Helping People With DisabilitiesForge A Path To Financial Independence

(NAPSI)—Organizations across the country stand ready to assist people with disabilities who want to work discover opportunities for employment and a path to financial independence. These organizations are part of a network of service providers in Social Security’s Ticket to Work program.

The Ticket program supports career development for people ages 18 through 64 who get Social Security disability benefits (SSI/SSDI) and want to work. The program, which is free and voluntary, helps people with disabilities move toward financial independence by connecting them with the services and support to succeed in the workforce.

How It Works

Service providers form an employment team to help individuals with disabilities join and remain in the workforce with supports tailored to the individual’s needs. Virtual and in-person services vary among organizations, but they share the same goal—to help participants find jobs that, over time, decrease their reliance on benefit payments. Career planning, job leads and placement, benefits counseling, education, intensive training and ongoing employment support may be available from a variety of service providers.

Who Can Help

These providers include:

• Employment Networks (EN)—Private or public organizations that offer career planning, job placement and ongoing employment support. ENs may also offer benefits counseling to help program participants understand how their benefits will be affected by work. This includes ENs that are also part of the state’s public workforce system (also referred to as Workforce (WF) EN).

• Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)—State agencies that typically work with individuals who need more significant services, such as intensive training, education and rehabilitation. They may also provide career counseling, job placement assistance and benefits counseling.

• Work Incentives Planning & Assistance (WIPA)—Organizations authorized by Social Security to provide free benefits counseling to Social Security disability beneficiaries to help them make informed choices about work.

• Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS)—Organizations that advocate for eligible beneficiaries to remove disability-related barriers to successful employment and help them understand their legal rights regarding conditions of employment.

Learn More

For further facts about the Ticket program, call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1 (866) 968-7842 or 1 (866) 833-2967 (TTY) Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. Ask a representative to send you a list of service providers or visit https://choosework.ssa.gov for information and use the Find Help tool at https://choosework.ssa.gov/findhelp to search for providers.

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