Employment Rights

The Ticket to Work - Is it a Winning Ticket?

by Alan Goldstein, Ticket to Work manager

Photo of Alan Goldstein, Ticket to Work Manager "I want to work, but I need help finding a job!" While many people feel this way, it's a sentiment even more common among people with disabilities. In 1999, the United States Congress passed, with broad support from Democrats and Republicans, a law specifically designed to help people receiving Social Security disability benefits who are working or want to work. It has the catchy title: The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999, often referred to as TWWIIA. As a result of this law, the Ticket to Work Program was created, a program for which Equip for Equality plays an important role, actively assisting and advocating for people with disabilities throughout Illinois.

TWWIIA helps individuals who receive Social Security disability benefits obtain job skills and jobs. Currently, less than 1 percent of Social Security recipients are working, although some 72 percent want to work, according to a recent Harris Poll. The Social Security Administration (SSA) would like to see individuals earn enough money so that they no longer need cash benefits from SSA (both SSI and SSDI benefits). Many people are familiar with the barriers that people with disabilities face when trying to find or keep jobs. Among these employment barriers are the need for:

information and financial advice regarding how working will affect Social Security and other benefits;
job search assistance;
training to acquire necessary job skills;
assistance in working with the Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Services; and
professional legal advice, assistance and advocacy in protecting employment rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other related laws.

The Ticket to Work Program seeks to remove these barriers. It does this in three ways: 1. by providing free professional assistance through the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) and Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach (BPAO) Projects; 2. by improving Social Security work incentives that allow people to work and keep their cash and/or health benefits; and 3. by creating the Ticket to Work Program, to increase the number of agencies that provide assistance in finding jobs. These agencies are called Employment Networks and provide free employment support services that are accessed by using the "Ticket," a rectangular, 6"X 9" piece of cardboard.

The PABSS Project at Equip for Equality

The PABSS Project that was created by the Ticket to Work Program has been housed at Equip for Equality since September 2001 and provides two important services to Social Security beneficiaries at no charge: 1. education, training and outreach, covering the Ticket to Work Program, employment rights, vocational rehabilitation, transition planning, Social Security work incentives, and Social Security overpayments and continuing disability reviews, and 2. legal advice, advocacy and representation regarding the areas listed above or any other barrier to work.

PABSS seeks to prevent and solve problems through education and advocacy. In 2003, Equip for Equality's PABSS Project provided training and outreach to over 2,000 individuals and provided legal representation for and advice to 275 people. PABSS puts forth extra effort to ensure that its services are provided to underserved populations, including people of diverse backgrounds and heritages. Also, the Ticket to Work section of Equip for Equality's website makes a wealth of information available to more than the 25,000 people who visit the website annually. To access this information, click on the words Ticket to Work on the left column of the Equip for Equality home page screen for resources regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act; fact sheets on transition planning; overpayment issues and unemployment compensation issues; the PABSS Training Guide, Tickets to Work: Know Your Rights, Protect Your Benefits, which covers the Ticket to Work Program, SSA work incentives, vocational rehabilitation and employment rights; Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach (BPA&O) general information; an Illinois BPA&O map; and two Power Point presentations: PABSS Ticket$ to Work training information (as outlined above) and The ADA and the Supreme Court.

The Ticket to Work Program
Today and into the Future

The Ticket to Work Program provides many ways to assist individuals with disabilities to find and keep jobs. The PABSS Project at Equip for Equality is highly successful in training, advising and advocating for people with disabilities who want to work. Benefit planners through the BPAO Projects have also provided professional and vital assistance to many individuals in Illinois. The United States Congress is continually looking at the Ticket to Work Program and seeking to improve its effectiveness. Even though some parts of the Ticket to Work Program need improvement, PABSS and BPAO services have proven to be very successful in assisting people with disabilities obtain, retain or regain employment.

If you have any questions or would like more information, contact the PABSS Project at Equip for Equality - make sure that the Ticket to Work works for you!

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