Ticket to Work Program

1
Ticket to Work Program

• Ticket Program Basics

2
Course Objectives

• Content
• Describe the Ticket to Work program
• Identify three purposes of the Ticket to Work and
  Work Incentives Improvement Act
• Discuss the benefits to beneficiaries who
  participate in the program
• Review the duties and responsibilities of the
  contractor partners in the Ticket to Work program
• Application
• Identify resources to aid you in becoming a
  successful EN
• Implement benefits discussion during the intake
  process

3
Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act
4
Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement
Act

• President Clinton signed into law in 1999
• Purposes
• Encourage states to enable beneficiaries to
  purchase necessary Medicaid coverage
• Provide continuing Medicare coverage while
  employed
• Establish the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency
  program

5
Beneficiary Participation Benefits
Employment Related Services
Continuing Disability Reviews (CDR)
Service Providers
Increased Earnings Potential
6
Service Providers
7
Partnership Plus
State VR Agencies
Employment Network
8
Service Provider Roles

• Social Security expects approved ENs to
• Increase the number of beneficiaries entering the
  workforce
• Assist beneficiaries in becoming economically
  self-supporting
• Provide the community with access to a pool of
  qualified applicants and workers with
  disabilities

9
Payments to Employment Networks

• An outcome-based program
• Payments are
• Based on beneficiary milestones and outcomes
• Associated with work and earnings the beneficiary
  achieves after the ticket is assigned to the EN

• Outcome
• Earnings gt Substantial
• Gainful Activity (SGA)
• Zero Cash Benefit
• status
• Payments for 36 or 60
• months

• Outcome/Milestone
• Phase 1 Milestone
• Earnings gt Trial Work
• Level (TWL) plus
• additional factors
• Phase 2 Milestone
• Earnings gt Substantial
• Gainful Activity (SGA)

10
Payments to ENs(continued)

• Learn more about payments under the Ticket
  program
• Visit www.yourtickettowork.com for general
  information
• Visit https//yourtickettowork.com/web/ttw/trainin
  g for training presentations
• Visit https//yourtickettowork.com/web/ttw/resourc
  e-documents for related resource documents

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Progress Check One

• What are the main purposes of the Ticket to Work
  and Work Incentives Improvement Act?
• Encourage states to enable beneficiaries to
  purchase necessary Medicaid coverage
• Provide continuing Medicare coverage for
  beneficiaries while employed
• Increase Social Security payouts for
  beneficiaries who are disabled
• Establish the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency
  program
• Provide retirement savings for beneficiaries with
  disabilities

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Progress Check Two

• What are Social Securitys expectations of ENs
  regarding the goals of the Ticket to Work
  program?
• Increase the number of beneficiaries entering
  the workforce
• Assist beneficiaries in becoming financially
  self-supporting
• Provide the community with access to a pool of
  qualified applicants and workers with
  disabilities
• All of the above

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Key Partners in the Ticket Program
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Key Partners in Ticket Program
Social Security Administration (SSA)
Operations Support Manager (OSM)
Beneficiary Access Support Services (BASS)
Work Incentives Planning and Assistance Projects
(WIPA)
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Social Security

• Oversees the Ticket to Work program
• Publishes and updates governing regulations
• Final authority on all policy decisions
• Determines which beneficiaries are
  Ticket-eligible
• Approves requests to become Employment Networks
• www.socialsecurity.gov/work/

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Operations Support Manager (OSM)

• Oversees the day-to-day operations of the Ticket
  program
• Maintains list of approved ENs
• Provides orientation, training and support for
  ENs
• Administers Ticket program processes
• Individual Work Plan (IWP)
• Ticket assignment/unassignment process
• Payment processes

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OSM (continued)

• Ensures program integrity and monitors EN
  performance
• Facilitates partnerships
• Authorizes payments to ENs
• Maintains the Your Ticket to Work for Service
  Providers website and a number of Help Desks
• Connect with us on Social Media Facebook,
  Twitter and LinkedIn
• Call [phone] or visit the Your Ticket to
  Work website at www.yourtickettowork.com

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Beneficiary Access Support Services

• Provides support to beneficiaries
• Markets the Ticket program and Social Security
  work incentives to beneficiaries
• Administers a call center
• Conducts online Work Incentive Seminar Events
• Maintains the Choose Work website
  www.choosework.net
• Offers outreach materials that ENs can use
  http//www.chooseworkttw.net/document-library/mate
  rials-for-providers/index.html

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Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA)
Projects

• Supports working beneficiaries to make a
  successful transition to financial self-support
• WIPA services are free
• WIPA staff can answer questions about how work
  and earnings will affect a beneficiarys federal,
  state and local benefits
• Find the WIPA in your area at
  www.choosework.net

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Progress Check Three

• Which organization provides training, technical
• assistance, and administrative support to ENs?
• Social Security
• The Operations Support Manager (OSM)
• Beneficiary Access and Support Services (BASS)
• Work Incentive and Planning Assistance (WIPA)
  Projects

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Working with Ticket to Work
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Ticket to Work Program Summary

• Ticket - Signifies eligibility to participate
• Age 18 through 64
• Currently receiving SSI and/or SSDI
• Participation
• Access to services/supports to enter employment
  and work towards financial independence
• Voluntary and free
• Benefits of beneficiary participation
• Protection from medical CDRs
• Expedited Reinstatement of Benefits (EXR)

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Getting Started

• Do the services your EN offers match the
  beneficiarys service needs?
• Does the beneficiary have a previous work history
  or a history of prior earnings?
• Is the beneficiary likely to achieve Trial Work
  (TWL) or SGA level earnings?
• Is the beneficiary interested in becoming
  self-supporting?
• How much education has the beneficiary completed?
• What skills or areas of expertise does the
  beneficiary have?

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Other Considerations

• Limitations
• Past Employment Issues
• Strengths and Competencies
• Fears
• Housing
• Childcare
• Medication
• Transportation
• Not a good fit Refer the beneficiary to BASS to
  learn about other ENs serving the areas
• Call 1.866.968.7842 or visit www.choosework.net

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Ticket Assignability

• Check Assignability via the
• Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System
• Call toll free 1.866.949.3687, Select Option 1
  to check Ticket assignability using the IVR
  system
• The Secure Provider Portal (Portal)
  www.yourtickettowork.com

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Progress Check Four

• What are the advantages of beneficiary
  participation in the Ticket to Work program?
  (select three that apply)
• Increased disability payments
• Protection from medical CDRs
• More medical insurance
• Expedited Reinstatement of Benefits (EXR)
• Opportunity to work and eliminate the need for
  disability benefits

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Individual Work Plan (IWP)

• A living document developed in partnership with
  the beneficiary
• Identifies beneficiarys employment goal(s)
• Spells out the services and ongoing employment
  support the EN will provide to assist the
  beneficiary in achieving that goal
• Learn more be visiting https//yourtickettowork.
  com/web/ttw/individual-work-plan

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Timely Progress Review

• Social Security expects beneficiaries using their
  tickets to make steady progress towards financial
  independence
• OSM conducts Timely Progress Reviews (TPR) on
  each beneficiary who is using his or her ticket
• Conducted at the end of every 12-month period of
  Ticket
• Timely Progress Guidelines, which are
  progressive, are spelled out in Ticket
  regulations
• Based on educational attainment and/or work and
  earnings
• Impact of failing a TPR is lose of protection
  from medical CDRs
• Learn more at https//yourtickettowork.com/web/t
  tw/timely-progress-review

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Ticket Unassignment

• Either beneficiary or EN may unassign the ticket
  at any time
• Must notify OSM
• Reason for unassignment request not required

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Progress Check Five

• What is an IWP?
• (select two that apply)
• A template for each EN/beneficiary
• A living document that represents an agreement
  between the EN and beneficiary
• A contract between EN and the Social Security
  Administration
• A document that identifies beneficiarys
  employment goal(s) and the services the EN will
  provide

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Progress Check Six

• How do TPR requirements align with Ticket to
  Work Program goals?
• Makes sure beneficiaries are making expected
  progress toward self-supporting employment
• Provides beneficiaries with more benefits
• Ensures that ENs are paid in a timely manner
• Ensures that BASS is meeting their requirements

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Progress Check Seven

• Who can assign or unassign a ticket under the
  Ticket to Work program?
• The beneficiary
• The Employment Network
• Either the beneficiary or the EN

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Improving the Ticket Program and Resources for
Success
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Improving the Administration of the Ticket
Program

• Movement in recent years to automated processes
  that increase the efficiency of the
  administrative processes necessary to operate as
  an EN
• Movement to new automated process will continue,
  including having some processes moved from the
  OSM to Social Security
• Stay tuned for important announcements about
  these changes

35
OSM Phone Resources

• Technical Assistance
• Toll Free 1.866.949.3687
• Option 1 Ticket Assignability IVR system
• Other Options Payment and Systems Help Desks
• FAX [phone]
• TDD 1.866.833.2967

36
OSM Conference Calls

• Monthly calls with Social Security and the
  Operations Support Manager
• All EN Call First Thursday
• All VR Call Second Tuesday
• All EN Payments Call Last Tuesday
• Ticket Training Tuesdays
• 503 Community of Practice

37
OSM Website Resources

• The Portal
• Information Center
• Upcoming Events
• Training
• Ticket to Work Home https//yourtickettowork.com
  /web/ttw/home

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Questions

• Ticket to Work www.yourtickettowork.com
• Email enoperations_at_yourtickettowork.com
• Facebook https//www.facebook.com/yourtickettowor
  k
• Twitter https//twitter.com/tickettowork
• LinkedIn https//www.linkedin.com/groups?gid2414
  641
• YouTube http//www.youtube.com/user/TTWPServicePr
  ovider