Evaluation of the Ticket to Work Program Initial Evaluation Report

8
on the general model, we will also be able to produce impact estimates that correspond to
each specific analytic approach. This approach provides a set of plausible estimates, rather
than a single inherently uncertain estimate. In doing so, it tries to give policymakers a good
sense of the effects TTW produces, particularly when the impact estimates are interpreted in
the context of the detailed operational and contextual information gathered in the process
evaluation and participation analysis.
Most of the estimates will be based on analysis of SSA administrative data. Survey data
will be used to measure outcomes that are not measured in the administrative data (e.g.,
hours worked, wage rates, fringe benefits, and satisfaction with EN services). Because the
number of people included in the surveys will be far fewer than those captured in the
administrative data, and because we could not conduct the surveys before TTW’s rollout, we
will not be able to estimate impacts on such outcomes; instead, we will focus on describing
outcomes and trying to understand beneficiaries’ perspectives of the TTW program and
work.
4. Adequacy of Incentives Analysis
The adequacy of incentives analysis will draw on the process, participation, and
impact/outcome analyses. In essence, the evaluation will examine many of the issues
previously described, focusing specifically on the subgroups of beneficiaries that are
expected to have a particularly difficult time accessing services through the TTW program.
This subgroup, as defined in the Ticket Act, includes individuals who need ongoing support
and services in order to maintain employment, individuals who require high-cost job
accommodations, individuals who earn a sub-minimum wage, and individuals who work and
receive partial cash benefits. The Ticket legislation requires SSA both to assess whether the
program includes sufficient incentives to encourage ENs to work with these groups of
beneficiaries and to consider program modifications that might improve services for these
individuals. The evaluation will focus on the first of these requirements and provide SSA
with information that will help the agency address the second. Some of the key questions
for this evaluation component include the following:
! How many beneficiaries are in these four Adequacy of Incentives (AOI) groups,
and what are their characteristics and program benefits?
! Are ENs willing and able to work with beneficiaries in the AOI groups?
! What employment services do beneficiaries in these groups receive, with and
without Tickets?
! To what extent does TTW affect employment and program outcomes for these
beneficiaries?
! To what extent does TTW affect net program costs for these beneficiaries?
! To what extent do non-SSA programs serve these beneficiaries, and how does
TTW affect those programs?
I: Overview of the Ticket to Work Program and Its Evaluation