Evaluation of the Ticket to Work Program Initial Evaluation Report

example, reporting lags inherent in using third-party wage reports such as IRS or state
unemployment insurance data will result in significant delays in EN payments. Because EN
payments are based in part on savings to the Federal government resulting from beneficiary
payments being reduced to zero, basing EN payments on estimated earnings could result in
overpayments to ENs and the requirement that ENs pay back SSA for months when Ticket
holder benefits were not actually zero. These and other problems will need to be addressed
for SSA to implement the above recommendations.
TTW Service Models. Few ENs interviewed in 2002 had developed business plans or
conducted formal assessments of the potential costs and revenues associated with TTW.
Many view TTW as just another potential funding source for the traditional services they
provide, and do not intend to change their service delivery approach or invest substantial
resources into operating under TTW. The large majority of ENs have elected the milestoneoutcome
payment system, primarily because it provides payments sooner than the outcomeonly
system, and also because ENs are not confident (and in some cases, do not expect) that
clients will achieve long-term employment above SGA. At the EN Summit, ENs
recommended that SSA conduct an EN capitalization study, develop training materials that
would help them learn how to be financially successful, and develop a means for ENs to
identify and share best practices. As noted previously, SSA has recently funded an EN
capitalization project to address this concern.
A few ENs interviewed in 2002 had conducted financial assessments of the expected
costs and revenues associated with TTW and, at that time expected to eventually generate
revenues sufficient to cover their costs. We interviewed two of these ENs approximately
one year later, and as discussed further in Chapter V, neither were covering their costs
during the first year of TTW, and one had substantially curtailed its participation in the
program.
c. Early Experiences Enrolling Ticket Holders
Marketing and Screening. Most ENs interviewed in 2002 were not actively
marketing their services to beneficiaries. Those interviewed indicated that they receive a
large number of unsolicited phone inquiries from beneficiaries who obtain their names and
contact information from the Program Manager. They also noted that the number of phone
calls from beneficiaries was overwhelming when Tickets were first mailed. As noted
previously, SSA has since slowed the rollout schedule for the Phase 2 and 3 states.
Many EN interviewees reported experiencing difficulty responding to beneficiary
inquiries about TTW and screening for appropriate candidates. Most callers appear to have
a poor understanding of TTW when they contact ENs, and EN interviewees report
spending a considerable amount of time explaining the program and dispelling beneficiary
misconceptions. Common misconceptions include beneficiaries believing that: their Tickets
can be directly exchanged for jobs, ENs are required to accept their Tickets, and ENs must
provide funding for SVRA services. Beneficiaries are also often surprised to learn that ENs
only want to accept Tickets from those who are willing and able to eventually earn enough
from work to lose their disability benefits.
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III: TTW Early Implementation