Ticket to Work

This issue brief revisits the use of SSA work supports among the nearly three-quarters of Buy-In Participants who also receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). To better understand who might benefit most from program outreach, this report explores variation in use rates by age, education, and disabling health condition. It also examines the relationship between work-support use, employment, and earnings.

This guidebook is intended to be a resource for veterans and family members as they navigate the complex interaction between government benefits and employment or self-employment. This guidebook focuses on government benefit programs that veterans access most frequently. The primary focus of the guidebook is on the impact that work income can have on factors such as initial eligibility, ongoing eligibility, and cash benefit amounts.

In recent years, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has placed a greater emphasis on increasing employment among people who receive federal disability benefits while also reducing their reliance on those benefits. SSA’s efforts have led to a growing interest among policymakers in exactly how many disability beneficiaries forgo cash benefits because they are working and how long they are able to remain off cash benefits. This brief summarizes findings from a longer report.

In 2008, Congress revised the regulations for Ticket to Work, a federal program created to improve incentives and supports for people who receive disability benefits to seek employment. This issue brief discusses how Ticket to Work participation by service providers and beneficiaries has changed under the revised regulations. It also describes providers' early experiences with these regulations.

Two reports look at costs, services, characteristics, and impacts of the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance program, which aims to inform beneficiaries with disabilities about work incentive programs, help them increase employment, and reduce their dependence on benefits. The program is serving a select group of beneficiaries who are actively working, seeking employment, using the SSA work incentive provisions, and leaving the disability rolls at relatively high rates.

Research from Mathematica's disability experts offers findings on programs to help move people with disabilities off the beneficiary rolls & into employment. As part of the 7-year evaluation of the Ticket to Work program, a recent report looks at the experiences of employment service providers after the Social Security Administration revised regulations to address challenges in the original program. The SSA successfully educated providers about revised regulations & instituted related supports.

The use of PAS as a workplace support is a relatively new innovation. Because of its newness, many persons with disabilities and employers tend to get confused about how workplace PAS is different from more standard personal assistance services or personal attendant care. The most important distinctions between PAS and Workplace PAS are related to where the services are provided and for what purpose. To learn more, explore the attached project report, brochure, and websites.

How is Massachusetts educating young people with disabilities and their families on employment and disability benefits? Work Without Limits created "Going To Work," a booklet designed to educate this population on issues involving employment, Social Security disability, and health benefit programs. Individuals, employers and providers can visit the Work Without Limits website to find additional resources and information.

How does Kansas provide education about its Medicaid Buy-In program, "Working Healthy", to its disabled population? Attached are two work products created by the state in order to do so. Find a brochure, newsletter, and policy brief which include relevant data, important historical information, as well as the perspectives of MIG participants.

How is Indiana reaching out to its consumers, agencies, and leaders about MIG information? Attached are three examples of how the state both provides education and works to improve on MIG programs and initiatives. Find a survey directed towards MIG consumers, a policy and procedure document designed for employers working with individuals with disabilities, and a strategic planning document for MIG subgroup leaders.