Evaluation of the Ticket to Work Program Initial Evaluation Report

currently being addressed relate to Ticket eligibility. The system sometimes erroneously
terminates Ticket eligibility when beneficiaries go into suspended status (i.e., when cash
benefits go to zero due to work). Such terminations do not permit further TTW-related
actions in the system, like EN payments or Ticket reassignments.
3. State VR Agencies 6
TTW implementation created many challenges for State Vocational Rehabilitation
Agencies (SVRAs). During initial rollout in the Phase 1 states, SVRAs moved quickly to
learn about the program, develop administrative procedures and modify data systems, train
staff, and change the way they interacted with Ticket-holder clients on their caseloads and
applying for SVRA services. In this section, we review the extent to which SVRAs are
serving Ticket holders, both under the traditional SSA VR payment system and the new
payment options. In addition, we discuss issues related to SSA guidance to SVRAs on
program implementation, describe common TTW implementation strategies across multiple
states, and summarize concerns related to the development of VR-EN collaborative
agreements.
a. SVRA Participation in TTW
The vast majority of beneficiaries participating in TTW have assigned their Tickets to an
SVRA. Of the 24,462 Ticket assignments reported through August 29, 2003, 21,670 (89
percent) had been made to SVRAs. SVRA assignments to date have been equally divided
between individuals already on state agency caseloads (termed “pipeline” cases) and new
clients to SVRAs. The fact that SVRA Ticket assignments constitute nearly 90 percent of all
TTW activity to date reflects the dominant role SVRAs have traditionally played in providing
employment services to beneficiaries, a role that they continue to assume under TTW.
In over 80 percent of the Phase 1 and 2 states, two-thirds of all Ticket assignments have
been made to SVRAs (Table III.3). Examples of states in which a relatively low percentage
of Ticket assignments have been made to SVRAs include Nevada (52 percent of assignments
to the SVRA), Arkansas (52 percent), Arizona (54 percent), and Mississippi (54 percent).
Examples of states in which the overwhelming number of Ticket assignments have been
made to SVRAs include Vermont (99 percent), South Dakota (99 percent), Oklahoma (99
percent), Delaware (97 percent), and South Carolina (96 percent).
Under TTW, SVRAs are allowed to choose whether to serve an individual under the
traditional SSA VR payment system, or under one of the EN payment mechanisms. To
date, 84 percent of Ticket holders served by SVRAs are served under the traditional SSA
53
6 Most of this discussion is drawn from interviews with Phase 1 SVRAs conducted in
2002 and reported in Livermore et al. (2003). We will conduct another round of interviews
in early 2004 to update this information.
III: TTW Early Implementation