If you are a person with disability between the ages of 18 and 64, you might have heard about the Ticket to Work Program. In a recent article in Forbes, Breaking Down The Benefits Of The Ticket To Work Program the author explained that Ticket to Work “offers many resources to help individuals prepare for work, find a job or maintain success while working.” So, in a nutshell, Ticket to Work Program is a work incentives program for workers with disabilities. It is a free and voluntary program offered by the United States Social Security Administration for individuals who were part of the workforce and who subsequently became disabled, and who are looking to re-enter the workforce, achieve success and reach financial independence. As noted in the Forbes article, “Those who choose to participate have access to services such as career counseling, vocational rehabilitation, and job placement and training from authorized service providers, such as an Employment Network (EN).”
Workplace Learning Solutions is a Ticket to Work Service Provider. We work to provide you with all the resources you need as a person with disabilities looking to re-enter the workforce. We have set up a website with tools and information to help ticket to work candidates more easily navigate the employment landscape and get back their work/financial independence. At Workplace Learning Solutions, we provide full support with job placement, benefits and work incentive advisement Services, financial wellness strategies, and long-term employment supports. See this link on WLS’ website.
In the Forbes article mentioned above, the author further opines that the Ticket to Work Program is under-utilized by those qualified for it. The author chocked up this under-utilization to lack of awareness about the existence of the program, writing: “The TTW program is an underutilized benefit available to millions of Americans. However, the lack of awareness about who qualifies and the value it offers is keeping many people from reentering the workforce.” The author encouraged others to help to demystify the program, saying: “Demystifying the qualifying criteria and benefits of this important program is a step in the right direction, which will help individuals with disabilities find the support they need to achieve financial independence.” But how can one demystify this program and raise awareness? This blog post seeks to help with that demystification by answering 5 “W” questions: who, what, where, when, and how of the Ticket to Work Program.
1. WHO QUALIFIES FOR THE PROGRAM?
To qualify for Ticket to work, you must: a. be between the ages of 18 and 64. b. receive social security disability benefits or supplemental security income. c. Have had a job in 5 out of the last 10 years (which explains why the program is geared at helping you (“re-enter” the workforce).
2. WHAT IS TICKET TO WORK AND WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE TICKET TO WORK PROGRAM?
Ticket to Work is a program offered by the Social Security Administration. This program is part of the Work Incentives Act of 1999. It is a program that is specifically designed to support people who receive Social Security Disability Benefits. The goal of Ticket to Work is to make it possible for Ticket to Work participants to become “financially independent” over time by helping them to find and receive the support they need to “succeed in the workforce.” (Source: Wikipedia). The whole aim of the program is to get participants off disability checks, and back into the workforce where they earn their own salaries.
3. WHERE IS TICKET TO WORK?
Every state has its own ticket to work program. “Beneficiaries may assign their Ticket to an Employment Network (EN) or receive services from the public Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agency in the state in which they reside.” Check out this link for a Ticket to Work overview
4. WHY WAS THE TICKET TO WORK PROGRAM CREATED?
The Ticket to work program is designed to get participants off disability benefits and towards financial independence.
5. HOW CAN YOU GET TICKET TO WORK BENEFITS?
To access Ticket to Work benefits, you must contact a Ticket to Work service provider such as Workplace Learning Solutions in Atlanta Georgia.
Note that participation in Ticket to Work means that at some point, your disability benefits will end because the goal is to get participants off disability and into successful job/financial scenarios. However, also note that The Ticket to Work program does not cast participants into the work fray without ample preparation. The program aims to provide participants with access to career counseling, job placement, job training other resources. Contact us at WLS in Atlanta if you need more information about how we can help Ticket to Work candidates like you.