Meet Your Employment Team

	Employment Networks EN	Workforce Employment Networks WF	State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agencies VR	Work Incentives Planning & Assistance (WIPA) Projects WIPA	Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) PABSS
Types of Services	Types of Service Providers
Benefits / Work Incentives Counseling	✓*	✓*	✓*	✓	✓
Career Planning / Counseling	✓	✓	✓
Job Search and Placement	✓	✓	✓
Ongoing Employment Support	✓	✓	✓
Training Programs		✓	✓
Special Programs for Veterans and Youth-in-Transition		✓	✓
Tuition Support for College Coursework			✓
Rehabilitation Services			✓
Legal Support and Advocacy					✓
Assistance with Accommodations	✓	✓	✓		✓

*If a benefits counselor (Community Partner Work Incentives Coordinator, or CPWIC) is on staff.

Please note: the types of services listed are, in general, what a beneficiary can expect to find from these types of service providers. These are not guarantees or entitlements, and the specific services that the agency or organization will agree to provide will be set and developed in an individual work or employment plan.

By participating in the Ticket to Work Program, you will have access to a wide variety of free servicesfrom Ticket to Work service providers. These service providers can become your "Employment Team," ready to support you on your journey to financial independence.

Here are the types of service providers that can assist you:

• Employment Networks (EN) are private or public organizations that can help with career counseling and assistance with job placement, including helping you understand how benefits may be affected by work. This includes ENs that are also part of a state's public workforce system (also referred to as Workforce EN (WF).
• Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies usually work with individuals who need more significant services. In some states, this includes intensive training, education and rehabilitation. They may also provide career counseling, job placement assistance and counseling on the effect that working may have on Social Security disability benefits.
• Work Incentives Planning & Assistance (WIPA) projects are community-based organizations that are funded by Social Security to provide free benefits counseling to Social Security disability beneficiaries who are working, or have a job offer to help them, to help them understand how work will affect their benefits.
• Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) organizations represent eligible beneficiaries to remove barriers to successful employment and will help you understand your rights regarding conditions of employment.

Employment Networks (EN)

An Employment Network (EN) is a public or private organization that contracts with Social Security to provide free employment support services to Social Security disability beneficiaries ages 18 through 64. EN services may include:

• Career Planning
• Job Leads and Job Placement
• Ongoing Employment Support
• Benefits Counseling

Some ENs only provide services to their local community, while others provide services across 1 or more states. There are also ENs that provide services nationwide. You will work with some ENs in person, some over the phone and some via email or a website.

Some ENs are also part of a state’s public workforce system. These Workforce ENs provide access to additional employment support services including training programs and special programs for youth in transition and veterans. A Ticket to Work participant who assigns their Ticket to a Workforce EN will either work with a Workforce EN directly or via other providers in the workforce system, including American Job Centers.

If you choose to work with an EN, it's important to choose one that will provide the services you need to support your work goals. Not all ENs provide the same services, so it's important to talk with as many ENs as possible to see what they have to offer before assigning your Ticket. Our fact sheet, "Choosing the Right Employment Network for You," will guide you through the decision making process. Once you have an understanding of what an EN can do for you, use the "Finding an EN and Assigning Your Ticket Worksheet," to keep track of the ENs you've contacted and to know what important questions to ask them.

Workforce (WF) Employment Networks

Workforce ENs are ENs that are also part of a state's public workforce system.They provide access to a wide array of employment support services, including training programs and special programs for youth in transition and veterans. A Ticket to Work participant who assigns their Ticket to a Workforce EN will either work with a Workforce EN directly or via other providers in the workforce system, including American Job Centers.

Workforce ENs can be operated at the state level, (by a state workforce agency or a state Workforce Investment Board, or WIB) or at the local level (by an American Job Center or a local WIB).Also, a group of local Workforce agencies join together and operate as a single regional EN, with one agency being the lead agency and serving as the primary point of contact. However they are organized, the Workforce ENs listed in the Find Help tool for your ZIP code will help you assign your Ticket and connect you to services.

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agencies

You can also work with your State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agency. State Vocational Rehabilitation agencies furnish a wide variety of services to help people with disabilities return to work. These services are designed to provide the client with the training and other services that are needed to return to work, to enter a new line of work, or to enter the workforce for the first time.

VR services may include:

• Intensive Training
• Education
• Rehabilitation
• Career Counseling
• Job Placement Assistance
• Benefits Counseling

Some states also have separate VR agencies that serve individuals who are blind and visually impaired.

A VR agency can help you get ready to work, and, if necessary, you can then find an EN that can help you keep your job and make more money. This arrangement is called Partnership Plus.

Work Incentives Planning & Assistance (WIPA) Projects

WIPA projects provide free benefits counseling to eligible Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries who have a disability to help them make informed choices about work. WIPA projects are staffed by Community Work Incentive Coordinators (CWICs), who provide in-depth counseling about working, earning money, and how earnings from work may affect your benefits.

When you call the Ticket to Work Help Line, a representative may refer you to a WIPA project if you receive SSDI and/or SSI and if you:

• Are working
• Have a job offer pending
• Are age 14–25, (even if you are not actively pursuing work)

Working with a WIPA can help you:

• Understand specific Work Incentives and how they apply to you
• Decide whether the Ticket to Work Program is right for you
• Understand the potential benefits of employment as someone who receives Social Security disability benefits and dispel myths about working
• Analyze how work and earnings may impact your Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), health care, and other public benefits
• Understand the services provided by your State Vocational Rehabilitation agency and Employment Networks
• WIPA projects can also provide information and support to help you make a successful transition to work and financial independence.

Once you begin working, WIPA projects can also provide information and support to help you make a successful transition to work and financial independence.

Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS)

The Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) program helps people with disabilities who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and have a disability-related employment issue. PABSS advocates provide legal support, advocacy and information to assist beneficiaries to resolve employment-related concerns.

This may include:

• Navigating organizations and services to support your efforts to work and protect your rights such as appealing decisions of a vocational rehabilitation agency or EN
• Requesting reasonable accommodations in your workplace, college classes, training courses, and licensing programs
• Other disability-based legal issues that are barriers to employment, such as transportation

PABSS services are located throughout the 50 states, the District of Columbia, five U.S. territories, and the Navajo and Hopi reservations in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. They are free to everyone who receives Social Security disability benefits.