TITLE II—TICKET TO WORK AND
SELF-SUFFICIENCY AND RE-
LATED PROVISIONS
Subtitle A—Ticket to Work and
Self-Sufficiency
SEC. 201. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE TICKET TO WORK AND
SELF-SUFFICIENCY PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Part A of title XI of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.) is amended by add-
ing after section 1147 (as added by section 8 of the Non-
citizen Benefit Clarification and Other Technical Amend-
ments Act of 1998 (Public Law 105–306; 112 Stat.
2928)) the following:
‘‘TICKET TO WORK AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY PROGRAM
‘‘SEC. 1148. (a) IN GENERAL.—The Commissioner
shall establish a Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Pro-
gram, under which a disabled beneficiary may use a ticket
to work and self-sufficiency issued by the Commissioner
in accordance with this section to obtain employment serv-
ices, vocational rehabilitation services, or other support
services from an employment network which is of the bene-
ficiary’s choice and which is willing to provide such serv-
ices to the beneficiary.
‘‘(b) TICKET SYSTEM.—
‘‘(1) DISTRIBUTION
OF
TICKETS.—The Com-
missioner may issue a ticket to work and self-suffi-
ciency to disabled beneficiaries for participation in
the Program.
‘‘(2) ASSIGNMENT
OF
TICKETS.—A disabled
beneficiary holding a ticket to work and self-suffi-
ciency may assign the ticket to any employment net-
work of the beneficiary’s choice which is serving
under the Program and is willing to accept the as-
signment.
‘‘(3) TICKET
TERMS.—A ticket issued under
paragraph (1) shall consist of a document which evi-
dences the Commissioner’s agreement to pay (as
provided in paragraph (4)) an employment network,
which is serving under the Program and to which
such ticket is assigned by the beneficiary, for such
employment services, vocational rehabilitation serv-
ices, and other support services as the employment
network may provide to the beneficiary.
‘‘(4) 
PAYMENTS
TO
EMPLOYMENT
NET-
WORKS.—The Commissioner shall pay an employ-
ment network under the Program in accordance with
the outcome payment system under subsection
(h)(2) or under the outcome-milestone payment sys-
tem under subsection (h)(3) (whichever is elected
pursuant to subsection (h)(1)). An employment net-
work may not request or receive compensation for
such services from the beneficiary.
‘‘(c) STATE PARTICIPATION.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State agency admin-
istering or supervising the administration of the
State plan approved under title I of the Rehabilita-
tion Act of 1973 may elect to participate in the Pro-
gram as an employment network with respect to a
disabled beneficiary. If the State agency does elect
to participate in the Program, the State agency also
shall elect to be paid under the outcome payment
system or the outcome-milestone payment system in
accordance with subsection (h)(1). With respect to a
disabled beneficiary that the State agency does not
elect to have participate in the Program, the State
agency shall be paid for services provided to that
beneficiary under the system for payment applicable
under section 222(d) and subsections (d) and (e) of
section 1615. The Commissioner shall provide for
periodic opportunities for exercising such elections
(and revocations).
‘‘(2) EFFECT
OF
PARTICIPATION
BY
STATE
AGENCY.—
‘‘(A) STATE AGENCIES PARTICIPATING.—
In any case in which a State agency described
in paragraph (1) elects under that paragraph to
participate in the Program, the employment
services, vocational rehabilitation services, and
other support services which, upon assignment
of tickets to work and self-sufficiency, are pro-
vided to disabled beneficiaries by the State
agency acting as an employment network shall
be governed by plans for vocational rehabilita-
tion services approved under title I of the Reha-
bilitation Act of 1973.
‘‘(B) STATE
AGENCIES
ADMINISTERING
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES PRO-
GRAMS.—Subparagraph (A) shall not apply
with respect to any State agency administering
a program under title V of this Act.
‘‘(3) SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE TO
CROSS-REFERRAL TO CERTAIN STATE AGENCIES.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In any case in which
an employment network has been assigned a
ticket to work and self-sufficiency by a disabled
beneficiary, no State agency shall be deemed re-
quired, under this section, title I of the Work-
force Investment Act of 1998, title I of the Re-
habilitation Act of 1973, or a State plan ap-
proved under such title, to accept any referral
of such disabled beneficiary from such employ-
ment network unless such employment network
and such State agency have entered into a writ-
ten agreement that meets the requirements of
subparagraph (B). Any beneficiary who has as-
signed a ticket to work and self-sufficiency to
an employment network that has not entered
into such a written agreement with such a
State agency may not access vocational rehabili-
tation services under title I of the Rehabilita-
tion Act of 1973 until such time as the bene-
ficiary is reassigned to a State vocational reha-
bilitation agency by the Program Manager.
‘‘(B) TERMS OF AGREEMENT.—An agree-
ment required by subparagraph (A) shall speci-
fy, in accordance with regulations prescribed
pursuant to subparagraph (C)—
‘‘(i) the extent (if any) to which the
employment network holding the ticket will
provide to the State agency—
‘‘(I) reimbursement for costs in-
curred in providing services described
in subparagraph (A) to the disabled
beneficiary; and
‘‘(II) other amounts from pay-
ments made by the Commissioner to
the employment network pursuant to
subsection (h); and
‘‘(ii) any other conditions that may be
required by such regulations.
‘‘(C) REGULATIONS.—The Commissioner
and the Secretary of Education shall jointly
prescribe regulations specifying the terms of
agreements required by subparagraph (A) and
otherwise necessary to carry out the provisions
of this paragraph.
‘‘(D) PENALTY.—No payment may be
made to an employment network pursuant to
subsection (h) in connection with services pro-
vided to any disabled beneficiary if such em-
ployment network makes referrals described in
subparagraph (A) in violation of the terms of
the agreement required under subparagraph (A)
or without having entered into such an agree-
ment.
‘‘(d) RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMISSIONER.—