Evaluation of the Ticket to Work Program Initial Evaluation Report

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Figure IV.10: Ticket Participation Rates by Primary Impairment, August 2003
Respiratory system
Circulatory system
Musculoskeletal system
Neoplasms
Digestive system
Endocrine/nutritional
Skin/subcutaneous tissue
Other
Missing
Other mental disorders
Blood/blood-forming diseases
Mental retardation
Infectious & parasitic diseases
HIV/AIDS
Major affective disorders
Nervous system
Injuries
Genitourinary system
Schizophrenia/psychoses/neur.
Severe visual impairment
Congenital anomalies
Severe speech impairment
Severe hearing impairment
0.1%
0.3%
0.1%
0.3%
0.1%
0.4%
0.2%
0.4%
0.2%
0.5%
0.2%
0.5%
0.2%
0.6%
0.2%
0.6%
0.3%
0.7%
0.3%
0.8%
0.5%
0.8%
0.3%
0.9%
0.3%
0.9%
0.3%
0.9%
0.4%
0.9%
0.3%
0.9%
0.4%
1.0%
0.4%
1.0%
0.4%
1.1%
0.5%
1.3%
0.7%
1.3%
0.4%
1.5%
1.3%
Phase 2 Phase 1
4.4%
Participation rates increase with the length of time a beneficiary has been on the DI or
SSI rolls until he or she reaches 24 months on the rolls. After that point, participation rates
are relatively constant through month 120 (10 years) and then decline somewhat for those
who have been on the rolls for longer (Figure IV.11). The figures suggest that many
beneficiaries pass through a lengthy period in which they are adjusting to their new status as
a beneficiary and, in many cases, their new medical condition before they are ready to
attempt work. The figures could also point to new beneficiaries’ insecurity over benefits, as
many will have spent months convincing SSA that they cannot work. Some DI beneficiaries
might wait until they obtain Medicare benefits, which start only after beneficiaries have
received cash benefits for 24 months.
The experience of the program through 18 months shows that the longer a beneficiary
has a Ticket, the more likely that he or she will use it (Figure IV.12) up to some point. Over
the first 10 months, the experience in Phase 2 states is similar to that in Phase 1 states,
reinforcing a point made earlier: participation growth in Phase 2 states seems on track to
approximate the experience in Phase 1 states. In the Phase 1 states, the rate in months 10
through 12 is actually higher than in months 13 through 15, although lower than in months
16 through 18. This pattern appears to be attributable, at least in part, to the pattern of
TTW rollout in Phase 1 states. In particular, the vast majority of beneficiaries who have had
their Tickets from 10 to 12 months in the Phase 1 states reside in New York, which
experienced slower rollout; therefore, perhaps the figure for that period represents relatively
high participation in that state.
IV: Early Participation Patterns