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4. Communications Among ENs
Interviewees from Glick and Glick think that prior to becoming an EN they would have
benefited greatly from a chance to speak with people from other organizations that had
already implemented or were in the process of implementing TTW. They suggested that
there could be great value in a forum that allows for and encourages information exchange
among current and potential ENs. It could help, for example, with solving problems that
commonly arise in implementing the program. Glick and Glick staff noted that they are now
open to working with other ENs and potential ENs to exchange information on best
practices and their own experiences with TTW.
5. Program Rules and Regulations
Oklahoma’s DRS staff reported confusion over whether beneficiaries must sign the
IWP (specifically SSA Form 1365) to formally assign the Ticket to their agency, and whether
the date of Ticket assignment is the date an individual plan for employment is signed or the
date Form 1365 is signed. They would appreciate formal SSA policy memoranda on such
matters.
J. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
This chapter has presented the experiences and impressions of eight ENs that have
served Ticket holders since the beginning of Phase I. The findings were based on initial
interviews conducted during the summer and fall of 2002 and follow-up interviews
conducted in August and September 2003. Although we interviewed only a small number of
ENs, their impressions and experiences are important because they are among the ENs that
have the largest numbers of Ticket assignments, have received the highest total TTW
payments, and represent a range of service models and business types.
These ENs made a number of suggestions for improving the TTW program. SSA could
implement some of the suggested changes fairly readily; indeed, in some cases, the Agency
has already begun to do so. Implementing other suggestions would require a change in the
Ticket Act or other Congressional action. We summarize the experienced ENs’ suggestions
for program improvement below.
1. Changes That Could Be Implemented by SSA
Claims Payment. All eight ENs expressed frustration with the administrative process
for requesting payments under both the outcome-only and milestone-outcome payment
systems. They found the requirement to collect beneficiary pay stubs for 60 months beyond
job placement particularly onerous. As noted in Chapter III, SSA has implemented a new
Certification Payment Request Process to try to address this issue. The new process was not
in place at the time of our second interviews, so none of the ENs had had any experience
with it. Two of the ENs we spoke with after the new process was announced said they
expected that it would significantly decrease their administrative burden. The new process
also addresses another problem, at least after the EN has submitted the required three pay
V: Case Studies of Eight Experienced TTW Providers