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

49E. SUMMARYTTW participants represent a very small percentage of all working-age disabilitybeneficiaries and appear to be different from all beneficiaries in a number of ways. They areyounger, healthier, less likely to be married, and have higher levels of education.TTW participants also share many of the characteristics that make employedbeneficiaries different from beneficiaries in general. TTW participants and employedbeneficiaries do differ, however, in many respects. The former are younger and less likely tobe white, DI-only, and to have private health insurance; but they are more likely to livealone, report mental illness as a condition causing activity limitations, and to rely on foodstamps.As expected, the percentage of employment and rehabilitation service users amongTTW participants is much higher than among all beneficiaries but perhaps not as high as onemight expect. The rather small percentage of TTW participants who reported using servicesin 2003 (55 percent) might be the result of a number of factors: they received services in2002 and subsequently either became employed or ceased to actively participate in TTW;they were waiting to receive services in the future; they do not recall receiving services; orthey simply have not received any services even though their Tickets were assigned. It isinteresting that TTW participants were twice as likely as other beneficiaries to indicate thatthere were services and supports that they needed in 2003 but did not receive. This findingmay reflect a greater desire to receive services rather than a limited availability of services,but it also might be that beneficiaries who are unable to obtain services by other means aremore likely to participate in TTW.As a group, TTW participants clearly differ from all working-age beneficiaries in termsof employment goals and expectations. A number of factors indicate that TTW participantsare more inclined to work:• Among TTW participants who reported using services in 2003, most (54 percent)indicated that finding a job or a better job was a reason for using services,compared with only a small share (10 percent) of all beneficiaries.• Nearly one-third of TTW participants were employed at the time of the interview,and nearly half had worked at some point in 2003.• Among all beneficiaries who were not working at the time of the interview, thosewho were also TTW participants were less likely to report that a health conditionprevents them from working and much more likely to report many otheremployment-related reasons for not working, including being discouraged byprevious attempts to work; inability to find a job that he/she wants or for whichhe/she is qualified; and waiting to finish school or a training program.• A large majority of TTW participants indicated that their personal goals includework and career advancement, and that they see themselves working for pay in theIII: Beneficiary Characteristics and Employment Perspectives