Jayme Pendergraft>> Good afternoon this is Jayme Pendergraft we are going to get started. I would like to welcome you all to today's webinar. I'm going to introduce Derek Shields, our moderator.  

Derek Shields>> Thank you, Jayme. Welcome to today's Ticket to Work webinar. Working while receiving disability benefits what you need to know. My name is Derek Shields as Jayme just said. I am a member of the Ticket to Work Program Manager and I will serve as your moderator today. We are pleased to have you with us to learn about Social Security's Ticket to Work Program and answer questions about what you need to know about working while receiving disability benefits. The topic can help you as you expand your path to financial independence through work. We each have our own journey and I hope you get information today that will help you on your path to employment.  

Let's get started by reviewing some of the functions of our webinar platform so you can interact and get the most out of your time today. First, you can manage audio using the audio option at the top of your screen. The audio option is an icon that looks like a microphone or telephone. All attendees will be muted throughout today's webinar thus when presented with options for joining the audio conference please choose listen only in the bottom right. Choosing listen only allows you to have the sounds broadcast through your computer speakers or headphones. If you have headphones please make sure they are plugged in and turned on. If you do not have capabilities on your computer or prefer to listen by phone please dial one 1 800-832-0736 and enter access code 40189148#.  

>> Let's talk about accessibility. On the Adobe Connect Platform you will notice different boxes on your screen.  These boxes are called pods.??
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We have the presentation pod where the slides appear, this is the largest portion of the screen.??
Below that is an open space, for placement of the closed captioning pod.??
In the top right corner is the Q&A pod.??

In the top right corner is the Q&A pod for your questions and answers and below that is the web links pod. We have two items populated there. Let's talk about a few more details about these pods. 

If you need assistance navigating Adobe Connect, an Accessibility User Guide complete with a list of controls is available at??
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http://bit.ly/adobe-accessibility 
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This link is also available in the Web links pod in the bottom right pod on your screen.  It will be entitled Adobe Accessibility User Guide.??
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Real-time captioning is available today. It is displayed in the captioning pod which appears below the slides. In order to access this you can select the CC option for closed captioning and it will open a box that the real-time captioner is typing in now. You can select your text size and color options to best meet your vision preferences. The captioning link will also be available in the weblinks pod under the title web captioning. 

If you are fluent in American Sign Language and would like support during today's webinar follow the link below that provides instructions on how to connect with an interpreter through the Federal Communications Commission’s Video Relay Service. The ASL user guide, which appears in the web links pod under the title ASL user guide. 

We are here to answer questions that you may have about the Ticket to Work Program. Please send us questions anytime throughout the webinar by typing them in the Q&A pod. We will then direct questions to our speaker during the webinar. We will have three Q&A portions today. Please send us a question and we will do our best to get to as many as possible. 

If you are listening by phone and not logged into the webinar platform you may ask questions by sending an email to us. That email addresses is webinars@choosework.ssa.gov. 

Another resource available that I’ve mentioned a few times is the web links pod. We put resources in the pod and that will allow you to go a little deeper into the content of the session. To access these resources, highlight the topic you are interested in and select the browse to button at the bottom of the pod. If you are listening by phone and not logged into the webinar platform you may email us at webinars@choosework.ssa.gov for a list of these available resources or you may reference your confirmation email for the webinar to access these resources. 

Also, please note that Social Security cannot guarantee and is not responsible for the accessibility of external websites. Today's webinar is being recorded. A copy will be available within two weeks on the Choose Work website. That is https://choosework.ssa.gov. This link as well as others can be found in the web links pod at the bottom corner of your screen. It will be entitled WISE webinar archives. We hope you’ll have a great experience today. If you experience any technical difficulties use the Q&A pod to send a message or email us at the same address webinars@choosework.ssa.gov. 

As I mentioned at the start, my name is Derek. I will serve as your moderator today. We are also delighted to have Ray with us as our presenter. Ray received a law degree from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law and spent 23 years providing services to individuals with disabilities and their interactions with Social Security. He then became part of Cornell University's Work Incentives Support Center and in 2005 he joined the staff of Cornell’s Yang Tang Institute on Employment and Disability. Ray now serves as the program director of YTIonline, Cornell's Work Incentives practitioner certification program. During today's webinar Ray will discuss answers to four of the most frequently asked questions. What is Ticket to Work? Will I lose my disability benefits if I start working? Will I lose my Medicare or Medicaid if I start working? And the fourth question, who can help me on my path to employment? It Is my pleasure to welcome Ray to begin with an overview of the Social Security benefits programs and an introduction to the Ticket to Work Program. Over to you Ray.

Ray Cebula>>Thank you so much, Derek. We do have to discuss the two different programs that Social Security administers. It is always a great thing to make sure you know what benefit you are receiving. 

While there are Work Incentives and programs to help you get to work for both of these programs, they all work a little differently. Again, that is a good start if you are not sure whether you receive Social Security Disability Insurance SSDI or Supplemental Security Income, SSI, make sure. We will give you hints along the way to let you know how you can find out which is which. 

The SSDI program is an insurance program. It is just what it says, disability insurance. When you are working and paying FICA taxes you are paying into this system. Your benefit will be based on how long you have worked and how much you have paid into the system. Basically everyone's benefit is going to be different. This program has no limits on resources. So you can be Oprah Winfrey and collect your SSDI benefits if you have worked long enough to become insured through that program. 

The SSI program is a federal welfare program. It is paid to people who have very limited work experience that would not qualify for SSDI or people with no work experience at all. This does pay a basic level of income. If you are living alone and meeting your own needs it pays $841 a month. It is also limited to folks who have less than $2000 as an individual or $3000 for a married couple in countable resources. 

Just know that the Work Incentives will work differently because of the nature of those two programs. As I said, both programs have the opportunity to use Work Incentives and have great programs to supplement those Work Incentives that will help guide you and hopefully keep you in the workforce. 

Only you can decide if work is right for you. We are not here to make the decision for you. Your employment team will discuss all of those numbers. We will guide that decision; not make that decision. We will give you all the facts you need and you can make an informed choice based on what you know. 

Why choose work? We all hope everyone’s going to try it. Earning a living through employment may not be something everyone can do. Some people, by the nature of their disabilities, will be limited to only being able to supplement benefits. Other people will be able to return to work full-time. That decision may be the right one for you. Once people have an understanding of the many free services and supports available to them, they often realize that the rewards of work and being more active in the community far outweigh the risks associated with your benefits and healthcare.  

We need to talk about the Ticket to Work Act. The Ticket to Work Program began in 2001 and was signed by President Clinton in 1999. It took some time to get it up and running. It is a fabulous program. I believe in it when it passed. I still believe it 20 years later. 

What is it? The Ticket to Work Act is a big piece of legislation. We are going to focus on the Ticket to Work Program. The program is designed to help you return or into the workforce. It is free and completely voluntary. That is important to know. If you get information about the Ticket to Work that’s good information and you are going to decide whether you want to use the ticket, you can decide not to. The Ticket to Work Program will bring you good benefits and assistance. But, you do not have to do that to return to work. The ticket provides you with an opportunity to receive career development. If you are someone ages 18 through 64 and you receive one of those benefits SSDI or SSI and want to work. That is all that is required to you. You then make the decision that you want to return to work and participate in the Ticket Program.

The Ticket Program connects you with free employment services. So you can build your own employment team. They can help see if work is right for you. If you are not sure what your capacity is or what you want to do, we are here to listen to you and give you ideas and hopefully, you will make that decision to continue on this journey. We will help you prepare for work. Any type of preparation for work. I have been working as a pandemic employee for the last few years. I have been working at home for 22 years. If I were to get a job in the office I have some shopping I need to do. [ Laughter ] I’m normally I am not dressed with a tie or appropriately dressed for a business setting. 

How about finding a job? Everyone needs a resume. Resumes do not look like they did the last time I got a job. So I would need help getting a resume. I might need help from an expert in Santa Fe who can point me to jobs in my area if I am not willing to move. The last one is important. We want you to succeed at work. Just because we prepare you for work and found a job for you doesn't mean we are done. We are not done until you are successfully working on an ongoing basis and you decide you are set now. You can handle it. You want us to go back. Remember we’ll always be there for a question or two if you need us. 

The Ticket to Work helpline. Social Security’s Ticket to Work Program offers a helpline to support you on your journey to financial independence. They can give you basic information about the ticket and get you in contact with some of the players. Some of your potential support team members in your area. You can call that a helpline Monday through Friday 8 AM to 8 PM Eastern time. That number is 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 for TTY.

Now we will play with one of the biggest urban myths out there. Will I lose my benefits if I start working? I am sure you have all heard street rumors that say yes if you go back to work you lose everything. I am here to tell you that just isn't true. I am here to tell you that you really need to be invested in your program and seeking financial independence before anything happens to your cash. And it will be a long time before you are at risk for being without healthcare. We will talk about all of those things in more detail. This just is not true. Social Security has safety nets. You will be told if you are working with the team every safety net that follows the stage of work that you are in right now. These safety nets stop all of those bad things that you are thinking about from happening. There are a bunch of them. Work Incentives are basic rules that help beneficiaries enter reenter or continue potentially increasing employment by protecting their eligibility for cash payments and healthcare until you are able to take that last step and become financially independent. You should know that with proper planning, you are always going to have more than you would have had on benefits.  

>> If some of you are looking for a job for the first time or returning after an injury or illness, Work Incentives can help you with that transition to work towards financial independence. There are lots of those. Work incentives can do just about everything, including let you work at your own pace to achieve financial independence so you are comfortable the entire way through. 

Let's talk about one of those. The Trial Work Period (TWP) is one of 37 different Work Incentives that Social Security has. This one is available only to SSDI recipients. If you receive SSDI, the Trial Work Period requires you to test your ability to work for nine months. During the TWP you will receive the full cash SSDI payment regardless of how much you earned. This is an easy Work Incentive. Nothing else applies just the Ticket to Work. As long as you report your work activity and continue to meet Social Security rules for disability. You know that you have to report your work activity. That is the only way Social Security is aware that you began to use your Trial Work Period. You should be reporting that every month by the 10th of the month after the month you worked in. The Social Security rules and meeting them means you are still participating in the program. 

The Trial Work Period continues until you accumulate nine trial work months within a 60 month rolling period. That is a little hard to think about. No the months do not need to be consecutive. They don’t have to be one after another. You have to be able to find them within a five-year period. 

Social Security uses a certain amount every year to determine whether or not you have earnings that use a Trial Work Period. In 2022 if you earn $970, you have used a month. So you can earn $1000.09 months in a row or $5000 every month for nine months in a row and you will still receive your benefits and keep your earnings. 

Notice the second bullet does go on to say if you are self-employed you can be seen as using a Trial Work month if you have worked for 80 hours at your self-employment job. That would be determined to be a service month and would use a Trial Work Period month. That is because when you start a business you may have a lot of work to do. You may not necessarily make a whole lot of money. It takes time. We will judge that differently than we would just by looking at a dollar amount.  

Take a look at the TWP fact sheet and learn more about the Trial Work Period and other Work Incentives for when you complete the TWP, the extended period of eligibility. What happens during the Trial Work Period or when it is over? The game changes. We need to explain to you how that EPE works. You can find that link in your web links pod. It looks like we are at the first question session. 

Derek>>This is Derek. You have gone through important content and an overview of the two programs. A little bit of Ticket to Work and then the Trial Work Period. What we have coming in is a bunch of questions. I want to start out with a couple about the Ticket Program itself and then others about the Trial Work Period. I know you hear these and they are important but the first one is, do people need to pay to participate in the Ticket program?  

Ray>> Absolutely not. As I said earlier, the Ticket Program is available to you on a voluntary basis and at no charge.  

Derek>> Before I jump to the next one I want to remind people that there are questions coming in. We are unable to answer specific questions about your specific situations. But, we will give you the helpline information later to bring your specific questions to. So we will now cover more of the general program itself and details about healthcare. The next question, Ray is I do not have work experience so how do I get started with the Ticket program?  

Ray>>It sounds like you have a blank page and we are happy to draw a picture on that blank page. If you have no work experience you can meet with some of the team members we are talking about. You can choose anyone. You might want to talk to a benefits planner about what will happen to your benefits if you go to work. That will bring up what you want to do and how much would you like to earn. That is a general discussion you to have with a benefits planner. An Employment Network can help put meat on the employment bone that you began talking about with the benefits planner. An Employment Network knows the jobs in your area. Knows who is hiring part-time or full-time. And knows the general wages in your area. Just by talking to people and sticking your toe in the water you're getting more information than you think that will help you make the decision as to whether you want to participate in the program.  

Derek>>Thank you, Ray. I know you will cover more details about the employment team later in the presentation. Our next question is about eligibility. The person is wondering if they are eligible. Ray, clarify for us once again, Who is eligible for the Ticket Program?  

Ray>>The first eligibility criteria is that you have a cash benefit from Social Security either SSI or SSDI. The second criteria is 18 years old, and considered a disabled adult, up to your 65th birthday. The last qualification is do you want to work? If you want to work come on down.  

Derek>>The next question is about this myth you are talking about. The loss of benefits. The question is a bit of a statement. I heard I will lose my benefits right away if I go to work. I am really afraid I cannot work full-time. Can the Ticket Program help me. 

Ray>>Absolutely. Now you’ve heard you’ll lose your benefits right away if you go to work. That’s just wrong. There are Work Incentives and other protections that will help you try working. Part of using the Ticket to Work or a regular no ticket return to work is to try to test your ability. Remember, we talked about the Trial Work Period. That is a great time to work as much as you can to determine whether or not you can work full-time or part-time. During that nine-month period if you are not able to work full-time you may learn exactly what your tolerance is. That might be 25 hours a week. It might be 20. Whatever we determine and you determine is your maximum capacity work is what we will then move forward with. So, the Ticket to Work Program is truly cut out for you in would help a great deal.  

Derek>> Thank you Ray. That’s really reemphasizing that this is a myth and part time employment is a possibility as well.  

The next question goes back. Do we need to have a copy of a paper ticket to participate in the Ticket to Work Program? 

Ray>> Absolutely not. During my career working with recipients I would never tell you to throw away anything. However, I can say if you do not want that ticket then throw it away. You will have access to the helpline. They can tell you if you have a ticket available to use and just because it was tossed in the trash doesn't mean you cannot use it. You still have it, you do not need it to begin participating, but you may want to call the Ticket to Work helpline and see if there is one available to make sure before you make the call.  

Derek>>This is Derek. Thank you, Ray. We will bring that helpline number up for you a couple of more times to ensure everyone has access to check on ticket eligibility status. Now let's turn to the Trial Work Period. You have a said that the Trial Work Period lasts at least nine months. From a few folks there is a little bit of a need for more explanation. Is it nine months in a row or can we use the nine months a little differently?  

I'm going to try without taking up the rest of the session. The Trial Work Period is very important. It is nine months long. That does not mean you cannot have more than nine months in your Trial Work Period. Remember I said it's nine months that happen within a five-year period. Let's say I have eight months I have used back in 2017. I didn't finish my Trial Work Period. Now it is 2022. Now I’m going to go to work again. If I work in October of 2022 and earn $970 and a penny I have used in other trial work month. That is number nine. But look backwards. The other eight are more than five years ago. Right now I have had a ninth trial work month but only one counts. The others lost their shelf life and fell off. Just like a can of beans. The shelf life is five years. After five years if you have not opened it you throw it away. You can have many more months but remember you capture nine months in five years. Do you really think you have done a good job testing your ability to work if you scatter months across five years? I don’t think so. You can plan to use this period. When you are going to say I think I can work 20 hours a week, maybe 30, let's go for it during those nine months. We can determine where between 20 and 30 is your maximum capacity. Use them wisely.  

Derek>>That was helpful. Getting back to the label Trial Work Period and the notion of let's see what work can be done but use the timeframe wisely. There’s a follow on we received about reporting the activity. You mentioned I have to report my work activity. How do I do it and does someone help me to make sure I do it correctly?  

Ray>>Yes, lots of people on your employment team can help you do this. The benefits planner, Employment Networks, our goal is to make you financially independent and otherwise independent. So, we will be teaching you how to make those reports. You can do them on the computer or through the my Social Security account. If you do not have a my Social Security account you may want to go on SocialSecurity.Gov to set one up. SocialSecurity.gov. I know right now if I go in, I can find out what will happen today if I become disabled. What will happen today if I retire. How much money would be involved. What will my payments be? Who in my family will be able to collect benefits from my account. You can do this on a phone app. Both the SSDI and SSI programs have an app that is free and you can download them and use them. There is also a 1-800 number for reporting wages. You can call them in. Friday is the 30th. I will get my last paycheck to on Friday. I have 10 days so the 10th of October to report that you have to keep your wage stubs and log them into the my Social Security account and you will be able to get those reported. Now that the Social Security offices are open if you feel better about reporting your income in person then by all means you can do so as well.  

Derek>>Thank you, Ray for the guidance there and talking about the Trial Work Period at another level. We do appreciate your questions. A reminder that we may not be able to answer specific questions. If you have a generic question please submit those and we will have two more breaks for questions and bring Ray back up to answer those. We appreciate the advice. Right now we want to move forward and switch to our next frequently asked question. Will I lose my Medicare or Medicaid if I start working?  

Ray>>Thank you for your questions. Thank you, Derek. I have to tell you about one more resource called the Redbook. It contains information about all of these Work Incentives. It is available online in English and Spanish. You may want to go to Social Security.gov and in the search engine type in Redbook and it will come up for you to download. You can find all of the Work Incentives that are in there. It will give you a very succinct definition. 

Let's talk about healthcare. In my experience more people have greater concerns about losing healthcare then they do their cash benefits. We can easily show you. The planner shows you exactly where you are now. My SSI benefits are $841 a month. If you work 20 hours a week earning $15 an hour your SSI will go down a little. But your benefits planner will show you that your financial outcome for that month is going to more than double. There is always more money. Whoever is working on your team should be able to make sure that is happening. Healthcare it’s very close to a point where the worst that will happen is you pay a premium for it. When your income becomes that high. This is almost no worry at all. But I know people do care about it so let’s talk about it. 

Will I lose my Medicare or Medicaid when I start working? Again Medicaid and Medicare two are very different programs. Medicaid is a needs-based welfare health plan that comes automatically with SSI in a bunch of states and a couple other states, I think 11 of them left, require you to file separately. But, if you are eligible for SSI you will likely be eligible for Medicaid. Medicare comes with Social Security disability benefits. These are two different programs that function completely differently. If your benefits stop because of earning wages, in a majority of the cases people are able to keep Medicare or Medicaid by using Work Incentives first of all. All of those Work Incentives will help save your eligibility for healthcare. 

And then, buy-in programs. There are six states that do not have buy-in programs. The others and the District of Columbia have wonderful programs that we will talk about in a while. You can also use a buy in type program for Medicare as well. I'm not talking about someone with a benefit of $1500 in SSDI paying a medical premium. I am talking about someone who has returned to work making 30, 40, $50,000. You might be paying a premium at that point. 

>> The Work Incentives that help you keep your healthcare. For Medicaid we have Medicaid while working 1619b program. We also have the Medicaid buy-in programs. 44 states and the District of Columbia have those programs. I cannot tell you why the other five states, six states do not have a buy in program. They are wonderful programs. For Medicare we have the Extended Period of Medicare Coverage. When I tell you the rule for that you will begin to understand why I tell people to go to work and focus on work. Worry about this later. Then there is the Medicare for People with Disabilities Who are Working. Again once your income goes up there it allows you to pay premiums for Medicare. I think you have to remember for those who have worked in the past you remember employer healthcare. It’s not free. It was 40 years ago but it is not free anymore. You pay a premium for healthcare if you are working. Now you will be doing the same thing with your publicly funded healthcare system. If you receive SSI you will continue to receive Medicaid coverage. When your cash benefit stops, due to earnings, if you are eligible for SSI cash for at least one month, one month that’s all, if you continue to meet Social Security's definition of disability where you have to be disabled to participate in one of these disability programs according to Social Security guidelines. You still need the other non-disability SSI work requirements.  

Remember, SSI has a limitation on resources. Not only do you need to be careful about your income, and the planner is going to help you with that, but now you are working and still need to watch your resource levels. There are other tools to use to save more money. How about if you need Medicaid services to continue to work? Clearly, the Ticket to Work Act that President Clinton signed in 1999, it was the first time the government recognized that people need health insurance to work. Medicaid benefits to work. If you can replace those benefits with private insurance that’s okay too. But Medicaid’s pretty expensive. you have gross earnings before the states threshold here is the website that you can find the link for 1619b. It will give you the maximum amount you can earn. I believe right now Texas is about $45,000 a year. Connecticut is $63,000. You're looking at ranges from $30,000 up to $60,000. In Connecticut, it is a very good state for this. In Connecticut you could make $60,000 and still have Medicaid at no charge. Not a bad deal. Going to work and losing healthcare is far from definite. Check out the link to check and see what your states threshold is. Now, if you are working and go above the threshold there is another option. Those are the state buy in programs. 44 states and the District of Columbia. If you want to Google Medicaid buy-in program and your state, you will find out if your state has one. What these states do is allow you to purchase Medicaid. Because you need it to work. Think about that person in Connecticut. They are making $65,000. They have lost protected Medicaid under 1619b. They now have the ability to go to the state of Connecticut and ask to participate in the buy-in program. There will be a different earnings limitation. Some states do not have an earnings limitation. They just at some point will charge you the market rate for Medicaid.  

We are talking a lot of money. When I left Massachusetts their premium amounts were charted out to $100,000 a year. So if you make $90,000 in Massachusetts you would pay a premium based on your income to continue with Medicaid earning $90,000 a year. You still have to be disabled. You are otherwise eligible for SSI but for your earnings and it gets serious when you earn that kind of money. You may want to save some of it. We have other resources,  protective resources, that we can bring to bear to let you save extra money. You have to know that each program is different. If you saw one program you’ve seen one. Some allow you to have significant savings particularly if you are saving your earned income. California allows you to save whatever you want of your own earnings. That is a very good thing. Under certain circumstances people who receive SSDI benefits may be eligible for these programs. Medicare is not as comprehensive as Medicaid. Maybe that SSDI person can apply for the Medicaid buy-in and fill the healthcare gap. These can be available to everyone looking to return to work. Check with your local agency to find out what is available in your state. You can always Google Medicaid and your state. A lot of information will come flying at you and it may be difficult to understand without having that phone call but you may want to Google Medicaid in your state to get your state office health person. Medicaid ombudsman to find out who you can talk to. No obligations. But who you can talk to about how these programs work? Benefit planners in your particular state should be able to discuss this as well. 

Let's move to the Medicare program. Here's what I have told you. Hopefully you see the light when I say don't worry about your healthcare benefits. Most SSDI beneficiaries whose benefit payments stop due to work will receive at least 93 consecutive months of Medicare after the Trial Work Period ends. So if you take 93 months and add the nine trial work months to it, it is 102 months. That is a long time. Again, go to work and focus on returning to work. People will let you know what is happening every step of the way. Maybe in five years we can begin having the discussion on what may happen to your Medicare 2 1/2 years down the road. You are pretty secure with healthcare. Medicare comes in different parts. Part a is in the hospital and it will pick up a majority of that bill. That is a wonderful thing. Hospital insurance this is not have a premium I have already now. I do not pay a premium. I am still paying through my taxes on it. Then what about part B. That is doctors insurance. If you want to go to sick visit for a doctor or a wellness visit for the doctor for your annual physical that is what part B pays for. There is a premium for that. This year if you enroll it is $170.10 a month. If you are receiving a cash benefit you likely will not have to pay that because Social Security withholds the $170 to pay that Medicare premium if you are progressing along and do not get a cash payment the $170 will be billed to you. Remember your benefits planner will make that work. The Employment Network might have a benefits planner on staff who will make sure there is enough money for you to do that and you will have more than you had. Part D is the prescription drug program. You can enroll in that and I think there are premiums between 35 and $40. If you want a Cadillac you will pay for a Cadillac. If you want a Volkswagen it is a little cheaper. But, these programs will meet your medical needs. They are pretty customized for each person. They will be available in your local area. Again, if there is nothing being paid to you in a cash benefit you will be responsible for that as well. 

The Extended Period of Medicare Coverage. How do you get it? To qualify you must already have Medicare. And you now need to be working at the substantial gainful activity level. And for SSDI that level this year is $1350.01 a month. Your benefit will stop why would I want it to stop if I earn 1350? You need to take that into consideration when planning your trajectory and make sure it makes sense to you financially. 

When you consider basic and activity based on the person's disability. There are two different standards. The 1350 a month applies to people who are disabled. When we look at people who are blind it is somewhere slightly above $2100 a month. That is countable income. Social Security does not count everything. There are ways to deduct money so someone making 1500 gross in a month could be seen as only making 13 if we had a couple of hundred dollars in deductions and you must still be disabled. If you have received a note that says you have medically improved and you cannot play this game anymore. I have to speed up a little bit.  

>> How about Medicare for People with Disabilities Who are Working. If you have gone beyond that 93 months and you’re still disabled and you’re under age 65 and your Medicare stopped because of earnings, you can buy it. That will depend on how many work credits you have earned. You may be able to borrow some from a spouse. The premium will differ a little bit. If you are earning a significant amount of money those premiums are cheaper than most private plans. For the enrollment periods, you can make an appointment by calling Social Security offices at the number 1-800-772-1213 or TTY 1-800-325-0778. That will get you in touch with your local office. For help paying premiums maybe you just made the cut and you do not have enough money to pay all of the premiums. You can talk to them about the Medicare savings program. You're going to want to talk to them directly at 1-800 Medicare or or 1-877-486-2048 for TTY users. Please have your Medicare number handy and you will be able to talk to someone from your state about that program.  

We are pretty far out in your work effort. We have not lost benefits for healthcare so let’s give it a shot. We are back to questions again, Derek.  

Derek>>This is Derek. I first wanted to circle back and clarify something we spoke about earlier. During submission of work hours Ray talked about different ways that can be done. We really want to emphasize there are two preferred ways. The electronic or phone reporting methods are strongly preferred as opposed to taking or sending them to the field office. Beneficiaries are able to take and send them in as a last resort but Social Security prefers electronically or called in. 

Before we bring in the new questions there have been questions around the Trial Work Period. If you want to dive into that more deeply, in the bottom right corner of the web links pod there is a fact sheet, the Trial Work Period fact sheet. We encourage you to select that and access that to explore further. 

Right now to questions about the content you just went through around losing healthcare. We have a couple and want to stay on time.  

>> I'm nervous about losing my healthcare. If I get this job, is there someone I can talk to to help me understand the different information because it is confusing?  

Ray>>It is confusing. I’ll give you that much. Believe me when I tell you there is good news coming to you. I’d start with a benefits planner. They will talk about your income, the benefit you are on and what healthcare you are on. You will be able to discuss the transition I went through for a much longer period of time so that you will understand that.

Derek>>This is Derek. Excellent, we will dig into who can help and how to reach a benefits counselor in the next session section. The next question. I have SSI and I heard you say I can keep my Medicaid coverage before my payments stop due to the work earnings but only in some states. Where can I find that information if my state participates in Medicaid While Working?  

I heard you mention Google but what should I do have my state does not participate?  

Ray>>There are still six states who do not in a participate in the program. There is not much you can do other than relocate to a state that does have one. There will not be any protection for you if you are in one of the six states. Other than the basic Work Incentives. That does not mean we could not put a workplan together for you that will allow you to continue with healthcare. Medicaid is one that you can actually do that with pretty easily. You will have to talk to a benefits planner. Contacting them and finding out if there is a buy in is essential. I did mention Google. I googled one from Montana yesterday. I put Medicaid Buy In Montana and it was one of the first hits that came up to let me know that Montana does have these programs. Google is a great resource. There is a federal Medicaid website that I find overwhelming. There is a ton of information there. If you would just Google Medicaid Buy In states you will find several articles that list the states that have them.  

Derek>>This is Derek. Great. Thanks Ray. 44 states plus DC. A lot of folks listening will have a program that applies to them. That is helpful to know. And another note we understand that this is confusing. Next month on October 26 the WISE webinar will focus on Medicaid and Medicare. We hope you will join us. Registration is available at https://choosework.ssa.gov/wise.  Ray will go over the employment team in the next segment. Speaking of the next segment, Ray, back to you.


Ray>>Who can help me achieve my work goals? We have lots of people involved in this. You will pick and choose the people you believe you need. You can take us all to bring us to your support or you can take one or two of us. It is all up to you. 

Who can help me understand how work will affect your benefits? This is critical. It is much better for you to talk with a Benefits Counselor and know what is going to happen and when that is going to happen as opposed to just waiting for something to happen. It is truly a more powerful position to be in. SSI and SSDI have rules that allow you to try working without worrying about losing benefits and connecting with a Benefits Counselor or planner is the way to start. That is the first thing you should do. If you’re already involved with an Employment Network and haven’t had benefits counseling use these connections to get something done. I believe it is critical for every recipient returning to work. 

So, what is benefits counseling? It is a free service that came about as a result of the Ticket to Work Program there are service providers that will sit down with you and explain how earnings from work will affect your federal and state benefits. We will look at benefits like healthcare, Medicare, Medicaid, how does that all fit in when you work long enough and now your employer will give you an employer paid plan. You need to know how that will work. Social Security Disability Insurance. How much do you receive and are you going to work at SGA levels or work below SGA levels? Our goal is financial independence and we will encourage you to work as much as you can but you will go through all of the Work Incentives. Even the Trial Work Period in more detail. As it is specific to you. And that’s what will help you. And then you will go through the Extended Period of Eligibility. You’ll talk about Impairment Related Work Expenses. There are lots of things the benefits planner is going to talk to you about. They are going to give you documents if you remain on benefits, this is what your financial situation is. They will know that already.

If you work 20 hours a week this is what it will look like. If you're going to work full-time then this is what is going to look like to help you make a choice. 

SSI the same thing, how much are you receiving now? What are all of the Work Incentives. They are different than they are for the SSDI program. How about housing subsidies If you’re in a section 8 unit, or you have other housing subsidies. How will they be affected by work? What about your SNAP benefits or food stamps? They will be impacted by work but is your plan sufficient to replace all of those benefits? That is the benefit planner’s goal is to have you working more than enough money to replace all of your benefits. 

How do you find a Benefits Counselor? There are three types of providers to offer these services. The WIPA Programs, the State Vocational Rehab agencies. Many of the agencies have planners in house and lots of vocational rehabilitation counselors that are now learning enough to give you general information and refer to a Benefits Counselor. And the Employment Networks. Another member of your team, every time you see a green circle those are potential members of your employment team. Lots of the Employment Networks have benefit planners as well. You can get these people on your side almost anywhere. You need to know that they are very well trained and well supported. So you will have a quality plan to return to work. 

Benefits counseling and the path to employment. I'm going to tell you that you should start with benefits planning. You are going to look at the fact sheet on benefits counseling [ Silence ]  >> >> Those are the one-stop centers.  >> 

Derek>>Ray, this is Derek. We lost you for about 15 seconds. Can you dial it back and begin the slide a new?  

You are coming through great now.  

Ray>>Who else can help you? These are other potential members of your team. If you need an Employment Network you can get one to help provide you with services at no charge. There are great local resources. Some are national in scope. There are lots of them that are little tiny places that will set down and talk to you about job potentials in your area hiring. Whose hiring part-time. The workforce ENs, the one-stop centers, what are they called? Derek help me. the American job centers is what I think it might be called. 

Derek>>That’s correct. 

They are going to be there again. All kinds of resources. You can go in and use a computer at no charge to build a resume. They will give you help with that. They will give you the computer to help you search for jobs on your own. See what is out there. Some of those people will have the other services as well. Your state rehabilitation agency is out there becoming big players in all of this stuff. Many of the counselors are becoming educated and they will be able to give you general information about what will happen to your benefits if you return to work and a referral to a Benefits Counselor. Don't underestimate your state agencies. The WIPA Programs. Those are the Benefits Counselors. The last organization is the Protection and Advocacy organizations. We call them PABSS. What happens if you go for a job interview and somebody directly asks you about your disability? You are not supposed to do that. And then they say no you cannot have the job. The PABSS agency is the legal way. They will help you with disputes about hiring, firing, about asking for accommodations in the workplace. All of these people can do different things for you. The Employment Networks are great places. Free employment services. Let's talk about what you might want to do. Let's talk about if work is a good choice for you. Let's do some interview practice and develop that resume. And now it is time to take the five job listings and file applications. That’s pretty good. 

The American Job Centers are the same type of Employment Network. It is probably a lot less formal. The American Job Centers are a great place to start because you can walk in and start searching. What is available to me? without any obligation. What is the EN going to do for you? What are your work goals? My work goal is to be the manager of Macy's men's clothing department. I know I may have to do different jobs before that but my goal is to manage the department. Okay. That’s a great goal. Now you have to write your resume. Prepare you for those interviews. Are you going to need reasonable accommodations and when is the right time to ask and how about actually having that conversation with your new boss. Maybe you want to practice having that discussion. Maybe you want someone else to help you with that discussion. Many benefits planners have benefits…. I'm sorry many the Employment Networks have benefits planners staff as well. The State VR agency is going to be required to help people on Social Security disability benefits. They can also help you with vocational rehabilitation. Maybe the disability you have requires heavy-duty rehabilitation. That is what you will get. What about training and education. Your disability may have taken away your physical ability to do work but maybe with more education you could do a sedentary type of work. Let's talk to everyone who could possibly help you figure out what services you need. 

Here we are. If you are ready to find a service provider, visit the find help page. I am on this several times a week. You can search by ZIP Code, types of services that you need, and the disability type. If you are blind you do not want to go to a EN that focuses on helping people with mental impairments. Makes sense to me. So, make sure you target the appropriate players. How about languages? If Spanish is your first language and you are more comfortable there are Spanish-speaking ENs.  And, the provider type. If you want to find an EN narrow the search for an EN. If you’re looking for a planner, narrow that search to WIPA programs.

Or, you can call the Ticket to Work helpline for a list of providers and 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 for TTY users again Monday through Friday 8 AM to 8 PM Eastern time. There I go Derek . 

Derek>>This is Derek. Thank you, Ray. You got through the employment team. We appreciate that. A couple of times Ray brought up the importance of benefits counseling. These are key partners on your employment team. I just want to remind folk's that we have a link number 11 Benefits Counseling and the Path to Employment. We encourage you to access that in the pod. Here's the last question set for this webinar. Ray, you brought up the State VR agencies. We had a couple of questions around this. Generally the questions are can I work with a VR agency and an Employment Network?  

Not at the same time. In tandem, yes. If you were to go to a State VR agency for rehabilitation education assistance then you can work with that VR agency and when the agency closes your case after 90 days of substantial gainful activity work you could take that Ticket to Work and assign it to an Employment Network. The benefit of doing that is that in 90 days after I don't think it makes a worker but if you take that ticket after VR services to an Employment Network that Employment Network can support you on the job for several months. A lot of months. Maybe then you are ready to say stop already. I am a worker now. I can handle this myself. I think using the VR services and assigning your ticket to partnership plus, is what it is called, it is a wonderful thing.  

Derek>>This is Derek. Thanks Ray. If I need some extra help once I get a job, like a coach asking about the reasonable accommodations, can the Employment Network help me? 

Yes. They can help you… Like I said Employment Network are all sizes. Some are tiny little one person shop. The question is if you need job coach services, can the Employment Network pay for those services. That may not be the case but the Employment Network can help you locate a job coach and other methods of paying for it. Maybe bringing the VR agency back and seeking job support services from Goodwill. There are lots of ways that can be done. And yes, the Employment Network can certainly help you with that.  

Derek>>This is Derek. Thanks, Ray. The next question is I live in a rural area, will any service providers work with me?  

Ray>> They certainly should. Again, get on the website, the find help page, and you will be able to determine where your closest EN is. Some of them cover the entire state which means if you’re in a rural part of the state… I am in a rural part of the state. There are Employment Networks here that will help me if I need them. Everyone in this country should have access to an Employment Network - at least one. 

Derek>>Great this is Derek. We have access in rural areas, regional coverage and national serving options. Everyone has an option who wants to connect with an EN. Our last question.  

>> Thank you for all the information today, Ray, it is a lot to take in but I'm excited to try to find a job. What do I do next? 

Ray>>What do you do next? Start  

It's time to stick your finger in the mix. There is really no wrong door here. You can contact an EN. This is my own bias but starting with the benefits planner is a great way. They will talk to you without any obligation about what might happen if you go to work and what your financial outcome might be. You can contact the State VR agency. You can contact the Workforce American job centers, that is a good place to start. You will get some services by computer access and their job banks. And again, no obligation. Your obligation you will feel will come from yourself - once you are engaged in Employment Networks you will have this obligation to yourself to follow through. Contacting a planner and the American Job Center is a great way to very safely start.  

Derek>>It is our time to end the question period. I’d like to thank you for providing all of this valuable information about the four most frequently asked questions and helping better position everyone attending for what is needed to be known about working while receiving disability benefits. You’ve helped dispel some myths. You have given us some great advice and right at the end if you are ready to start jump in with the right employment team member to get started. Thank you, Ray, we appreciate your time.  

Ray>>It is always a pleasure Derek. 

Now I will provide important ways to get connected with the program. Ray has mentioned this but it is time to make sure everyone knows how to get started. 

We have learned a lot during today’s webinar – so how should you get started on your path or continue to expand your search??
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As you have learned today, the Ticket to Work Program has a variety of service providers and other resources ready to help you get started.?
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First, you can contact the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 or for TTY 1-866-833-2967.?
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Those lines are available Monday through Friday 8am-8pm Eastern Time??.
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Second, you can visit us at the Ticket to Work website at any time at: choosework.ssa.gov? – you will find more details regarding the topics as covered in today’s webinar and will discover the Find Help Tool that was described earlier.?
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You can also find us on social media or subscribe to the Blog or email updates by Visiting choosework.ssa.gov/contact/index.html ??
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This link will also appear in the weblinks pod under Ticket to Work Contact Information??.
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You can choose how to Connect with us, the important part is to make that connection in one or more of these three ways.?

Another way to get advice and encouragement and read stories about people who have achieved financial independence is by opting in to receiving text messages. If you are interested in receiving text messages please text ticket TICKETT to 474747. Standard messaging rate applied. To opt and please text ticket to 47-4747 and standard messaging rates may apply. 

Important to note …. ??
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If you need to contact Social Security’s Ticket to Work Program, managed by the Social Security Administration’s Office of Employment Support, we ask that you do so electronically instead of by postal mail. ??
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Our email address is support@choosework.ssa.gov. Remember, do not include personally identifiable information in your email!??
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You may also contact the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY) Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.??

Please join us for our next WISE Webinar which will be held on Wednesday, October 22, 2022, from 3-4:30 PM Eastern time.  ??
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The topic will be: Healthcare and the Path to Employment.?
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Registration is open at choosework.ssa.gov/wise or call 1-866-968-7842 or for TTY 1-866-833-2967.??


We are also pleased to share information on the Affordable Connectivity Program, an effort to Help more Households Get Access to Broadband??
The Affordable Connectivity Program is a Federal Communications Commission benefit program that helps ensure that households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare and more. ?The Program provides eligible households with a discount on broadband service and connected devices.??
And also provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward the internet for eligible households and up to $75 per month for homes on qualifying Tribal lands. ??
?To find out if you are eligible for the program and discover how to apply, please go to:  FCC.gov/ACP??
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And finally, your feedback is very important to us in planning for future webinars.  Please provide your feedback and tell us what you think by taking our survey!??
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To take the survey, you can follow the link that will pop up after the webinar, or you can find the survey link in the weblinks pod or by visiting the website at choosework.ssa.gov/surveys/wise??
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Thank you for attending today to learn about the Ticket to Work Program and Support on Your Journey to Employment. Please know there are supports and people ready to help and we encourage you to reach out to begin your journey.??
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This concludes today’s webinar. ??