Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 32 - Rehabilitation And Disabilities › Part 22 - Office of Vocational Rehabilitation for the Blind, Resource Guide › Section 32-22-3.18 - SELECTED SOCIAL SECURITY SERVICES › Section 32-22-3.18.1 - Ticket to Work Program

Current through June 25, 2024
The Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program (the Ticket to Work program) is the centerpiece of legislation signed into law under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 ( Public Law 106-170 ). The Ticket to Work program allows SSDI and SSI disability beneficiaries to seek employment services, VR services and other support needed to obtain, retain, or maintain employment and reduce dependence on cash benefits. The laws purpose is to expand the universe of service providers available to SSDI and SSI disability beneficiaries and provide them with a Ticket they may use to obtain VR services, employment services, and other support services from an Employment Network (EN) of their choice. The original final regulations to implement the Ticket to Work program were published in the Federal Register on December 28, 2001 and became effective on January 28, 2002. After full implementation of the Ticket to Work Program, SSA published a request for comments, first in September 2005 and again in August 2007. Taking into account the comments received and the recommendations of the Ticket to Work Advisory Panel, significant changes were made to the Ticket to Work program with final rules effective July 21, 2008. The ultimate goal of the Ticket to Work program is to reduce reliance on Social Security disability benefits and to promote increased self-sufficiency for beneficiaries with disabilities through work.
Overview of Ticket to Work
A. Ticket Selection and Mailing Process
The SSA will review the records of beneficiaries who receive
				  benefits under its two disability programs to determine who is eligible to
				  receive a Ticket under the Ticket to Work program. SSA will send a Ticket
				  mailer package to those found eligible for Tickets. This package includes a
				  cover letter, the beneficiarys Ticket, and a brochure with basic information
				  about the Ticket to Work program.
To be eligible for a Ticket, a beneficiary who is entitled to
				  benefits under the SSDI or SSI program must:
* be at least 18 but not yet age 65;
* be entitled on SSAs disability standard for adults;
				  and
* be receiving a Federal cash disability benefit.
Initially, SSA mailed Tickets to eligible beneficiaries in
				  stages, and thereafter on a flow basis. New Tickets under the new regulations
				  will not be sent routinely to beneficiaries who previously received a Ticket.
				  New Tickets will be mailed to beneficiaries who previously had not received a
				  Ticket due to medical improvement expected (MIE) provisions. Tickets will also
				  be sent to all new disability beneficiaries, ages 18 through 64, as they are
				  determined eligible for benefits on a flow basis.
A beneficiary who is eligible for a Ticket does not need to
				  have a paper Ticket before contacting providers about possible services. SSAs
				  Program Manager for the Ticket to Work program, MAXIMUS, Inc., is the
				  beneficiarys contact source for Ticket questions and issues (e.g., MAXIMUS can
				  answer questions about whether a beneficiary is eligible for a Ticket; MAXIMUS
				  can issue replacements for lost Tickets).
B. Beneficiary Participation Is Voluntary
A beneficiarys participation in the Ticket to Work program is
				  voluntary.
* The beneficiary is free to choose when and where to use the
				  Ticket to obtain the assistance needed to return to work or to go to work for
				  the first time.
* At any time, a beneficiary can retrieve the Ticket from an
				  EN and reassign it to another EN that is willing to take the Ticket assignment,
				  provided the Ticket is assignable.
* A beneficiarys non-use of a Ticket will not affect
				  entitlement to disability-based benefits.
The benefit for a beneficiary who assigns his/her Ticket to
				  an EN or works with a State VR agency is that SSA will not initiate a medical
				  Continuing Disability Review (CDR) of the beneficiarys case provided the
				  beneficiary is actively following an approved employment plan and making timely
				  progress toward work or educational goals. SSA periodically conducts these
				  reviews to determine whether a beneficiarys condition continues to meet SSAs
				  definition of disability.
C. Linking Up With a Provider Via MAXIMUS
A beneficiary may not assign his/her Ticket to more than one
				  provider of services at a time. Under the new regulations, a beneficiary may
				  not work with MDRS or any State VR agency and an EN simultaneously. However, a
				  beneficiary may discuss employment plans and goals with MDRS and as many ENs as
				  the beneficiary chooses. The beneficiary can obtain a list of the State VR
				  agency and approved ENs for a particular geographic area by:
* Calling MAXIMUS at 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TDD),
				  or
* Accessing MAXIMUS website at
www.yourTickettowork.com
A beneficiary may now chose to receive services from MDRS and
				  then receive follow along services after the VR case is closed by assigning
				  his/her Ticket to an approved EN.
D. "In-Use SVR" Status Code
In developing the new Ticket regulations, SSA decided that an
				  individual with a disability may move toward self-sufficiency incrementally
				  requiring a longer period of support which might include educational goals.
				  Therefore, a Ticket holder may receive VR services to meet his/her intensive up
				  front service needs and, after the VR case is closed with the beneficiary in
				  employment, the beneficiary may assign his/her Ticket to an EN and receive job
				  retention or other support services.
To make VR participation less burdensome under the new Ticket
				  to Work rules, SSA substituted an electronic process for the Form SSA-1365 when
				  the Cost Reimbursement option is selected. SSA created the "In-Use SVR" status
				  code to be able to track SSDI and SSI beneficiaries who are working with a
				  State VR agency (SVR). The "In-Use SVR" status will provide the beneficiary the
				  same protection from a medical CDR that a Ticket assignment does as long as the
				  beneficiary is making timely progress towards self-supporting
				  employment.
Therefore, under the new regulations, State VR agencies
				  choosing Cost Reimbursement are not required to submit the Form SSA-1365. The
				  MDRS Ticket Unit will coordinate electronic submission of the required elements
				  to MAXIMUS with the MDRS MIS Office. While a beneficiary is working with MDRS,
				  his/her Ticket will be coded as "In-Use SVR" and will not be available to an
				  EN.
E. MDRS Ticket
				Assignments
MDRS may choose selected cases where an EN payment option may
				  be more obtainable than Cost Reimbursement. This will be handled in the Ticket
				  Unit. When a case is selected for an EN payment option, MDRS will have to
				  submit Form SSA-1365 and secure the beneficiarys Ticket assignment. The Ticket
				  Unit will contact the counselor assigned to the case to obtain the required
				  paperwork.
F. Counselor
				Responsibilities:
* As of March 1, 2009, no longer required to contact MAXIMUS
				  to verify if a consumers Ticket is assignable
* As of March 1, 2009, no longer required to complete Ticket
				  pages in AACE
* For EN payment option, cooperate with the Ticket Unit and
				  provide the required paperwork for selected cases (Form SSA-1365 signed by both
				  the counselor and the consumer along with the first and last pages of the
				  signed IPE) to the Ticket Unit for Ticket assignment under the
				  Outcome-Milestone EN payment option.