Evaluation of the Ticket to Work Program Initial Evaluation Report

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A. ROLLOUT STATISTICS
1. Ticket Mailings and Eligible Beneficiaries with Tickets
SSA started to mail Tickets to beneficiaries in Phase 1 states as of February 2002, with
the Phase 2 mailings starting in November 2002 (Figure IV.1). SSA staggered the mailings in
both phases to avoid overloading the program manager and providers (see Chapter III,
Section B). Most Tickets sent to beneficiaries in Phase 1 states were mailed during four
months between February and June 2002. After that, mailings went to beneficiaries in New
York (whose Ticket rollout activities were delayed) and to newly eligible beneficiaries. SSA
staggered the Phase 2 mailings even more than the Phase 1 mailings because of the
difficulties experienced by providers and others in Phase 1 states in handling the large
number of beneficiary inquiries generated by the mailings. The initial Phase 2 mailings
concluded in September 2003; mailings since then go to newly eligible beneficiaries.
Figure IV.1: Ticket Mailings by Month
(thousands)
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Feb-02
Mar-02
Apr-02
May-02
Jun-02
Jul-02
Aug-02
Sep-02
Oct-02
Nov-02
Dec-02
Jan-03
Feb-03
Mar-03
Apr-03
May-03
Jun-03
Jul-03
Aug-03
Phase 1 States
Phase 2 States
The number of eligible beneficiaries who have tickets has increased over time, reflecting
the cumulative number of Tickets mailed (Figure IV.2). Because of Ticket terminations, the
number of eligible beneficiaries with Tickets in any given month is somewhat below the
cumulative number of Tickets mailed. Tickets are terminated for those beneficiaries who
leave the rolls for a reason other than work, typically because of death or conversion to
retirement but sometimes because of medical, income, or compliance reasons. As of August
2003, 5.1 million eligible beneficiaries had been mailed Tickets—2.7 million in Phase 1 states
and 2.4 million in Phase 2 states.
IV: Early Participation Patterns