Evaluation of the Ticket to Work Program Initial Evaluation Report

B.15
that came in for an initial appointment did not follow through) about 50-60 percent of those
who do had assigned their Tickets.
At initial interview in August 2002, EES was operating at full capacity. The two TTW
counselors were serving a total of about 130 clients. The program was not accepting any
more new clients until it could reduce the wait for an initial appointment to below the
current wait of six weeks. One reason for the tremendous demand EES had experienced
might have been that, according to what staff had heard from clients, other Chicago-area
ENs were not accepting Tickets. 1
In deciding whether to serve a potential TTW client, counselors assessed his or her
ability to work full-time. If a potential client was looking for part-time work, the program
was generally not able to serve the individual. EES’s goal was to place clients in full-time
jobs with a wage of no less than $7 - $8 per hour. If an applicant appeared unwilling or
unable to meet this goal, the program did not accept the Ticket. DI versus SSI status did not
appear to be indicative of Ticket acceptance or job placement success.
Staff also took into account the likely needs of the clients and whether or not EES had
the ability to serve them. EES was not equipped to provide vocational or job readiness
training, or long-term rehabilitation. If EES believed it was unable to serve a particular
individual, staff attempted to refer the individual to a more appropriate service provider,
such as the State VR Agency.
Outcomes and Claims for Payment. EES provided similar services to TTW clients
that it provided to its other, non-TTW clients (interview preparation and skills, resume
assistance, job search, training for computer skills for data entry and clerical positions, and
job placement). The program was accustomed to operating under a pay-for-performance
system, but staff noted that EES’ non-TTW clients did not generally take as long to place as
TTW clients. TTW clients, as a group, seemed to take more time envisioning themselves in a
job. This meant that a large counseling element was necessary to deal with the fear, attitudes,
and insecurities related to the ability to find and maintain employment. Many challenges
faced by TTW clients were similar to those faced by EES’ other client populations, but EES
staff members tried to tailor the classes and supports to the specific issues of TTW clients
(e.g., when/if it would be necessary or appropriate to disclose a disability to an employer, or
explaining gaps in the employment history).
EES staff worked with TTW clients to track earnings and benefits so as to avoid
overpayments when a client’s trial work period ceased. The EN had difficulty, however,
obtaining information about trial work periods from FOs. Counselors also conducted an
1 We subsequently learned that the Program Manager had been distributing information
to beneficiaries about ENs that were not yet accepting Tickets. Some ENs did not expect
the contracting process to be as quick as it was, and were not prepared to accept Tickets
when awarded a contract. The Program Manager is now making efforts to identify active and
inactive ENs and to only distribute information about active ENs to beneficiaries.
Appendix B: Provider-Specific Case Study Summaries