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Program

SSA Publication No. 05-10061, April 2001, ICN 463262

Why You Should Read This Booklet

This booklet is for people who receive a Ticket

To Work And Self-Sufficiency from the Social

Security Administration. Please take a few

minutes now to read the booklet, and then keep

it in a safe place where you can refer to it as

needed.

How To Use This Booklet

The information in this booklet will answer your

questions about the Ticket To Work And SelfSufficiency Program. It also tells you where to go

if you have other questions, and how to get

additional help in using the ticket. If you have

questions that are not answered here, you

should call the Ticket Program Manager,

MAXIMUS, Inc. at 1-866-968-7842 (TTY 1-866-

833-2967).

What Is The Program

The Ticket To Work And Self-Sufficiency

Program (the Ticket Program) is a new part of

the Social Security program. It is for people who

receive Social Security Disability Insurance

benefits and Supplemental Security Income

(SSI) benefits because of disability or blindness.

The program offers you greater choices in

getting the services you need to go to work or to

earn more money. The goal of the program is to

help you earn enough money so that you will not

need Social Security cash benefits.

Contents

Part I--How The Program Works

 How Does This Program Work?

 Do I Have To Take Part In The Program?

 How Do I Get Started?

 What Is An Employment Network?

 What Happens When I Contact An

Employment Network?

 Can An Employment Network Contact

Me?

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 How Will An Employment Network Know

That I Have A Ticket And That I Am Not

Working With Another Employment

Network?

 Do I Have To Work With A Particular

Employment Network?

 What Happens If An Employment Network

And I Agree To Work Together?

 What If I Am Unhappy With The

Employment Network?

Part II--How The Program May Affect Your

Disability Benefits

 What Happens When I Go Back To Work?

 How Does Participating In The Ticket

Program Affect Medical Reviews Of My

Disability?

Part III--How To Get Help In Using The

Ticket

 Where Can I Get More Information Or

Advice?

 How Can The Protection And Advocacy

System Help?

 What Is The Benefits Planning,

Assistance And Outreach Program?

Part 1--How The Program Works

How Does This Program Work?

Under the Ticket Program, you can receive

employment services, vocational services or

other services to help you go to work or to earn

more money. These services are provided by

Employment Networks , which are private

organizations or government agencies that have

agreed to work with Social Security in providing

employment services to beneficiaries with

disabilities.

Do I Have To Take Part In The Program?

No. The Ticket Program is voluntary . If you

decide that you are not interested in the

program, or that you are not able to work, you do

not have to take part. Your decision will have no

effect on your disability benefits. However, you

should keep the Ticket we sent to you in a safe

place in case you decide later to take part in the

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program

How Do I Get Started?

If you are interested in taking part in the Ticket

Program, you should call MAXIMUS , Inc. at 1-

866-968-7842 toll-free (TTY 1-866-833-2967).

MAXIMUS is a private company that is working

with Social Security to help us manage the

program. MAXIMUS can answer most of your

questions about the Ticket Program, and can

give you the names, addresses, and telephone

numbers of employment networks that are in

your area.

What Is An Employment Network?

Employment networks are public or private

providers in your local community, and can

include the State Vocational Rehabilitation

Agency. Employment networks are the

organizations responsible for providing the

services you need to work or to earn more

money, at no cost to you . The Ticket Program

gives you the opportunity to choose from a

variety of employment networks.

An employment network may be a single

organization that provides all of the services you

need, or it can be a group of providers. It also

may work with other individuals or organizations

that are not part of the network to provide the

appropriate services.

Before you give your Ticket to an employment

network, you should carefully choose the one

that you think can best help you to reach your

employment goal. You are free to talk with as

many employment networks as you choose

without having to give one your Ticket.

For help in selecting an employment network, go

to Part III in this booklet on How To Get Help In

Using The Ticket. Remember: An employment

network cannot charge you for the services it

provides.

What Happens When I Contact An Employment

Network?

You can call or visit any employment network.

When you visit one, you should have your Ticket

with you.

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The employment network may need to obtain

certain information about you from Social

Security. You can expect them to ask certain

questions about your disability, your work history,

and other subjects. This is necessary so they

can decide if they can help you. You should feel

free to ask any questions about how the

employment network can help you reach your

employment goal.

Can An Employment Network Contact Me?

Yes. An employment network may contact you to

find out if you are interested in working with

them. The employment network will give you

detailed information to help you decide if you are

interested in pursuing your employment goals

with them.

How Will An Employment Network Know That I

Have A Ticket And That I Am Not Working With

Another Employment Network?

MAXIMUS will be keeping a record of people

who have Tickets who are not working with

employment networks. MAXIMUS will give this

information to employment networks.

Do I Have To Work With A Particular

Employment Network?

No. You and an employment network must agree

that you can work together. If you cannot agree,

you can take your Ticket and contact another

employment network. You can do this at any

time, even after you have signed papers with an

employment network.

Of course, you should think carefully before you

sign any papers or you decide to take your Ticket

to another employment network.

What Happens If An Employment Network And I

Agree To Work Together?

First, the employment network will work with you

to develop a plan that is right for you. The plan

will include your goals for the type of work you

want to do, and maybe for the amount of money

you want to earn. The plan also will state exactly

what services the employment network will

provide to help you reach your goal. In addition,

the plan will explain your rights under the

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program including:

 your right to take your Ticket back if you

are not satisfied with the services you are

receiving from the employment network;

and

 information on the availability of advocacy

services and help in resolving disputes

through the State Protection and Advocacy

System. You can find more information

about these services in Part III--How To

Get Help in Using The Ticket.

You or your representative and the employment

network will have to sign the plan before you can

start working with the employment network under

the Ticket program. The employment network

should give you a copy of the plan, in an

accessible format if you need it. If necessary,

you can work with the employment network to

change your plan if your situation changes.

When you sign the plan, you have "assigned"

your Ticket to the employment network, and you

cannot work with another employment network

without taking your Ticket back.

What If I Am Unhappy With The Employment

Network?

There are several steps you can take if you are

having a problem with your employment network.

Under the Ticket Program, an employment

network must have a process to deal with

situations where clients are unhappy with them.

If this process is not successful, you can call

MAXIMUS and ask them to resolve your

grievance informally. If MAXIMUS cannot resolve

your grievance informally, it will report your

grievance to Social Security.

If your Ticket has been assigned to a state

vocational rehabilitation agency, the state

agency must give you a description of the

services available through the Client Assistance

Program. It also must give you the opportunity to

resolve your grievance through mediation or an

impartial hearing.

Again, you also can request the Protection and

Advocacy Agency in your state to help you if you

are unhappy with an employment network. You

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can ask your state agency to help you at any

stage of the grievance process.

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Part II--How The Program May Affect Your

Disability Benefits

What Happens When I Go Back To Work?

If you go back to work, or you begin to earn more

money, you must notify your local Social Security

office. The Ticket Program does not replace the

special rules, called "work incentives," that help

serve as a bridge between Social Security and

SSI disability benefits and financial

independence. These work incentives include:

 cash benefits while you work;

 Medicare or Medicaid while you work; and

 help with any extra work expenses you

may have as a result of your disability.

You can find more information about Social

Security and SSI work incentives in the booklet,

Working While Disabled--How We Can Help

(Publication No. 05-10095), which you can find at

your local Social Security office, or you can

request by calling our toll-free number 1-800-

772-1213 . If you use the Internet, you can find

this information, and other information

concerning the employment of individuals who

receive benefits because of disability, at

www.socialsecurity.gov/work.

How Does Participating In The Ticket Program

Affect Medical Reviews Of My Disability?

We ordinarily review your medical case from time

to time to see if you are still disabled under our

rules. If we find that you are no longer disabled,

we may stop your benefits.

If you choose to participate in the Ticket

Program, we will not conduct a medical review of

your case as long as you meet certain

requirements and assign your Ticket to an

employment network. We will send you more

information about these requirements after you

assign your Ticket.

If you would like more information about these

requirements now, you can call MAXIMUS at 1-

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866-968-7842 (TTY 1-866-833-2967).

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Part III--How To Get Help In Using The

Ticket

Where Can I Get More Information Or Advice?

In addition to MAXIMUS, Inc. here are two other

important sources of information and advice

about the Ticket Program that you should use.

Your State Protection and Advocacy System

can provide legal services, advocacy, and other

services you may need in using the ticket. The

Benefit Planning, Assistance, and Outreach

Program are organizations that help you with

work incentives and other employment support

programs available to you. Call MAXIMUS to find

out the State Protection and Advocacy System

and Benefit Planning, Assistance and Outreach

organization nearest you.

How Can The Protection And Advocacy System

Help?

Your State Protection and Advocacy System

can help you in many ways. They can give you

information and advice about vocational

rehabilitation and employment services, including

selecting an employment network under the

Ticket Program. They can tell you about the

special rules called, "work incentives" that are

designed to support your efforts to work. The

agency also can help you with any complaints

against an employment network or other provider

that is helping you work. And they can help you

with problems concerning the employment plan

you develop with an employment network under

the Ticket Program.

To find out how to contact your local Protection

and Advocacy Agency, call MAXIMUS at 1-866-

968-7842 (TTY 1-866-833-2967).

What Is The Benefits Planning, Assistance And

Outreach Program?

Social Security has a new program, called the

Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach

Program , which could help answer questions

about SSA's work incentives and help you make

a decision about working.

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Under this program, Social Security pays

community organizations to provide information

and assistance to persons who receive Social

Security disability benefits or SSI benefits who

are attempting to work. The program has benefit

specialists who can help you understand how

work affects your payments, and explain what

other federal, State and local supports there are

to help people with disabilities who want to work.

For more information about this program, you

may also call MAXIMUS at 1-866-968-7842 (TTY

1-866-833-2967).

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