen to you two years from now, you know, life gets in the way along the way, things change. So you might have to bring that plan back for a tune up. You know, if Mr. Wal-Mart says, at Christmastime I need you more hours each week, what does that do to your plan? What does that do to your benefits? We can stay with you just like the ENs can until you’re comfortable and tell us, I’m all set, guys. I’m all set. That’s what we’re looking for.

PABSS, the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security. That was my last job before I came to Cornell. I was the PABSS attorney in Massachusetts. I was a legal advocate for people who needed it. If somebody requested a reasonable accommodation and was denied that accommodation, I could help you out. If you were asked inappropriate questions during an interview, if you were fired because you didn’t show up at work because the reasonable accommodation wasn’t granted, I could help you with that. Ideally what I can do is talk to you and your boss at the same time and straighten everything out. But I could turn that into a legal issue and bring people to court.

I can also help you with issues with Social Security. Issues with your employment network, if you have a disagreement with your employment network. State VR agencies. They have an entire process of hearings and appeals if something has gone wrong. 

And there’s a lot of things that PABSS can do. I remember doing housing cases. Because if you don’t have an address, you’re not likely to get a job. Anything related to work that has placed a barrier in front of you that might interfere with your success, PABSS can provide you assistance with.

So remember, you can talk to them as – how do I talk to my boss about a reasonable accommodation? How do I talk to him about my disability? They’ll know that, too. So lots of these services can be overlapping. Like I said, if you hear the same thing from two or three of your team members, you’re going to believe them. You’re going to believe them. And that’s an important thing. We want you to trust in us that we are here to help you.

Now there is a Find Help tool. Where do you get these people? I mean, we’re looking at a lot of people in this webinar. And I can’t, off the top of my head, tell you where to go to get services. But choosework.ssa.gov/findhelp, or the Find Help tool in your webs link, can do a great job with this. They’ll provide you with a directory of every type of agency that we have found that provides services to your area. If you’re only looking for benefits planning, you can limit your search to that. If you’re only looking for an employment network, limit your search to that. If you want to know where your state vocational rehab agency has offices near you, limit your search. Or you can do the whole ball of wax and begin to build a team on paper so that you can then explore. 

But everything is there for you. Great website. Easy to use. I like to tell people that if I can find my little VR agency, you can find yours. 

Choosing a provider is much more important than finding one. And we’ve done webinars on that one aspect. So a lot of the people, you know, the ENs that benefits planners serve, are trying to connect with other providers as well to build that team. And finding an EN, an employment network, is easy when you use that Find Help tool. Finding the right EN to work with you almost requires that you select the people or the agencies who work with people that have your disability. Who have some success record. And you might want to just talk to them. What kind of help can you give and bring to my situation to get me to work. 

And if there are two of them, or three of them, talk to all of them. You know, and then make a decision based on the information. And you can look at Finding an EN back in that Help tool in the pod link, and Choosing the Right EN. They’re both links in the web pod. And, again, very, very important things to consider when you’re looking for someone to be a member of your team. 

So, it looks like, Sarah, we’re in question land.

SARAH>> We sure are. Thanks so much, Ray. Thank you for kicking us off with the Ticket to Work program incentives and benefits. We’re going to pause here and take a few minutes to address some of the questions that we have received from the audience on the Ticket program.

The first question I have for you, Ray, is, who determines whether a disability is related to the first disability in the case of EXR?

RAY>> Social Security does. What happens is that EXR application goes to the Disability Determination Service, like your original application did. And they will make that decision. Your doctor is going to help make that decision. And in the example I used, can my bad back cause an issue with my ability to walk? You know, I would want to get a letter from my doctor that says, of course it can. You know. Can my diabetes lead towards blindness? Absolutely. So, some of it’s going to be intuitive. Some of it, you know, DDS may want some information from your medical provider. But, again, this is a quick, quick, quick decision.

SARAH>> Thank you, Ray. The next question I have for you is, is the Ticket program available for any beneficiary with any disability? Are there any restrictions?

RAY>> The restrictions are the age restrictions. You have to be 18 and have gone through an age-18 review to be determined a disabled adult. And you have to be under age 65. You know, so those are the limits. It doesn’t matter what type of disability you have, these services are available to you. You know, the question is, are you ready? That’s the big question. Are you ready to go to work and willing to work enough to decrease your reliance on benefits significantly or work enough to end your benefits.

SARAH>> Thank you, Ray. Is – the next question I have for you is, is the Ticket program available in all 50 states?

RAY>> Sure is. It is available in all 50 states. Every state has a WIPA program. Every state has a VR agency. Remember, some have separate agencies for the blind. There are One Stop workforce folks in every state. There’s Social Security agencies in every state. And there are Help Wanted signs in every state. So, we can help you regardless of where you are.

SARAH>> All right. And, Ray, I have one final question for you for this question session, and of course we’ll have more later. What are some of the services provided by Ticket to Work service providers?

RAY>> Some of the services could be, as we said, counseling. I don’t know what I can do anymore because of my disability. I used to be the guy who lugged the cement bags around Home Depot. I can’t do that now. I don’t know what I can do, and I’m not sure what I want to do. People need to be in the right place to have that discussion. And an EN can help you with that. Even a benefits planner can do some minor discussion about that. Because we want to know what you want to do so that we can make this plan for you.

Your VR agency is going to be able to help you with that as well. 

I think one of the most important services that an employment network can provide are on-the-job support services. Like I said, we – we found you a job. We’re not shutting the door on you. We want to make you successful. We want to know that you can continue this job. We’re there to help provide those supports, whether it be some job coaching for a while. Whether it be, oh my god, maybe I need to ask for a reasonable accommodation and I don’t know how, and I don’t know what my boss is going to think if they find out I even have a disability. We can help you with that.

Finding jobs. There’s some assistance for that. You know, again, ENs, VR agencies should have an idea of what the job market is in their area.

And the benefits planning. All of it. You know, it’s all there. You know, the benefits planning so that you know when your benefits are going to be reduced. And not just that your benefits are being reduced, but how much more money you’ll have because you’re working. You know, and these, as I said, are not one-stop and one-shot efforts. These efforts and these services are going to continue until you’re stable in the workplace. 

SARAH>> All right. Ray, thank you so much for your thorough answers to the questions sent in by our participants. Although we have more questions for you which we will address later in the webinar, we are going to stop and turn things over to Jayme, who’s going to be sharing information on spreading the word about Ticket to Work and employment networks. Thanks so much, Jayme.

JAYME>> Thank you so much, Sarah and Ray. Ray, thank you for that introduction to the Ticket to Work program. We really appreciate all of that information.

So, as Sarah said, I’m going to talk a little bit about spreading the word about Ticket to Work. In the beginning of the webinar, both Sarah and Ray mentioned that our audience today is service providers and professional organizations, so if you are a beneficiary, you’re welcome to stay and learn some more information, but we do have that WISE On Demand available anytime for you all to check out past WISE webinars that were actually for Social Security beneficiaries. And, of course, we’ll talk about how you can join us next month for our upcoming webinar which will be about working from home.

So, first and foremost, one of the most important places you can start learning about the Ticket to Work program is the Choose Work website. Again, all these links are in your Web links pod, but you can visit choosework.ssa.gov to find our blogs, success stories, WISE webinars (inaudible) and various resources.

If you have a website of your own and you have an employment section on your website, we encourage you to link to the Choose Work website, especially if you see a lot of traffic from people who may be interested in the program. We do want to get the word out there, so we appreciate anytime you want to link to our website from yours.

One of our major outreach programs are our Work Incentives Seminar Events, or our WISE webinars. You’re in one right now. As you may be able to tell, normally these sessions are held for beneficiaries, but we always get folks from service providers and community partners attending to learn more. One way you can help us out is by sharing details about our upcoming webinars, either on social media or in your newsletter. And I’ll tell you how you can do that in a couple of slides.

You’re also always welcome to attend the webinars to discover resources available for the people that you serve. Because they’re normally a really good introduction to the Ticket program, and we try and kind of do an intro followed by a specific topic every other month. So, for example, next time – next month, as I mentioned, we’re doing work from home, whereas last month we provided just a basic introduction to Ticket to Work.

And you can always subscribe to get WISE updates at the link posted in your Web links pod.

As we’ve all mentioned now a little earlier, we do have a page we call WISE on Demand. This is where you can see any of the last year’s webinars anytime you want. So, if there’s a topic that you missed that is of special interest to you, everything is posted online. We have not only a video recording of the presentation, we also provide audio files and transcripts.

The Choose Work blog is another place we get lots of information out to our audiences. We share a variety of information about different disability-related topics, or if there is a special observance that month, we’ll be sure to recognize it. For example, October is Hispanic Heritage Month and National Disability Employment Awareness Month, so you’ll see a lot of content coming out from us on those two topics in the blogs next month. We also talk a lot about advice when you’re looking for work, such as resume development, interview tips. We go into greater detail about different Social Security work incentives, the transition to work, and how to achieve financial independence.

You can subscribe to the Choose Work blog by going to http://bit.ly/subscribecw. And, again, that link is in your Web links pod. 

We also always appreciate when you can share our blog posts, either via email or on social media. We post on social media about all of our blog posts, so if you follow us, which I’ll talk about how to do that in a couple of minutes, you can certainly just feel free to retweet and repost on Facebook and help us spread the word about this information that we’re providing to the beneficiary audience. 

If anyone out there is interested in being a guest blogger, send us an email at socialmedia@choosework.ssa.gov. Just send me some information about your organization and yourself, and we can talk about potentially doing guest blogs.

One of our cornerstones of the program are our success stories. And Ticket to Work success stories are real stories about actual Social Security disability beneficiaries who have achieved financial independence using the Ticket to Work program. Again, these are another way to – that we would appreciate your sharing. They’re also a way to promote certain organizations like the employment network who helped the beneficiary achieve this financial independence. Or next month we’ll be releasing a story about a woman who worked with her local clubhouse and was able to – to achieve financial independence and come off of disability benefits. So we talk a bit about her clubhouse program and the organization where she works. 

So, if your organization has some people you might think qualify for one of our success stories, I will tell you how to get a hold of us on this next slide. 

All of our success stories are reviewed and approved by Social Security. And if you do submit an idea to us, we’ll work with you to develop the story for publication. All we ask is that you submit some brief information about the candidate to stories@choosework.ssa.gov. 

Another resource we have available are our Frequently Asked Questions and Facts Sheets. Approximately every other month, we release a new resource that is either an FAQ or a Facts Sheet on a variety of different topics related to work. Again, like the blog, it might be related to a work incentive. It might be a good tip for how to interview well. Something like that. And those all live in our library, which is in your Web links pod. And, again, we just urge you to share those via social media. You’re welcome to also link to them on your website if it would be helpful for your audience. For example, if you’re an organization who serves veterans, we have a Ticket to Work for America’s Veterans website that you’re welcome to link to on your website, share on social media. Just be sure to tag us if you do. 

We also have a Facts Sheet for people who are blind, if you happen to be an organization who serves people who are blind.

And then we have more general Facts Sheets like Presenting Your Best Self to Employers. Or Benefits Counseling and the Path to Work, which goes into greater detail about what a benefits counselor actually is and how they can help you as you’re working towards financial independence.

Now I’ll talk a little bit more about our social media. We are basically on most of the major social media sites. You can find us on Facebook at choosework. Twitter at chooseworkssa. YouTube at choosework. And LinkedIn at ticket-to-work. And all those links are in your Web links pod.

Our Facebook and Twitter accounts feature Ticket program updates and information in addition to all the resources that I’ve already mentioned. We do also try to share resources from other organizations. So, if you have a resource you think would be helpful to our audience, let us know. Just reach out to socialmedia@choosework.ssa.gov. 

We do encourage you to Like and Share our posts from the Choose Work social media accounts. Or if you share a resource from us, just go ahead and tag us so that we know that you (inaudible) us, and we’ll be sure to send you a quick thank you note.

I’m going to switch gears just a little bit here to talk about joining the team, becoming an employment network. Many of you out there may be questioning or wondering whether you’re interested in becoming an employment network, and I’m just going to provide some very brief information about how to become an EN.

So, Ray went over quickly what ENs are, but I’ll say it again in a little more detail. So, an EN is an organization or group of organizations that provides, coordinates, and delivers employment, VR, and other support services that help Social Security disability beneficiaries enter, maintain, and advance in employment. These can be for-profit or nonprofit organizations and service providers. They can also be state or local governments. Or a group of providers working together as a single EN, and that’s known as an Administrative Employment Network. 

There are some benefits, of course, to becoming an EN. The Ticket program is an outcome-based program and can easily integrate into your existing business model. The payments are based on different milestones and outcomes that the beneficiary achieves. And they’re associated with the work and earnings a beneficiary achieves after their ticket is assigned to an EN.

As we discussed, the program helps beneficiaries reduce their reliance on Social Security benefits and eventually achieve financial independence through work if they are able. 

And Ticket payment revenue can be used at the employment network’s discretion. 

To learn more about becoming an employment network, there are a variety of links in your Web links pod, including some Frequently Asked Questions, qualifications, the RFA for becoming an EN. And, if you do have any questions about becoming an employment network, you can send an email to ENOperations@yourtickettowork.ssa.gov. And if you do send that email, just let them know that you found out about this through this webinar this afternoon. We’d appreciate that.

All right, Sarah, time for questions. 

SARAH>> Awesome. Thank you so much, Jayme. And we’re going to pause here for questions. The first one that I have is for you, Jayme. Can you talk about the protections Ticket assignment provides?

JAYME>> I’m actually going to give that to Ray.

RAY>> Okay. Can I have the question again? My – my phone was talking to me about my microphone. 

SARAH>> Yeah, no problem at all, Ray. Can you talk about the protections Ticket assignment provides?

RAY>> Oh, god, yes. Yes. There’s, you know, there’s the one major protection that is provided by your assignment and use of a Ticket to Work is protection from continuing disability reviews for medical purposes. As you know, everybody who is on disability benefits through Social Security has a date when their case will be reviewed to see if they still meet the disability standard. If you assign your Ticket to an EN and make progress with the plan that you’ve put together, those reviews are suspended. Again, we’re not looking to pull the rug out from under you because you’re trying. So that’s an added protection. Again, to relieve people’s notion that, I’m going to work and I’m going to lose everything, because that’s just not the case. So those medical reviews being suspended give people a lot of comfort on this journey to work.

SARAH>> Okay. Thank you so much, Ray. I have another question for Jayme. We would like to have someone come to our offices and talk about Ticket to Work. Is there anyone available to do that?

JAYME>> Sure. It’s Jayme. There are a couple of different ways that you can go about that. There are people known as Area Work Incentive Coordinators in every region of the country, and you can find your AWIC, for short, by going on SSA’s website and searching for your Area Work Incentive Coordinator. And they may or may not be able to come visit your office. But they are certainly Social Security disability experts and may be able to help.

But, in addition to that, we would encourage you to reach out to your local employment network or WIPA project to see if they may have someone who can come and give a talk at your office or a recommendation. Certainly get in touch with those local providers and get to know them if you are at all interested in this program.

SARAH>> Thank you, Jayme. I have one more question for you. If we know someone who might be eligible for a Ticket to Work success story, how do we submit their information for consideration?

JAYME>> Thanks, Sarah. You can send an email to stories@choosework.ssa.gov. And just include their name and some brief information about their situation, their first name only, please. Some brief information about their employment history and past and a little bit of information about their story, and we’ll get in touch with you.

SARAH>> Okay. Thank you so much, Jayme. I am going to switch over to Ray for a couple of questions.

Ray, the first question I have for you is, I’m still confused about the differences between WIPA and CWIC. Could you please clarify?

RAY>> Ah, okay. WIPA, the Work Incentive, uh, oh, god, is the work incentive project – 

JAYME>> Planning and Assistance, Ray.

RAY>> Thank you. Work Incentive Planning and Assistance. Thank you, Jayme. Is the agency. CWIC is the person. Community Work Incentive Coordinator is the person that you would need to do the benefits planning work with. So they’re – they’re kind of one and the same. WIPA is the agency that receives the money from Social Security. A CWIC is the person that actually does the benefits planning.

SARAH>> Thank you, Ray. The next question I have is for you again, Ray. If a beneficiary develops additional disabilities after they become eligible for benefits, should they report it to the SSA?

RAY>> Absolutely. Absolutely. And, you know, this is one where you want to report them often and early. You – when you develop a new disability, or your disability worsens, reporting that disability to Social Security, or the new condition to Social Security, opens up the doors to allow work incentives to apply to that disability. I’m going to give a quick example. An impairment-related work expense. If I have a bad back and I wear a brace, the cost of that brace is an impairment-related work expense. If I develop depression because I’m unable to work, and don’t tell Social Security about it, there is nothing wrong. If I do develop – if I do tell Social Security about the depression, it becomes a condition of record. The result being that if I return to work, not only do I claim a deduction for that back brace, but I could claim a deduction for my co-pays for therapy and medication to deal with my depression. So, yes, you report new conditions as they develop. And it’s simply a matter of getting a quick letter from your doctor. If I’m taking medication for depression and I bring a copy of a prescription, that should do the trick because a physician has to sign off on the medication for depression. But, yes, you bring that information to Social Security immediately.

SARAH>> Okay. Thank you, Ray. The next question I have is for you again, and that is, what is the advantage to the EN for having a Partnership Plus with the VR?

RAY>> The advantage to the EN? I think there’s – and I love Partnership Plus, so I’m glad you brought that up. You know – 

SARAH>> Perfect.

RAY>> It’s great for everybody. It’s great for everybody. First of all, the advantage to the EN is that you have somebody who has been successfully rehabilitated. And very often has worked 90 days at substantial gainful activity levels. So, your job as an EN is somewhat easier because this person is already employed. Now your job is to support that work effort. And you will be paid because there’s money left on the Ticket. Because under a Partnership Plus model, it’s never been assigned to VR. It’s only be at use there. So, I think those are, if you want to use the term cherry picking, those are – that’s the low-hanging fruit. Those people are people who need continued support, need continuing assurance, still need benefits planning, but they’ve already gone through the hard rehabilitation and that first 90 days of work. So that transition from VR to employment network, I believe, is what makes our clients not just having a job. It makes our clients workers with a disability. And I think turning somebody with a disability into a worker with a disability takes longer than that three months. So you are there to provide services for potentially another six or seven months making that person a worker. So not only is this critically important, but I think those people are the people who are going to be of most value to an employment network because they are businesses. 

SARAH>> Okay. Thank you so much, Ray. We are going to move back to Jayme for the next question. Jayme, what are some of the best ways to promote your EN to beneficiaries in areas you serve with little-to-no funds for advertising?

JAYME>> Thanks, Sarah. That’s a great question, and we get it all the time. We are providing a couple of different links in the Web links pod. The first one is to our employment network training page which includes a variety of different training modules for employment networks. And I believe two of them are actually on marketing and outreach. And then the second link is what we call our Service Provider Toolkit. So, if you’re low on a budget and don’t have a lot of money set aside for advertising, we have a lot of materials already developed for you. Those Facts Sheets I mentioned. The success stories. If you want to print them out, I know that does cost some money, but you can certainly print them out and have them – put your name on them if you want to, and kind of tweak them so that they’re specific to your employment network.

In our Service Provider Toolkit, we do also have several different products that you’re able to customize with information about your EN. So, we’ve already developed the materials for you. And we’re happy to share. If you’re looking for something a little bit more specific, you can certainly let us know by sending an email to – you can send an email to socialmedia@choosework.ssa.gov. Or reaching out to your EN specialist.

In addition, social media is a really great way to promote your services locally. You can – and you can also always just copy or share our posts if you don’t have much time to devote to your own social media content. We’re always posting, and you can certainly retweet or repost what we share.

And I could go on and on about this for a really long time, but right now may not be the best time to do this because a lot of libraries are still closed, but libraries are also a great local resource for job seekers in general. A lot of folks do still use their local library to look for work. And just putting a flyer up on the bulletin board in the library, or at your local Panera Bread, or a local clubhouse, or something like that could be very beneficial to promoting your services as an EN.

But if you want to talk about that further, just go ahead and reach out. You can use that socialmedia@choosework.ssa.gov email. Thanks for that question.

SARAH>> Thank you for – for your thorough answer, Jayme. And I have another question for you, Jayme. I am a job coach within my community, but I offer paid services. If I become an EN, am I allowed to continue charging for my services for clients who aren’t Ticketholders?

JAYME>> That one’s actually going to Ray.

SARAH>> Okay, that was (inaudible).

JAYME>> Thanks.

RAY>> A job coach who is providing the other services. If a Ticket is assigned to you and you become an EN, you can’t continue to charge those Ticketholders for those services. What will happen is you’ll provide the services in accordance with the plan you develop. Social Security will pay you for those services based on your client’s progress. But you and the client don’t have the financial arrangement. You and Social Security do. Your arrangement with the client is to provide those services in accordance with the plan to get the client back to work. So, that – that’s the whole deal with the Ticket. You’re guaranteed payment from Social Security as your client’s working. 

Which means you want to be careful about picking your clients whose Tickets you will accept. Again, it’s a business decision here. And we have to be honest about that. If you interview somebody who may want to pay for services but you don’t really think is going to want to work above substantial gainful activity and lose those benefits, that may be someone who goes private pay. Somebody who wants out of the system completely by work, that’s somebody who you want to take a ticket from.

SARAH>> Thank you, Ray. I believe this next question is for you, but, Jayme, if it is better for you, go ahead and jump in. And feel free to collaborate. As an EN, I am required to provide supports and services to all Ticketholders who contact me?

RAY>> Absolutely not. You know, I mean, I told you for clients, your recipients, this is totally voluntary. It’s also voluntary for you. Again, you’re making a business decision overall as to whether or not you believe this client will succeed. Because you get paid in accordance with that client’s success. That’s the first thing.

The second thing is if you’re an EN who provides services to people with blindness, and I come to you with a mental impairment, maybe we’re not the right fit. And you can certainly say, Ray, go talk to Jayme. Jayme specializes in mental impairments. I specialize in blindness. I don’t have the experience I need to help you. That’s perfectly permissible. We have to match people to the appropriate providers. And, again, based on a business-model decision.

SARAH>> Thank you so much, Ray. The next question I have is for you again. Would you – we have another clarification question. Could you clarify the difference between a benefits counselor and a CWIC?

RAY>> Okay. I actually – actually have to go back to the last one because Jayme heard CWIP and I heard CWIC. You know, there’s the CWIC in the WIPA program funded by Social Security to provide benefits planning to recipients. And I gave you those priorities. Someone who’s working. Somebody who is about to start. Someone who is actively searching. And then the transition-age kids. 

Benefits planners, regardless of what they are called, are the same thing. They’ve all been trained, you know, what I like to say is, how many different ways can you spell SSI? If you’re trained in work incentives, you’re trained in work incentives. Some of them are CWIPs who are community partners that have been trained by Social Security. Others are benefits planners. And they come in many names. Many states call them different things. Work Incentive Planners. Virginia calls them WISAs, W – I – S – A. You know, they’re all very-well-trained people who do this job, just under different funding sources. So, a CWIC, a CWIP, a benefits planner, a WISA, anything that’s similar to that that basically means benefits planner is going to get you what you need. 

SARAH>> Thank you so much, Ray. And I have one final question to wrap up the questions for today, and the question is for Jayme. Will you – will the audience get a certificate for today?

JAYME>> Thanks, Sarah. And we do not provide official certificates for our WISE webinars. But any time you attend one and you would like to attempt to get it counted as a Continuing Education unit or credit, just send us an email at webinars@choosework.ssa.gov, and we can send you an attendance confirmation and a brief blurb about what the webinar was actually about if you would like to share that with your credentialing organization. Thanks.

SARAH>> Thank you, Jayme. Appreciate it. And I appreciate you both being here today and sharing your knowledge of the Ticket to Work program.

RAY>> You’re most welcome. It was fun.

JAYME>> Thank you so much.

SARAH>> Awesome as always. Thank you both.

Subscribe to learn about the latest WISE webinar, or find out when we have a new blog post available. to receive text messages from the Ticket program, text ticket – T – I – C – K – E – T – to 474747. Standard messaging rates may apply, and you may opt out at any time.

Subscribe for WISE emails by going to http://bit.ly/wisesubscribe.  

Subscribe for Ticket program updates at http://bit.ly/subscribecw. 

There are two ways for beneficiaries to connect with Ticket to Work. Call the Ticket to Work Helpline Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. 1-866-968-7842 is the phone number. And for TTY, 1-866-833-2967. And you can also visit Ticket to Work’s Choose Work website, which is choosework.ssa.gov. 

Okay. And please join us for the next WISE webinar, Working from Home with Ticket to Work, which will be held on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Registration is open, and we are looking 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 to plan 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 to complete the survey. The survey can also be found in the Weblinks pod.

Thank you again for attending today’s session about the Ticket program. Please take the opportunity to reach out to any of the resources we’ve discussed today including the WISE Webinar archives which can be found in the Weblinks pod if you would like to re-listen to the webinar, which will be available within two weeks.

And this concludes today’s webinar. Have a wonderful evening. Thank you.