Evaluation of the Ticket to Work Program Initial Evaluation Report

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obtain and hold jobs (for example, Bond et al. 1997). This has generated a continuing
interest in promoting employment among SSA’s disability beneficiaries, which in turn has led
to a consensus that no person with a disability should be denied the right to participate fully
in society, including work, because of external barriers that can be removed with reasonable
efforts. The main issues for SSA are therefore: what are the best methods for addressing
barriers? How many beneficiaries will seek to take advantage of new opportunities? Will the
programs enable many beneficiaries to earn enough to leave the rolls? And what will be the
net cost or savings to the government?
There are essentially four major types of barriers that disability beneficiaries face when
they want to obtain substantial employment:
! Benefit Policies That Reduce Gains from Employment. Cash benefit
programs, including DI and SSI, generally contain provisions to reduce or stop
benefits as a beneficiary’s earnings increase. This can create a substantial
disincentive for beneficiaries to work since a beneficiary’s total income (benefits
plus earnings) may rise slowly, or in some cases even fall, as earnings increase.
Also, while health insurance benefits through Medicare and Medicaid are
available even to beneficiaries who are no longer receiving cash benefits, many
beneficiaries may nevertheless be concerned about losing those benefits if they
attempt to work.
! Limited Beneficiary Knowledge of the Service System. Both the DI and SSI
programs contain provisions designed to encourage work among beneficiaries.
However, many beneficiaries are unfamiliar with these provisions and have an
incomplete picture of how working will actually affect their benefits.
Beneficiaries may also be concerned that the provisions, which are often fairly
complex, may not be implemented fully or accurately. In either of these cases,
beneficiaries are likely to under use the provisions and be less inclined to work.
! Inadequate Employment-Related Skills or Workplace Accommodations.
Beneficiaries may lack the full set of skills and attitudes required for successful
employment, including knowledge of the labor market and how to search for a
job as well as more fundamental job skills or basic education. Beneficiaries may
also require accommodations to help them overcome impairments that might
prevent them from being productively employed. Furthermore, some
beneficiaries may have become discouraged about work and withdrawn
completely from the labor force. While beneficiaries could, in theory, purchase
training and job placement services, they often lack sufficient financial resources
or access to loans to purchase the training or services that would enable them to
obtain substantial employment.
! Employers’ Misimpressions. Persons with disabilities may also face barriers
created by employers’ misimpressions of their abilities or, in some cases,
discrimination. Thus, even when they want to work, they can have a difficult
time getting a job offer.
I: Overview of the Ticket to Work Program and Its Evaluation