Evaluation of the Ticket to Work Program Initial Evaluation Report

79
Figure IV.8: Ticket Participation Rates by Age, August 2003
2.5%
2.0%
1.5%
1.0%
0.5%
0.0%
2.0%
1.6%
1.4%
1.2%
1.1%
0.9%
0.9%
0.6%
0.5%
0.6%
0.4%
0.4%
0.3%
0.3%
0.2%
0.1% 0.1%
0.0%
18 - 24 25 - 29 30 - 34 35 - 39 40 - 44 45 - 49 50 - 54 55 - 59 60 - 64
Age
Phase 1 Phase 2
We also found that the participation rate is much higher than average in some Phase 1
states and much lower in others—ranging from 0.3 percent in Florida, Oregon, and
Massachusetts to 1.9 percent in Delaware (Figure IV.9). Interestingly, a few Phase 2 states
already have participation rates that exceed those of some Phase 1 states, most notably South
Dakota (1.2 percent). As the evaluation progresses, we will investigate why variation across
states is so substantial. We have found that SVRAs differed greatly in their responses to the
introduction of TTW, and it seems likely that such variation has contributed to differences in
participation rates. It might also be that SVRAs varied substantially in the extent to which
they served beneficiaries before TTW. In addition, it is likely that the explanation for
variation in participation rates involves variation in significant other factors, such as the
characteristics of beneficiaries, state policies and programs (including whether the state has a
Medicaid buy-in program for people with disabilities), a state’s economy, the socioeconomic
status of the state’s residents, and the state’s culture.
We also observed substantial variation in participation rates related to the primary
impairment category that SSA records during the disability determination process (Figure
IV.10). The category with the highest participation rate in Phase 1 states is severe hearing
impairments (4.4 percent), but that group includes just 0.9 percent of eligible beneficiaries in
those states. Impairment groups accounting for at least 5 percent of eligible beneficiaries
and higher-than-average participation rates include those with primary impairments related
to the nervous system, schizophrenia/psychoses/neuroses, major affective disorders, and
mental retardation. Groups with at least 5 percent of eligible beneficiaries and lower-thanaverage
participation rates include those with a primary impairment related to the
musculoskeletal system and the circulatory system.
IV: Early Participation Patterns