Ticket to Work

Each year the Maine Jobs Council’s Commission on Disability and Employment produces an annual report which is presented to the State legislature. The 2006 annual report was submitted in January 2007 and summarized accomplishments of the Commission like the release of a strategic plan to maximize the employment of people with disabilities and the establishment of and progress toward six major priorities that hope to expand options for individuals with disabilities who want to work.

The Kansas MIG produces a quarterly newsletter entitled “Working Healthy”. The newsletter, which has been published since the inception of the MIG program in 2001, highlights the successes and challenges within the program, offers brief on issues like eligibility and Medicare Part D, and contains special features like FAQs, resources, and the Benefits Specialists’ Corner column. The Working Healthy website contains links to all newsletters published since 2001.

Hire Abilities Hawaii, Hawaii’s MIG program, produced multiple fact sheets in 2007, informing consumers with disabilities of the services available to them through State programs. The fact sheets address topics such as One-Stop Career Centers, Career Development, Working While Maintaining Benefits, Tips for Filing and Free Tax Preparation, and Information for People with Disabilities entering the job market. The fact sheets also identify resources like the Hawaii Disability Rights Center.

The State Employment Leadership Network (SELN) is sponsored by Hawaii’s MIG program to improve employment outcomes for people with developmental disabilities. The SELN developed a work plan which outlines the objectives, barriers, processes, persons responsible, and target dates for completing goals within the disability employment arena.

The Hawaii Medicaid Infrastructure Grant produced a 2 page brief describing the need for Medicaid Work Incentive Coverage (MWIC) in Hawaii. The brief also identifies coverage groups and individual eligibility.

Hawaii’s MIG, entitled “Hire Abilities”, produced a draft report presenting an analysis on how Hawaii will offer the MIG program to working people with disabilities. The draft report was posted online and made available for reader feedback. The report also addresses how six other States have implemented their MIG programs.

The Alabama MIG produced several action steps as a result of the resource mapping survey conducted in October and November 2006, including the action steps for implementing Medicaid Buy-In.

The Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services (ADRS) Medicaid Infrastructure Grant is working to develop health care supports that help people with disabilities become - and remain - employed. One of the key objectives focuses on students ages 18-22 in transition who have severe disabilities. The survey gathered information to inform and guide implementation and to identify areas for resource mapping in the demonstration sites.

CMS solicited proposals for this demonstration, created by section 204 of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999. It allows states to provide benefits, equivalent to those provided by Medicaid, to the categorically needy, to workers who have physical or mental impairments that, without medical assistance, will likely result in disability. The Demonstration period runs July 2006-June 2009. This prior solicitation acts as a resource for terms, conditions and guidance.

Review two papers that center on the topic of public disability and health benefits and the fundamentals of the Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs and their relationships with Medicare and Medicaid. Part I looks at definitions, distinctions and overlaps; it reviews the effects on the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act. Part II discusses major initiative and issues in these programs in light of growing administrative, fiscal, and other problems.