WISE Ticket to Work Webinar Ticket to Work: Support on Your Journey to Employment September 22, 2021 Speakers: Sarah Hyland (Moderator), Ray Cebula (Presenter) SARAH>> Good afternoon, and welcome to today’s Ticket to Work webinar: Ticket to Work: Support on Your Journey to Employment. My name is Sarah Hyland, and I am a member of the Ticket to Work team, and I will be your moderator for today’s webinar. We are so glad you were able to take time to spend with us today to learn about Social Security’s Ticket to Work Program and how it can help you as you start your path to financial independence through work. Each of us has our own journey, and we hope you find some information today that will assist you in moving forward on your path to employment. Let’s get started by going over some of the functions of the webinar platform so that you can interact and get the most information out of today’s presentation. First, you can manage your 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 the options for joining the audio conference, choose Listen Only, which appears at the bottom right in the audio menu. Clicking Listen Only allows you to have the sound broadcast through your computer speakers or your headphones. Please make sure your speakers are turned on or your headphones are plugged in. If you are unable to connect to the audio with your computer or prefer to listen to the webinar by phone, please dial 1-800-832-0736 and enter access code 41 89 148#. Next, we will share some information about webinar accessibility. On the Adobe Connect platform, you will notice four different boxes on your screen. These boxes are called pods. We have the presentation pod where the slides appear. Below that is the closed captioning pod. In the top right-hand corner you will see the Q&A pod. Below the Q&A pod is the web links pod. We will talk about these pods in more detail in just a little bit. If you need assistance navigating Adobe Connect, an accessibility user guide with a list of controls is available at http://bit.ly/adobe-accessibiity. This link is also available in the web links pod at the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. It will be titled Adobe Accessibility User Guide. Real-time captioning is available and is displayed at the – in the caption pod, excuse me, which is the box that appears below the slide that is on your screen right now. The captioning link can be found in the web links pod under the title Closed Captioning. If you are fluent in ASL and would like support for today’s webinar, follow the link below that provides instructions to connect to an interpreter through the Federal Communications Commission, FCC, Video Relay Service, VRS. The ASL User Guide can also be found in the web links pod under the title ASL User Guide. We are here today to answer questions that you may have on the Ticket to Work Program. Please send your questions to us at any time throughout the webinar by simply typing them into the Q&A pod. We will then direct the questions to our speaker during the Q&A portions of our webinar. We will be addressing questions at three different points throughout today’s presentation. So go ahead and send in those questions, and we will do our best to get to as many of them as we possibly can. If you are listening by phone and are not logged in to the webinar, you may ask questions by sending an email to Ticket to Work, and the email address is webinars@choosework.ssa.gov. Another resource available that we think you will find extremely helpful in connecting with the different resources that we mention today is the web links pod which you will find at the bottom right-hand side of your screen. This pod lists all of the links to the resources presented during today’s webinar. To access any of these resources, simply highlight the topic that you are interested in and would like to connect to, and then select the Browse To button at the bottom of the pod and you will be taken to the website requested. If you are listening by phone and not logged in to the webinar or you don’t have access to the web links pod, you can email Ticket to Work. The email address is webinars@choosework.ssa.gov or reference the confirmation email that you received for today’s webinar for a list of available resources. Also, please note that SSA cannot guarantee and is not responsible for the accessibility of external websites. Today’s webinar is being recorded, and a copy of it will be available within two weeks on the Choose Work website which can be accessed at http://bit.ly/WISE_OnDemand. This link, as well as others, can be found in the web links pod we just talked about at the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. It will be titled WISE Webinar Archive. We hope everyone has a great experience on the webinar today. However, if you run into any technical difficulties, please use the Q&A pod to send us a message. Or you can also send an email to the Ticket to Work email address which is webinars@choosework.ssa.gov. As I mentioned earlier, my name is Sarah Hyland, and I am a member of the Ticket to Work team. I’m excited to be here with you today as your moderator. We also are delighted to have Ray Cebula with us here today. Ray received his law degree from the University of New Hampshire’s Franklin Pierce School of Law. He spent 23 years providing legal services to individuals with disabilities in their interactions with Social Security. He became part of Cornell University’s Work Incentive Support Center in 2000, and in 2005 he joined the staff of Cornell’s Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability where he now serves as a program director of YTI Online, Cornell’s work incentive practitioner credentialing program. During today’s webinar, Ray will cover Social Security’s Ticket Program, Ticket to Work service providers, work incentives and the Ticket Program, phases of the path to work, and finally, putting it all together. During today’s webinar we will not be answering specific questions related to COVID-19. If you would like more information on Social Security and the Corona virus, please visit https://www.ssa.gov/coronavirus/. This link can also be found in the web links pod. And with that, it is my pleasure to introduce Ray to start us off with an introduction to the Ticket to Work Program. Thanks, Ray! RAY>> Thank you, Sarah. And I hope you can hear me. We are going to start with the Ticket to Work Program and Support on Your Journey to Work. There’s a lot to be discussed, and fortunately, we’re going to make it as easy as possible for you to participate in all of these programs. The first slide here that we have to deal with is there’s two Social Security programs that the Administration does administer for people with disabilities. The importance here is that you know and understand which benefit that you receive so that you can appropriately begin that journey to work. The first one is Social Security Disability Insurance, SSDI. And that program is for former workers who have worked, paid into the Social Security system, and become insured for disability benefits. The other program, Supplemental Security Income, is a needs-based program. It’s going to consider people’s assets or resources and their income before providing benefits. It is currently paying a monthly benefit from the federal government of $794.00. Some states are providing a little bit more on top of that. But those are the two different programs. SSDI is insurance. SSI is needs-based. There are work incentives for both. Some of them sound alike but act differently for each program. And there are specific work incentives that apply to each program. So, before you contact the Help Line or try to get an employment network or benefits planning, what you should do is take a look at a notice. If you have a My Social Security account, go in there and find out which benefit you have. If you can’t, don’t let that stop you. We can find that out when we sit down to discuss your issues. Sign up for a My Social Security account. If you haven’t yet, you should. Everybody should. I’ve got one, and I actually need to check it today. These accounts can be set up at ssa.gov/myaccount. And it’s going to give you a lot of access to information all about you. It’s going to have all of your past earnings. It will tell you if you apply for SSDI today, what you will receive. In my case, I’m looking at the retirement side of things. If I retire today, what will I get? What will my family members get? Tons of great information, and it’s great for you to keep track of, and it’s great for everybody else who is going to assist you on your journey to work to use. Again, ssa.gov/myaccount. And you can set that up pretty easily. So, starting this journey to work. It’s a big question. You know, if you’ve been receiving disability benefits or SSI for a while, it’s a serious issue for everybody. But remember, only you can decide if this journey is worth taking. You need to get information, pull as much as possible together, to determine if work is right for you. And then you can make an informed decision. What will happen to benefits? What will your new income be? Lots of good things. All we’re asking is that you explore. And we’re going to encourage you to give work a try. You know, there’s a lot more to it than just the finances, but I realize that the finances are incredibly important. Most, if not everybody, is going to be better off working. So, you think about it. You make that decision. If you’re having issues with that, please, we’re going to open many doors for you today. Use one and have that discussion with somebody else as well. So, why choose work? You know, earning a living through work is not something that everybody can do. But work still may be right for you. Some people will be able to go to work, work enough to lose their benefits. Other people may have a mix. It’s okay. We just want you to try work and start. Once people understand, once you people understand, the many free services and supports that are available to you, it just becomes something that’s going to outweigh the risks. And I have to tell you that there – there are risks, but they are far outweighed by work. And those risks all have safety nets with them. So, there’s going to be a net to catch you. There’s going to be a net to catch you after step two. And the final step, termination of benefits, there’s still a safety net. So, we’ve got lots of – we’re making this as comfortable and as safe as possible for you. The Ticket to Work Program is going to be available to many of you out there. It is voluntary and it’s free. And this Ticket gets you an additional level of services. Again, your choice to use it, but it goes beyond the work incentives Social Security provides to everybody. It offers career development for anybody aged 18 through 64 who receives a disability benefit and want to work. Not a lot of requirements. The one catch when you see that age 18 group, that 18-year-old has to be a disabled adult, so they’re going through a review to move from disabled child to disabled adult. Then they will get their Ticket. If you don’t have your Ticket in hand, by all means, call the Help Line anyway. They will let you know that there is a Ticket on file for you. You don’t need the paper copy. If you do want a paper copy, they’ll get you another paper copy. Free employment services. Free employment services. And what’s types of services are those? To decide if working is right for you, remember, I said you have to make that decision? We can give you lots of information to help you make that decision. We want that decision to be yours and to be an informed choice. Preparation for work. Maybe you’re not involved with the state VR agency. You need to be prepared for work. That could be as easy as interview preparation. Resumé preparation. And finding a job. We can help you do all of those things. If you are involved with the VR agency, there’s a lot of services that are going to be provided by the state VR agency. And you can take that Ticket to somebody else, to an employment network, later on. You know, through Partnership Plus. So, we’re reaching out there to put a team together for you. Help finding a job. A lot of these employment networks are local entities. Even some of the ones that are expanding to cover several states have local people in each of those states who know where the jobs are in their community. So, if you talk with those folks, you’re going to find out exactly who’s hiring and how to go about getting one of those jobs. And last, succeed at work. We’re going to help – we’re going to stick with you until you are ready to tell us that you’ve had enough of us. We’re not going to find you a job and say good luck. We’re going to be able to provide you on-the-job and off-the-job supports to help you adjust and for you to become a worker. You can learn more about the Ticket to Work. New fact sheet here, What is Social Security’s Ticket to Work Program? At https://bit.ly/ttw-program. Take a look at that. Do some reading. Sleep on it. And all we’re asking now is for you to decide to knock on the first door. And the first door is right here, the Ticket to Work Help Line. They can answer eligibility questions, explain how the Ticket Program works, and get you to a person that you can sit down with to begin this journey. They are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. And the number is 1-866-968-7842. And for TTY users, 1-866-833-2967. Okay. And I told you we were building a team. Who are these people? And who are these businesses and entities that you might become involved with? You can become involved with all of them. You can become involved with one of them. It’s up to you, but we’re all here ready for you. The Ticket to Work is going to give you access to a variety of service providers including employment networks, or ENs, workforce ENs, state vocational rehabilitation agencies, work incentive planning and assistance programs, and protection and advocacy for beneficiaries of Social Security, otherwise known as the PABSS program. I’m going to talk about each one of those specifically now. The employment networks. They’re out there, spread across the country. They are private or public organizations that have an agreement with Social Security to provide free employment support services. Again, the Ticket is something you can use. You don’t have to. But if the services are free, why not? Many state public works systems such as the American Job Corps are workforce ENs. And if you look at the American job centers, those are great places for you to visit anyway. If you don’t have a resumé and you want to start your own, that’s a great place. They’ll set you up with a computer, set you up with some templates that you can complete to create your own resumé. There’s no harm with then taking that somebody else to review and help you fill in those gaps, right? You’ve got those employment gaps because of your disability. They’re not gaps. You know, we can talk to you and figure out what you have been doing. We know you’re not sitting on the couch watching television all day. There are things that we can take out of your experience while being disabled to fill up what you think might be a hole in your resumé. So that’s a great place to start. How can they help you out? Identify your work goals. If you know what your work goal is, that’s fine. If you don’t, if you’re not sure what you can do, or what you might be able to do, or how much you can work, let’s talk to somebody about that. You know, write and review your resumé. And your resumé is the first thing that an employer is going to see. You’re not going to see you, they’re going to see a piece of paper that talks about you. And there are tricks to doing that to make your resumé more attractive than everybody else’s. And make it simple, and concise, and very understandable. Again, what I said on the last slide, helping you fill those gaps. If you’ve been disabled but you are watching, you know, your son’s or daughter’s children, your grandchildren, while they’re working, or just at times, well, we can turn that into something that is suitable for a resumé. Prepare for interviews. Interviews are also tricky, you know. They’re not only a nerve-racking experience, but you need to have questions ready to ask your employer. You need to be able to respond to some – that question that you weren’t expecting. Practice makes perfect, you know. And if you can practice interviewing with an employment network, then you’re going to be one step ahead of most of the people who will be walking in. What about reasonable accommodations? Do you need a reasonable accommodation for your job? How do you request that of your employer? You’ve been offered a job, now we need this accommodation. How do you approach your employer and explain what you need? It’s a good thing to sit down with somebody, do a little research together and find out how much your accommodation is going to cost. When the employer finds out that most of them are really, really reasonable, it’s not going to be a big deal. But there – you want to approach somebody requesting that, not demanding that. Receiving benefits counseling. That’s one of the great services that we can provide you. You want to know what’s going to happen to your SSDI, to your Medicare, or to your SSI and Medicaid. We need to sit down together, talk about what benefits you have, and then determine what earning money will do to each one of those benefits. And the trick with benefits counseling is that you should always end up with more money. You should always end up with more money. We want to make work pay. The state rehab agencies. They’re a major player with rehabilitation for folks with disabilities. And they provide a wide range of services. You know, you can enter new lines of work. You can return to a job that you had and in the process be trained to do that job a little differently. Or enter the workforce for the first time. You know, they also, many state VR agencies, also provide benefits counseling. They can help you with the vocational rehabilitation. You know, do you need, as I said, to do a job a little differently because of a disability. In an extreme case, do you need to use a prosthetic and learn to use that in the workplace? Training and education. If you’re in need of getting an associate’s degree, finishing high school, you want a training program to become an electrician, to become a plumber, state VR is a great place to get that training and education. Some states have two separate agencies. They have one for folks with disabilities and a particular agency for the blind and visually impaired. Just make sure you call the right one. Some states do it all together. Probably about, I don’t know, a 40-60 split, you know, on who’s doing what. But just call the right agency. And if you do call the wrong agency, they’ll get you to the right agency. I keep repeating that because I want everybody to know there are no wrong doors here. They’re all right doors. That’s an – and that’s an easy, safe way to start. Partnership Plus, I mentioned. We’re going to talk about it now. It is a wonderful thing. And it allows you to take that Ticket to Work and put it in use. You’re using it with the state VR agency. You’re going to get your education. You’re going to get physical or mental rehabilitation. Then, when the state agency closes your case, which is about 90 days after you begin working, you may still feel the need for some support services. You know, I don’t – I’m not sure three months is long enough to turn you into a worker. So, let’s look at this, and we haven’t assigned a Ticket, we just used it. When we take that Ticket and give it to an EN, we can continue to get supports. You know, whether that be to request that accommodation, whether it be to decide on whether taking an increase in hours, or whether it is just continuing on-the-job support, that can be provided by the EN after you’re finished with VR. And it’s a great, great program. There’s a website there for you, choosework.ssa.gov/library/partnership-plus. And I’d look at that because it’s truly a great thing and gives you some great opportunities for much longer support availability. Now, the WIPA programs, Work Incentive Planning and Assistance. These folks are staffed by CWICs, Community Work Incentive Coordinators, who provide free benefits counseling to eligible Social Security Disability beneficiaries, both SSI and SSDI, and talk to you about what will the impact of earnings be on your benefits. And they will reach out. Notice it says “and other benefits.” They’re going to tell you what is earning income going to do to your SNAP or food stamp benefits. They’re going to tell you what might happen to your subsidized housing. How will the new money coming in through employment affect your rent? So that there are no surprises left for you to discover. You know, we don’t want surprises here. We want you to know what’s going to happen. All these work incentives that Social Security has, there are many of them, and how do they apply to you, and how will they benefit you? You know, it says work incentives, so these are all a benefit. They’re really great things. And what about the potential benefits of employment? You know, there are lots of them. More money. Getting out of the house. Making new friends. Going for pizza and a movie on Friday night. Lots of that stuff is going to come along with work. And those street myths. The myths that are out there screaming, if you go to work, you’re going to lose everything. You know, which are just not true. They will dispel all of those myths so that you perfectly well will understand exactly what’s going to happen and when it’s going to happen. And also, is the Ticket to Work Program something that’s right for you? Here’s a place where you can begin to have that – sort of discuss that decision. Do you want to use your Ticket while you’re taking these initial steps to work? You don’t have to. You can. And you can talk to a benefits planner about that as well. Who do these people serve? Who do the WIPA projects serve? Right now, you have to have a benefit, right? You need to have a cash benefit. Are you currently working or self-employed? If you’re current working, you’re going to get some assistance from these people. Do you have a job offer pending? Are you actively interviewing for a job? That means you’ve had an interview in the last 30 days or you have an interview scheduled in the next two weeks. And then we have a priority here for transition-aged youth, folks who are aged 14 through 25. Even if they are at the very earliest stage of considering work. So, if you fit into one of those categories, you’re all set. If you don’t, please know there are other planners out there who can provide you with these services. And all you need to do is ask for a phone number. Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security. This was my last job before I got – got stolen by Cornell. The PABSS organizations are protection and advocacy agencies. Sometimes called the P&As. What they do is provide free legal assistance, in this case to people who receive the Social Security disability benefits and who have disability-related employment issues. Those could be, I asked my employer for a reasonable accommodation, and I was denied that. Or, I’m about to be evicted, and if I don’t have a home, I’m not going to work. So, it’s a pretty broad range of services. There’s one agency in every office, every territory – in every state and every territory. And many of them are spread around the states so it’s not just one office. Legal support. Advocacy. If you’re talking with an EN, an employment network, trying to put a plan together, you’re uncomfortable doing that alone, we can do that. You know, we can talk to you about that. And provide information to folks who receive benefits to resolve some of these concerns. There’s no better way than to give you information that you need, and you can take that information and solve your problems. And those problems might be with employers, Social Security, employment network, the state VR agencies, the benefits planners, or anybody else who comes along. Protection and advocacy services can also provide help with navigating the organizations and services to help you support things. They can help you request that reasonable accommodation. They can then support you if it is denied. Requesting accommodations, how about in college classes? In the training courses and licensing programs before you get to your employment situation? And address any other disability-based legal issues that are barriers to employment. And I did do evictions. I did Social Security overpayments. We did a lot of things that are around the edges but are still barriers to employment. So, how do you find these providers? Real easy. There is a website here called choosework.ssa.gov/findhelp. It’s real easy to use. It really is. You can search by zip code. You can search by the type of services that are offered. You know, you might not want to get services from somebody who specializes in a disability other than the one you have. You know, look by disability type. Languages spoken. If you would be more comfortable receiving services in Spanish, you can use this tool to find somebody who can provide you services in Spanish. Or what type of service are you looking for? If you’re only looking for benefits planners, you can search the WIPA files and come up with benefits planners near you. The other way to find these services is call the Ticket to Work Help Line. They will get you in contact with one of these providers to help you start the journey. Again, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. And those numbers are 1-866-968-7842. And for TTY users, 1-866-833-2967. Okay. Do we have any questions, Sarah? SARAH>> All right, Ray. Thanks for kicking us off with the Ticket to Work Program and service providers. We do have questions from the audience, and I’m going to start right now. We’ll take a few minutes to answer them. The first question I have for you is, will the Ticket to Work Program assign a counselor to help me look for a job or will I need to decide on the counselor myself? RAY>> You know, you’re not going to have to do anything by yourself. There’s always somebody out there who’s going to start talking to you. At the earliest stages, you know, of your employment search, whether it be VR, an EN, or at times a benefits planner, you know, you’re not going to have to make any decisions by yourself. We can talk to you about the types of services you need. If it’s, you know, a particular service, we may not know, you know, what Joe’s employment network does specifically. But we can tell you what employment networks do generally. And as I said, there’s no wrong door here. So, if you knock on a door that can’t provide you with services, then they will refer you to somebody else who will do that. SARAH>> All right. Thank you, Ray. I have another question for you from the audience. Do I have to have a paper copy of my Ticket? RAY>> Not at all. If you don’t have a paper copy of your Ticket, you can still make contact with the Help Line and they will immediately check to see if there is one on file in the computer system. That’s all you need. SARAH>> All right, thank you, Ray. I have another question for you from the audience. Will I receive some type of confirmation when I am enrolled in the Ticket to Work Program? RAY>> Yeah, you will. You know, you’ll have your Ticket, and there is a fairly formal assignment process. If you do work with VR, as I said earlier, you can put that in use. If you go to an employment network, it will be formally assigned. And remember that state VR agencies can be, and can function as, employment networks. You have to go through that process. You have to come to an agreement with the provider. You have to develop a plan. What is your plan to return to work going to look like? And that plan has to be approved. Once it’s approved, you will get a letter from Social Security that says your Ticket has been assigned to Joe’s Employment Network. So, there is a process. You will get notice from Social Security when the assignment process is complete. SARAH>> All right, Ray. Thank you. I have another question for you. My case has been closed, and I need help maintaining my current job. Do you have any advice? RAY>> Okay, I’m going to have to make an assumption here, and I don’t like doing that, so if I’m not making the correct assumption, please write in another question. If your case has been closed with the vocational rehabilitation agency, you should potentially make contact now with an employment network. If – that’s one option from my assumptions here. You can still take that Ticket and assign it to an employment network under Partnership Plus to get those supports that you still need. If your Ticket case has been closed, then we have different options. It may be time to go back to the state VR agency and determine what kind of supports you need. So, there are two different – two different answers here. If it’s your VR case that’s closed, you may want to talk to an employment network. Call the Help Line, they’ll check to see if the Ticket is still available to you, and you can assign that. If the Ticket case has been closed, then I would go back to the state VR agency to see what kind of on-the-job supports they might be able to give you. SARAH>> All right, Ray. I have another question for you. I am only able to work part time. Can the Ticket to Work Program help me find a part-time opportunity? RAY>> Yeah, they can. The way this works, I told you you have – I told somebody else here who asked a question, there’s a plan, right? There is a plan that’s developed. As you are making progress and beginning with part-time employment, the employment network gets paid for the services that you were provided. The question, I guess, depends on the employment network and depends upon how – what you mean by part time. But, yes, there are options for people who are going to work part time in this game, yes. SARAH>> All right, Ray. The next question I have for you is, I have been on SSDI for a few years now. Do I need to meet any specific criteria before I can work full time? RAY>> No. You know, what you need to do, though, is use some of the services that we have. Many people who are on benefits just decide, okay, I feel better, I’m going to try to work. And that’s fine. That’s absolutely fine. If you want services, planning, or advice from the team that we’re trying to offer you, that’s a better way to do it. So, if you are planning on going to work, seek out the Help Line. Give them a call. They’ll talk to you. If that’s – if you want more, seek out some benefits planners to sit down and talk with to determine what’s going to happen if you begin working full time next month. You know, it’s much better to know and to know what to expect rather than to just have Social Security react to your reporting income. So, you know, I think that’s what you need to decide to do. Are you going to participate in the programs we’re offering? Where’s the best place to start. The Help Line. Or the Choose Work tool to find an employment network or a benefits planner who might be able to discuss that with you before you do go to work. SARAH>> All right. I have one final question for you, Ray, and then we are going to move on with the presentation. What kind of goals should I set if I don’t know what type of job I want? RAY>> Well, you know, that’s an excellent question. And – and I like to start this discussion by saying we all did some really lousy jobs before we landed the one that we wanted. You know, so that may be something that you need to experience as well. You know, if you’re talking about capacity, how much can you work, you can really test that with almost any job. But if you have an idea, let’s say you’re really into fashion, and you want to work at a department store in the mall. You know, yeah, we can get you an entry-level job working at the mall selling clothes. To test capacity and to see if you really like it. But is that your goal? Or is your goal to manage a department in the – in the store in the mall? Or is it to be, you know, get some further education and become a buyer so that you’re buying clothing for that store to sell? Your goals should really be endless. And we can talk with you, and you can reach for the stars. And if we have to, because you’re not sure, we start slowly. We just need to talk with you, find out what you’re interested in. And it’s amazing how many hobbies have become full-time jobs. So, just give us a call, let us talk to you, and we can begin to put together the most simple plan without any obligation on your part. SARAH>> All right, Ray, that’s excellent advice for how to get started. Like I said before, we are going to move forward with the presentation to make sure that we get it all in, and we will have more questions in a little bit. So, Ray, I’m going to turn it back over to you to continue with the presentation. Thank you. RAY>> All right. Thank you, Sarah. Okay. Work incentives and the Ticket Program. We’re going to talk about some of those things we’ve been chatting about, these work incentives. Lots of them. You know, Social Security work incentives clearly make it easier for people with disabilities to work and still receive healthcare benefits. Very often, at the beginning of these stages, you’re keeping your cash payments as well. Or on the SSI side of things, most of them. The work incentives allow you to receive training for new skills. Remember, we talked about that plan. Part of the progress that you’ll be making will be completing training or education. You improve skills that you already have. Pursue an education. If you’re going to need an Associate’s degree, if you’re going to need technical license, we can set that up for you, too. (Inaudible) the last question. Try different jobs. If you’re not sure what you want to do, let’s try a couple of different jobs to see what your capacity is, to see what your interests are. You don’t want a job you’re not interested in. How about starting a career? We talked – we alluded to that, too, didn’t we, in the last question. Working in the mall. That may not be what you want to do. You don’t want to, you know, sell men’s socks, (inaudible), you know. But maybe you want to work your way up to managing the men’s department. Or buying things for that store to sell. Gain confidence. As you work, if you’re questioning your capacity, people tend to underestimate themselves. My guess is if you say you can work 20 hours a week, you can probably work more. But start at 20. And if Friday comes around, and you feel good about that, and the next Friday comes around, and you feel good about that, maybe next month you’re going to want a few more hours. Every step of the way you are going to be gaining confidence. Even with building some of these plans. When you accomplish helping someone put a plan together for you, you’re going to gain confidence. When you have resumé – resumés written. When you have practice interviews. You’re going to gain confidence to enter that workplace and give a bang-up show for your interview. So, we’ve got some specific work incentives. And we’re going to look at healthcare right now for both Medicare and Medicaid. Medicaid – in both cases, you’ve got to work real hard, and real long, to lose all of these benefits. But Medicaid has a program called 1619(b). There is a website – a weblink in the pod on the 1619(b) thresholds. Those thresholds just made it into the Social Security Red Book for the year of 2021, and they are changed every year. That program is going to allow you, an SSI recipient, to work to the extent that you are not eligible for cash SSI because you have too much earnings. But we’re not going to pull the rug out from under you. We recognize that you need healthcare. So, each state will have a threshold. And I was just looking at them this morning. Washington state is $41,000.00. You can make up to $41,000.00 and still have Medicaid and your SSI case is still open. Your connection with these agencies still exists. That’s a good deal. Then the Medicaid buy-in program for working people with disabilities. That is another fabulous program. Forty-five states have these buy-in programs, and if you exceed $41,000.00 in Washington state, you can then still keep your Medicaid by paying a premium that’s based on your income. And they’re not expensive premiums, so that shouldn’t be anything that is going to scare you away. If we look at Medicare, the extended period of Medicare coverage, that coverage will be available to you. Now, there is a trial work period that’s nine months. If you work nine months and use that trial work period, your extended period of Medicare coverage will last at least seven-and-a-half years, 93 months, after that trial work period is over. That’s a good long time. And when you talk to your benefits planner, you’ll be able to determine when that might cost you some money. And if so, how much. Medicare for people with disabilities who work. After seven-and-a-half years, if you’re still disabled according to Social Security, and you need Medicare services, just like everybody else, you get to pay your share of them, you know, and you can continue with that through a program called Premium HI. You know, very, very good programs. And let’s talk about the requirements for that 1619(b), which is true magic when it comes to Medicaid. Have you been eligible for SSI in at least one month before you began to work? Not a hard standard to meet. Do you continue to meet Social Security’s definition of disability? Do you still meet the other non-disability requirements for SSI? We talked about that being a needs-based program. The resource limit is the big question here. And do you still, as a single individual, have under $2,000.00 in countable resources, or as a married couple have under $3,000.00 in countable resources? Do you need Medicaid benefits to continue to work? You know, a Medicaid recipient may have waiver services and, you know, most people who have waiver services know what they are, but they’re special services that tend to be related to employment a lot of times. If those services are not continued, the work effort may not continue. So, of course, you need Medicaid to continue your work effort. And then you have gross earnings that are below that state’s threshold. And here is the site that you can search those thresholds for. This isn’t a tough one to get through because those thresholds come up right near the top. https://www.ssa.gov/disabilityresearch/wi/161b.htm. Or go into that web links pod and look for the 1619(b) thresholds. The buy-in programs are also really good. I told you they were in 45 states. And it allows you to purchase Medicaid if you go over that – I’m going to stick with Washington state - $41,000.00 threshold, you can then purchase Medicaid. You still have to be disabled according to Social Security. Each program is different. Some require you to work a little. Some require you to work more. All of the thresholds are going to be different. And they’re going to look at people who are employed or people who are self-employed as well. So, these are – this is a really fabulous program. Under certain circumstances, people who receive SSDI benefits may also be eligible for the buy-in programs. The state agency who administers Medicaid is going to be able to make a decision based on your income. So, please, SSDI folks out there, don’t hesitate to apply when you get to that point. You should check with that state agency to find out what’s available in your state. Talk to a benefits planner. Talk to an employment network or the state VR agency. They should all have information sheets for you so that you’ll understand how these programs work because they are really fantastic programs. We talked about the extended period of Medicare coverage. Medicare comes in lots of parts. You know, I just got my card for Part A, and that is hospital insurance. If you are hospitalized and after discharge you need services related to that hospitalization, Part A is going to cover that. Supplemental health insurance under Part B, if you choose to enroll. If you choose not to enroll, please do that carefully with the advice of a planner so that you’re not going to suffer any penalties or increased premiums down the road. And then we have Part D, the prescription drug program. Again, if you’re enrolled. And if you choose not to, make sure by talking to a planner that that’s okay. To qualify for this extended period, you have to have had Medicare. And you have to be working at substantial gainful activity, which means you’re not being paid cash SSDI benefits. If at any point Social Security reviews your medical determination and determines that you have medically improved, you’re not going to be able to participate in this program. But there are safeguards against that happening as well because nobody wants to pull the rug out from under you. This is, again, that program that lasts for almost seven-and-a-half years, 93 months, after that trial work period. It’s a long, long time. And Medicare for people who work. That premium HI coverage. You are eligible to buy Medicare coverage, and that’s going to cost different amounts depending on how many credits of coverage you still have towards your insurance status. You can’t be 65 or higher. And you continue to have that disabling impairment. And this happens a lot. People are disabled. It’s not going to get any better. And Medicare coverage is still available because you remain disabled. And your Medicare benefits stopped because of work. That’s important. These are work incentives. And if you work to that extent and Medicare stops, you then have the option for continued coverage. For more information on Medicare enrollment periods, which are important, or to make an appointment to enroll, please contact Social Security, 1-800-772-1213, or for TTY users, 1-800-325-0778 to find your local office. For help with paying the premiums, you can contact Medicare. If some of these premiums are just slightly out of reach, we may be able to get you some help there, too. At 1-800-Medicare. M – E – D – I – C – A – R – E. Or, for TTY users, 1-877-486-2048. You will need your Medicare number, which should be on your card, and be prepared to tell that representative which state you’re in. And we can help you get contacted with the agencies that are going to provide some premium assistance. And it looks like we’re back to questions, Sarah. SARAH>> All right, back to questions, Ray. Thank you very much, and I am going to kick us off with a question from the audience. Do Ticket to Work service providers actually get people jobs? RAY>> Yeah. You know, remember the Ticket to Work service providers include the state VR agency. They get people jobs all the time. Employment networks, those alternatives to state VR agencies, are getting people jobs all the time. You know, the other partners, the benefits planners and PABSS agencies, not so much. We help keep you employed. We let you know what employment is going to do to your benefits. But, yeah, this is a big part of it, is finding employers who are hiring and getting you in contact with them. That’s excellent that ENs and VRs are able to assist and help people find jobs. It’s a great feature of both of those. SARAH>> Absolutely. I have another question for you, Ray. I have SSI, and I started working in a very limited capacity. I want to change careers, but I need schooling to do so. Should I contact the pass program? RAY>> The PABSS program, not necessarily. I mean, if you want information, yes, contact anybody we spoke to including the PABSS program. But I think if you’re looking to change careers and you need some education, I’d start with the state VR agency. If it’s a licensing program, then I’d open that search up to the state VR agency and the ENs, the employment networks. You know, but if – if you are in need of education, a formal degree or certificate, you might want to start with VR. SARAH>> All right, Ray. I have another question for you. I have already begun working two days a week. Can I still benefit from the Ticket to Work Program? RAY>> Oh, I think so. You know, if you’re willing to look forward and move forward to increasing that, yeah, I think that’s absolutely possible. And I think we have to realize that everybody is going to react differently to work. And your progress where you have some employment, I mean, if you’re not receiving benefits planning services, you can get those because you are working. If you run into barriers, you can call the PABSS agency. And my guess is, if you’re willing to work with an employment network and expand your job effort, that an employment network would pretty much be willing to help you out, too. A good decision. Good luck with it. SARAH>> All right, Ray. Thank you. And the next question I have for you is, as a parent, am I able to set up a Ticket to Work for my adult child? RAY>> As a parent of an adult child, absolutely. Just remember that that age 18 review has to happen before. So, if your adult child has been determined by Social Security to be a disabled worker – or a disabled individual, then, yeah, you can set up a Ticket. There already is a Ticket, I mean whether you have the paper copy or not. If your child is a disabled individual for Social Security’s purposes, or disabled adult. And, yeah, you can access that. I’ve – if you want to call the Help Line for your child, absolutely do that. If you want to make contact with a benefits planner and you want to be part of these discussions, absolutely do that. You’re one of those natural supports, you know, that we’re all going to rely on to help make this situation work. But, yeah, I’d give a call for your adult child. SARAH>> Ray, do you have a suggestion on ways to improve skills without going back to school? RAY>> That’s a very good question. You can always improve skills. You know, sometimes jobs train you. Or, you know, as I have, you – you sit through some webinars or things like that to improve your own skills and keep current. If you’re – you don’t necessarily have to go to school. You know, your community college is going to offer lots of courses, stand-alone courses, that might get you what you need to improve those skills. Or widen that skill base. The vocational rehabilitation agency is going to be a place that could help you, you know, navigate these programs that you may need. And the employment networks as well. The employment networks are going to open a lot of doors if you’re not looking for a full college education but need stand-alone courses. But, yeah, you know, we can do that for you through the Ticket. And I’m – I’m going to start with community colleges because they are really wonders. But to get to that community college, talk to VR, the state vocational rehabilitation. And talk with a couple of ENs. You know, this Ticket to Work is yours. You control it, and you decide who you want to work with. So, you can talk to state VR. And you can talk to ENs. See what they have to offer you before you make a decision to move ahead. SARAH>> All right. Thank you, Ray. The next question I have for you is, does Ticket to Work help with disabled veterans or do veterans go through a veterans’ support program? RAY>> You know, veterans are going to have access to the Veterans Administration for a lot of this stuff, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t use the Ticket to Work if you’re a recipient of SSDI or SSI. We’re not talking about only accessing one service. I’ve work with many a veteran who has worked with VA, the Veterans Administration, to get rehabilitated. And when it comes time to actually get what they need to work, you can get that from the VA, but if they’re not going to give you everything you need, you are a resident of your state. And you can access state VR as well. So, in the veteran’s situation, you can work with both the Veterans Administration and the VR agency to fill up that cup and get what you need. The Veterans Administration becomes another partner at the table for you. SARAH>> All right. Thank you, Ray. The next question I have for you is, what are my options if the nearest VR is 200 miles away? RAY>> That’s a great question. You know, what are your options? You contact that VR agency. Don’t think that they can’t do anything for you just because you’re 200 miles away. If you can do something via Zoom, you know, which we’re doing now, you know, that is a way VR agencies can help. If you’re looking for benefits planning, or PABSS, the Protection and Advocacy services, talk to them. How about a local EN? If there’s an EN that might be in your town, for all I know, you know, use them. Again, there’s no wrong way to do this. But don’t – don’t minimize the impact of working with someone via distance. I mean, we all thought that was the case before the pandemic. But now we know that distance services can work. And the VR agency will likely be able to administer your services from a distance but provide you with local contacts to get the hands-on services that you need. And benefits planners do that. And employment networks do that. And I’m just here to tell you that it’s safe and it does, in fact, work. SARAH>> All right, Ray. Thank you for answering all those questions for the audience. We are going to move on to the next slide so you can present further. RAY>> Okay. Thank you. SARAH>> Thanks, Ray. RAY>> How about the phases of your path to work? We’ve got lots of different phases, so let’s start with them. Everyone’s path is different. We already said that, and we’ve got to say it again. The phases of your path might look like this. Phase one, learn about the Ticket to Work. Find out what it can do for you. And that includes talking to the state VR agency, talking to a benefits planner, and talking to a private EN. Go to an American Jobs Center. Talk to people. Get as much information as you can. Phase two, getting ready to work. That could be getting that class at community college. Or registering to that community college for a two-year degree. Getting a job. If you’re working with an employment network, you’ve got all of these pre-employment services under your belt, and it’s time to get a job. The employment networks can help direct. They know who’s hiring in their neighborhoods and who to get in touch with. And then managing your job. When you’re on the job, you know, no one’s going to leave you yet. We are going to provide you with the support you need. During the work day. After the work day. We’re just going to be there for you. Until you say, okay, Ray, let’s stop it, I can do it now. So, that’s what your plans are going to look like. That’s what your plan, through this Ticket to Work, is going to look like. And that’s a real gradual progression. During phase one, learning about the facts and the myths. I told you the street screams, you’re going to lose everything. That’s not the case. You need to know the facts so that you can feel safe doing this. Then decide if work is right for you. So, learning about the Ticket. Here’s another website for you. It’s going to be in that web pod, but it’s https://bit.ly/ticket-phase1. Getting ready to go to work. Let’s identify those work goals. Understanding that there may be some lousy jobs coming before you get to those goals if they are loftier goals. And finding a provider to help you meet them. Learn more about phase two, getting ready to work, at https://bit.ly/ticket-phase2. Help prepare to enter the workforce. How do we do that? Networking. Job searches. Expanding skills. Preparing for interviews. Getting that resumé together. You can learn more about getting a job at https://bit.ly/ticket-phase3. And finally, managing your job. We can help you advance in that path. Remember, I said you might not get the job you’re dreaming about first, but we can help you make progress towards that. You know, find strategies for starting a job off right. How about managing your money? We can get you hooked up with a credit union to start. We can give you some online courses so that you can look at money management skills. And understand the impact of that work activity and earnings on your benefits. The benefits planners are there for you. To learn more about phase four, managing your job, at https://bit.ly/ticket-phase4. So, now let’s put it all together and see what we’ve got. We’ve given you a lot of material, let’s put it together. You’ve made the decision to work. Is it the right step for you to gain independence? Yep, we want that to happen. Who can help you achieve your work goals? What are we going to do here? The Ticket to Work service providers are here to help you achieve those work goals. As we discussed, the service providers like state VR, the employment networks, the WIPA project, the benefits planners, and the PABSS agencies are all there to offer you support. Benefits and work incentive information. Job search assistance. Resumé and interview prep. And transition supports like requesting those reasonable accommodations. And more. You know, we’ve talked about a lot of stuff. We’re there to do that. That Choose Work tool is available to you to find any or all of those agencies in your area. Choosework.ssa.gov/findhelp. Question two. You’re now ready to start your path to work. What questions can you ask yourself to find a job that’s right for you? What type of work do I like to do? What am I enthusiastic about? You know, what are your hobbies? What do you really enjoy doing? What kind of job do I want now? You know, what’s that first job going to be? And then, what job do I want five years from now? We move from selling clothes in the mall to buying clothes for the mall. What are your long-term career goals? You know, I want to manage the mall and buy clothes for everybody. And where do you want to work? Are you going to limit yourself to your current home area, or are you in a position to say, if this clothing store, if Macy’s offers me a job in Chicago, I’m going to go take it? Yeah, let’s talk about the possibilities. And if you want to start at the local shopping mall, that’s great. But always think about the future. And here’s another link for you: https://bit.ly/job-you-want-blog. Always reach for the stars. And Larry’s story. I love the success stories we get to share with you. Larry was born with autism spectrum syndrome, ASD, which can interfere with a person’s senses, social interactions, communications, and mental health. This is what he got from using his Ticket and participating in the Ticket Program. He received benefits counseling and work incentives information. He received support that he needed to transition in his career, including resumé writing, interview tips, and job leads. He got post-employment support from the Ticket Program and his employment network in an agreement known as Partnership Plus. So, post-employment, we stuck with Larry. 2021 is going to mark Larry’s tenth year as part of a team that sets up conference rooms for daily meetings. Larry’s confidence in his work has allowed him to identify logistics to increase efficiencies and enhance his community participation. Another benefit of work besides the paycheck. What does Larry say about all of this? I really like working with other people on the setup crew. It feels good to achieve something together every day. And you can read more about Larry and his success story, and other people’s success stories. And we’re going to start with Larry at https://bit.ly/larry-success. Lots of great success stories in that portal here. And take a look at some of them. You might find someone that looks just like you. And you can take that journey to work as well. Okay, Sarah. We’re back to another question sentence – question period. SARAH>> All right, Ray. Thank you for putting it all together for us and for that great success story. The first question I have for you is, where can I find my Ticket number if I don’t have my paper Ticket? RAY>> You know, the – the Tickets aren’t actually numbered, but they are in your name. So, what you want to start with is contacting the Help Line. And that number is down in your weblink pod, and you can call that number from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time and see. They’ll let you know. Just let them know you want to know if you have a Ticket and how you can start using it. And they will let you know that there is one sitting in your computer file. SARAH>> All right, Ray. I have another question for you from the audience. I am having difficulty finding a WIPA provider in my area. Do you have any advice? RAY>> Yeah, you know, the WIPA programs are still out there. And I guess I – I want to ask a question back. Are you looking for in-person services or distance providers? You know, the WIPA programs are covering the entire country. Again, you might have to have some services via distance, but that’s okay. You can find them using that Choose Work tool that we talked about. So, get onto that Choose Work, and find Help. And when you’re doing a search, just put in WIPA. Click the WIPA button, and it will come up with the WIPA program that serves your area. If you have problems giving them – getting in contact with them, by all means, reach out to somebody, and, you know, there are other planners that can potentially help you as well. SARAH>> All right, Ray. I have another question for you from the audience. Is it possible to have employer-sponsored insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid? RAY>> Absolutely. Absolutely. It happens all the time. And why somebody may have those, if you have an employer plan, that employer’s plan is going to pay first. If you have Medicare, Medicare will pay second, meaning they’ll pick up more of the medical bills. If you have Medicaid, the rest of the bills will be paid. The important thing about having all three of them is that employer plans sometimes don’t provide a lot of the medical services that you need because of your disability to work. And Medicaid is the golden child in this puzzle. Medicaid, through the waiver programs, or through just some of the regular programs that they offer, are going to be there to supplement what that employer plan can do. So, having all three of those is really a wonderful thing. If you have your private plan through your employer and Medicare or Medicaid, you’re going to be able to maintain all of those extra services that you need. But it’s absolutely possible to have all three. SARAH>> All right, Ray. I have one final question for you before we wrap up today’s questions. What happens if I move to another state with different thresholds? RAY>> Hah, that’s an excellent question, Sarah. That’s a really good question. If you move to another state, your Medicaid is going to be switching to that state. And you will then have to pay attention to your new state’s threshold. But, how do you find all this out? You find all this out by contacting a benefits planner. You know, by contacting a planner, or get onto that site we gave you earlier about the thresholds so that you’re aware that if you move from New Mexico to Arizona, what that change will be. You know, it’s very important. If I move from New Mexico to Arizona and the threshold goes down, does Arizona have a Medicaid buy-in program? You know, we’re already getting into the weeds now, so maybe a benefits planner can help you make that transition as well. Or at least let you know what’s going to happen so that you can decide whether this move is going to work for you. SARAH>> All right, Ray. Unfortunately, we are out of time for questions for today’s webinar. I want to thank the audience for sending in all of your questions. We hope that we have provided you with answers to your questions about the Ticket Program. And Ray, many thanks to you for being with us today and sharing your knowledge of the Ticket to Work Program. RAY>> Thank you, Sarah. It’s always fun to be with you. SARAH>> Always a pleasure. Thanks, Ray. All right. If you would like to know more about our monthly WISE webinars, we encourage you to subscribe in order to find out about our upcoming topics and be amongst the first to register. To learn so much more about the Ticket Program, employment service providers, and other topics, please subscribe to the Choose Work blog. You will get weekly updates sent directly to your inbox. Both of these links can be found in the web links pod under WISE Webinar Subscription and Choose Work Blog Subscription. Before we wrap up today, here are a few more ways to connect with Ticket to Work Program. You can contact the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842. Or for TTY, 1-866-833-2967. And that’s available from Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Or you can visit the Ticket to Work website at any time at choosework.ssa.gov. You can also find us on social media or subscribe to the blog or email updates by visiting choosework.ssa.gov/contact/index.html. This link will also appear in the web links pod under Ticket to Work Contact Information. Get advice and encouragement and read success stories from people who have had success with the help from the Ticket to Work Program. To receive text messages from the Ticket Program, text ticket – T – I – C – K – E – T – to 474747. Standard messaging rates may apply, and you may opt out at any time. Please join us for our next WISE webinar, Debunking the Three Biggest Myths About Disability Benefits and Work, which will be held on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Registration is open and we look forward to having you attend. To register online, you can go to choosework.ssa.gov/WISE. Or you can call 1-866-968-7842. Or for TTY, 1-866-833-2967. And, of course, your feedback is very important to us. It helps us plan for future webinars. Please provide your feedback and tell us what you think about today’s webinar by taking our survey. To take the survey, you can follow the link that will pop up after the webinar. Or visit the Ticket to Work website to complete the survey. The survey can also be found in the web links pod. I want to thank you again for attending today to learn about the Ticket Program. Please take the opportunity to reach out to any of the resources we discussed today and take the next step in your career path. This concludes today’s webinar. I hope you have a wonderful evening. Thank you.