Evaluation of the Ticket to Work Program Initial Evaluation Report

28
large number of beneficiaries. From 1999 to 2001, only 21 out of just 27 claims submitted
were paid under the program. 8
The TTW program dramatically changes the rehabilitation options for SSA disability
beneficiaries. When TTW is rolled out in a state, its set of ENs and SVRAs replaces the old
system, and SSA ceases to make referrals to the SVRA system. Although SVRAs can
continue to use the traditional payment system, they can only do so if the beneficiary assigns
his or her Ticket to the SVRA. Although SVRAs may be obligated to serve certain
individuals who have not assigned their Tickets to the SVRA, they will not be eligible for
payments from SSA unless a Ticket is assigned. In addition, the Alternative Participant
Program is being phased out in states as TTW is being phased in. Once a state becomes a
Ticket state, alternative participants in the state can no longer accept new referrals under the
terms of the Vocational Rehabilitation Reimbursement Program. Alternative participants in
Ticket states do, however, have the option of becoming ENs under the Ticket program.
From this perspective, TTW is more than just two new options for paying for successful
beneficiary rehabilitation. It is more appropriately thought of as the entirety of SSA’s efforts
to finance employment support services for people with disabilities, encompassing remnants
of the earlier program but changing it in fundamental ways.
2. Private Providers
In addition to the nationwide public SVRA system, many private entities have, for many
years, provided services to persons with disabilities who wish to enter or return to the labor
force. These providers may be nonprofit or for-profit organizations, either large or small.
They may serve one geographic area or many, and they may focus on clients with one
particular disability or on clients with different disabilities. Many of them may have already
been serving SSA disability beneficiaries through agreements with SVRAs; others may have
served similar populations but through other assistance programs such as those sponsored
by the U.S. Departments of Labor, Education, or Health and Human Services. Examples
include Goodwill Industries, The ARC, and, more recently, the Department of Labor’s One-
Stop Career Centers. Many of these providers may be seen as potentially good EN
candidates. Indeed, the Program Manager has targeted such providers for recruitment, and
the potential for an income stream from milestone or outcome payments may prompt them
to expand or modify their business plans to get involved with TTW.
8 As per data provided by Leo McManus, SSA Office of Disability, and cited in
Livermore et al. 2003.
II: Structure and Background of the Ticket to Work Program