Evaluation of the Ticket to Work Program, Implementation ...

84• Another EN representative found that discussing zero cash benefits withpotential clients up front dissuaded many of them from participating, so shechanged her approach. While being honest about the goal, she emphasizes thepositive aspects of financial independence and assures beneficiaries that it iseasier now than it was in the past to get back into SSA disability programs aswell as Medicare and Medicaid. With so many beneficiaries relying on expensivemedication, she explained, the thought of losing health insurance can be morefrightening than losing cash disability benefits.EN officials commonly reported that a high proportion of beneficiaries have littleinterest in TTW once they understand the details. For instance, many Ticket recipients areunwilling or unable to work full time, do not want to go off cash SSI or DI benefits, or fearthat leaving these programs would have negative repercussions for other benefits they relyon, such as health insurance benefits. One EN representative explained:“Two-thirds to three-fourths of the people lose interest in the program when wemention full-time employment. When we explain zero cash benefits and that thegoal of the program is that they’ll get off the rolls, people get leery and are worriedabout losing their health insurance. That’s when they balk. Once they learnedwhat we were doing, they were gone.”Determining Suitability of a Particular Beneficiary. A willingness to pursueemployment that will lead to zero cash benefits is not necessarily the criteria that ultimatelydetermines whether an EN will accept a Ticket..• Some EN representatives seek out beneficiaries whose characteristics, needs,and goals matched services offered by the organization.• Some ENs screen for employment-related knowledge, skills, abilities, andeducation. One seeks people who have transferable skills. Another said that ifbeneficiaries cannot list their skills, he will not work with them. Beneficiariesneeding education or further training are typically referred to an SVRA oranother EN. As one EN representative explained, his organization cannotafford a service as potentially expensive as education, having not received anyTicket payments to date. Another said that his EN is interested in placingpeople in jobs, not retraining them.• Some EN representatives think it is critical to gauge the strength of thebeneficiary’s desire to work. Even if beneficiaries express a willingness to workfull time toward zero cash benefits status, these ENs still might reject a potentialclient if they perceive that the individual is not dedicated to achieving that goal. 77 Later in this chapter we describe how a perceived lack of seriousness and effort on the beneficiary’s partis a common reason why ENs initiate Ticket unassignment.V: EN Participation in Ticket to Work