Evaluation of the Ticket to Work Program Initial Evaluation Report

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All of these SSA demonstrations have the potential to interact with the TTW program,
although final regulations about how they will interact have not yet been developed.
b. Initiatives Addressing Beneficiary Knowledge
Area Work Incentive Coordinators and Work Incentive Liaisons. Section 121 of
the Ticket Act required SSA to “establish a corps of trained, accessible and responsive work
incentives specialists” to assist disability beneficiaries who want to start or continue working.
In response to this mandate, SSA ran a pilot program from July 2000 through September
2001, which involved 32 employment support representatives serving 54 sites (in SSA field
offices) across the country. Employment support representatives received six weeks of
intensive training on SSA work incentive provisions and related issues. In addition to
informing beneficiaries about work incentives, employment support representatives conduct
outreach and provide information to the general disability community. SSA evaluated the
pilot in November 2001 and considered it in determining how best to provide information
and services to beneficiaries who want to work, given the resources available. The result was
the plan to implement Area Work Incentive Coordinators and Work Incentive Liaisons
program.
As discussed in the next chapter, SSA adopted a plan to hire 57 Area Work Incentive
Coordinators, which has already been expanded to 58 and can be increased to 70, as the
need arises. These full-time staff will provide expertise on Ticket-related and other work
incentives for every 20 to 30 field offices. Additionally, each field office will designate an
existing staff person as a work incentive liaison. The area work incentive coordinators were
selected and, after successfully completing their training, finished training the work
incentives liaisons by September 30, 2003. The liaisons will be delegated work-incentive
responsibilities in addition to their existing duties; field office managers will guide the
liaisons to prioritize work incentive and other assignments
Benefits Planning, Assistance, and Outreach. The purpose of the Benefits
Planning, Assistance, and Outreach (BPAO) initiative is to provide SSA disability
beneficiaries with accurate and timely information about SSA work incentives and other
federal efforts to remove regulatory and programmatic barriers to employment for persons
with disabilities. Authorized by Section 121 of the Ticket Act, 116 BPAO programs provide
services to SSA beneficiaries in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories.
Through the end of August 2003, the programs collectively employed over 400 benefits
specialists and have served over 77,000 individuals since implementation in late 2000.
BPAOs are not affiliated with SSA offices. Benefits specialists work with individual
beneficiaries to explain the myriad of regulations, provisions, work incentives, and special
programs that may affect an individual’s decision to enter or re-enter the workforce. The
specialists do not tell beneficiaries what to do or make specific recommendations; they allow
beneficiaries to make their own informed decisions based on complete and accurate
information. In addition, they support individuals who choose to enter employment by
helping them comply with all relevant regulations and reporting procedures.
II: Structure and Background of the Ticket to Work Program