Social Security disability beneficiaries age 18 through 64 have access to a wide variety of free services through Ticket to Work service providers.
Follow the Choose Work Blog this summer for our bi-weekly blog posts to learn how each type of Ticket to Work service provider can help you on your path to financial independence.
Ticket to Work service providers are people or groups that can help you find your path to work or maintain success on the job.
There are five different types of service providers, including: Employment Networks (ENs), Workforce Employment Networks (WF), State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agencies, Work Incentives Planning & Assistance (WIPA) Projects and Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS).
This blog post explains how VR Agencies may be able to help you reach your work goals.
State Vocational Rehabilitation agencies provide services that may include training, education, rehabilitation, job placement assistance and other job supports for people with disabilities who want to work. These services can provide you with the major supports needed to help you return to work, enter a new line of work or find a job for the first time.
Some states have separate VR agencies that serve people with specific disabilities, such as services for people who are blind or visually impaired, coping with a mental illness or have a developmental disability. To find a VR, or other service providers, visit the Ticket to Work Find Help Tool. Learn how to search for supports that fit your needs by clicking here.
Once you have worked with a VR and have found a job, a VR can also connect you to an Employment Network (EN) that can help you be successful in your job or even make more money. This arrangement is called Partnership Plus. Click here to learn more about Partnership Plus. To learn more about ENs, read this recent blog post.
There are many Ticket to Work participants who have found their path to work with the help of VR agencies. For example:
• Andraéa Lavant is a 30 year old woman with muscular dystrophy who, after getting help from a VR agency, now works for the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital.
• Jason Faust has a lifelong mental illness that made it difficult for him to find employment. Through Partnership Plus, he found a job and is now a home owner and financially independent.
• Rob McClain is a former small business owner who, with help from a VR agency, changed careers after experiencing renal failure.
To learn how a VR agency may be able to help you, call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 (V) or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY). Representatives are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. ET to answer your questions.
