519. The Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program

519.1 What is the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program?

The Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program (the Ticket to Work program) is an SSA program designed to give people with disabilities more choices to obtain the vocational rehabilitation, employment, or other support services they need to go to work or to increase their earnings. These services are provided by employment networks, or State vocational rehabilitation agencies. Employment networks are private or public organizations or government agencies that have agreed to work with SSA to provide services to people with disabilities.

519.2 How does the Ticket to Work program work?

The ticket program is voluntary, the beneficiary has the option of choosing to use or not use the ticket. Under the Ticket to Work program, disabled or blind beneficiaries receive a ticket they may use to obtain vocational rehabilitation, employment, or other support services from an employment network or a State vocational rehabilitation agency. The ticket is a document SSA issues to disabled beneficiaries who are eligible to participate in the Ticket to Work program, as evidence of SSA's agreement to pay the employment network or State vocational rehabilitation agency, for providing the services that can help the beneficiary go to work. To use the ticket, the beneficiary should contact an employment network or State vocational rehabilitation agency. The employment network or State vocational rehabilitation agency will then work with the beneficiary to develop a plan outlining the services and supports needed to achieve a vocational goal. Once a beneficiary and employment network or State vocational rehabilitation agency agree to a plan, the ticket will be assigned to the employment network or State vocational rehabilitation agency. The employment network or State vocational rehabilitation agency will provide the services and supports agreed to at no cost to the beneficiary. SSA will pay the employment network or State vocational rehabilitation agency when the beneficiary achieves certain employment-related outcomes. SSA will not conduct a continuing medical disability review while the beneficiary is actively participating in the ticket program.

519.3 Ticket to Work Information

Additional Ticket to Work material including information about the employment networks serving in the beneficiary's geographic area may be obtained from the SSA web site: http://www.ba.ssa.gov/work/ or by calling toll-free at: 1-866-968-7842 (TTY 1-866-833-2967).

519.4 Benefit Planning, Assistance, and Outreach Information and Protection and Advocacy

SSA has also awarded agreements with community-based organizations to provide all of SSA's beneficiaries with disabilities access to benefits planning and other assistance. These groups are called Benefits Planning, Assistance, and Outreach (BPAO) organizations. The goal of the BPAO program is to better enable Social Security beneficiaries with disabilities to make informed choices about work. Each BPAO has benefit specialists who will provide work incentives planning and assistance, including information on supports provided by SSA, other Federal programs, and State and local programs, directly to beneficiaries with disabilities. These services are free to individuals receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits based on disability. A list with contact information can be found at: www.socialsecurity.gov/work/ServiceProviders/BPAODirectory.html.

In every state and U.S. Territory, there is an agency that protects the rights of individuals with disabilities. These Protection and Advocacy Systems administer the SSA-funded Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) program. These services are free to individuals receiving SSDI or SSI benefits based on disability or blindness. A list with contact information can be found at: www.socialsecurity.gov/work/ServiceProviders/PADirectory.html.

Last Revised: Jun. 23, 2005