Achieving Success and Wellness with Ticket to Work

Highlighting success stories of Ticket to Work participants in recognition of Mental Health Month

Social Security’s Ticket to Work program supports career development for people age 18 through 64 who receive Social Security disability benefits (SSI or SSDI) who want to work. The Ticket program is free and voluntary. It helps people with disabilities progress toward financial independence and connects them with the services and supports they need to succeed in the workforce.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), nearly one in five adult Americans live with some form of mental illness.  Clinical depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are just a few common mental illnesses that Ticket to Work program participants manage every day.

May is Mental Health Month.  In recognition, we’re highlighting the ways the program works to help participants with mental illness find independence, achieve personal goals, and expand their social networks through employment.  

What does success look like for those who live with a mental illness and want to be active in the workforce? Take a moment to meet a few of our participants. Each of them returned to work with help from the Ticket to Work program and are thriving physically and mentally in their careers every day. Check out their success stories below and see how Ticket to Work can help.

Cherie’s Success Story

Having experienced more than her fair share of traumatic events in life, Cherie fell into a deep depression, causing her to shut out the world and live in a cloak of darkness for over two decades. On her road of recovery, Cherie found the Ticket program and received the employment support services and work incentive supports she needed.
Read Cherie’s story here.

Lisa’s Success Story

Diagnosed at the age of 14 with panic disorder and agoraphobia, Lisa worked hard to overcome her anxieties for many years. Wanting to join the workforce, the Ticket to Work program was able to help her connect with Employment Options, an Employment Network, who worked with Lisa to help her find employment.
Read Lisa’s story here.

Jason’s Success Story

Jason and his vocational rehabilitation counselor developed an Individualized Plan for Employment to help him reach his goals.  Jason was offered a job working as a Community Support Professional at Region Five Services, a local agency that helps adults with developmental disabilities integrate into the community.
Read Jason’s story here.

If you have a mental illness and you’re ready to explore the possibility of finding work, contact the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 or 866-833-2967 (TTY) M-F 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM ET. Ask an agent to send you a list of service providers. You can also search for providers online using the “Find Help” tool. For more information about Social Security’s Ticket to Work program, visit www.choosework.net.