Region 4 EN Recruitment TeleconferenceFebruary 28, 2012 1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. EST

Donna M. De Julius, Senior Account ManagerAndrew B. Baptista, EN Recruitment Account Manager

Alphabet Soup

• SSA- Social Security Administration

• SSI- Supplemental Security Income

• SSDI- Social Security Disability Insurance

• EN- Employment Network

• SGA - Substantial Gainful Activity

• CDR- Continuing Disability Reviews (medical)

• IWP – Individual Work Plan

• OSM – Operations Support Manager

• BASS – Beneficiary Access and Support Services

• WIPA – Work Incentives Planning and Assistance Project

• PABSS – Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security

• SVRA – State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency2

Ticket to Work Program Managers• Operations Support Manager (OSM): Run by MAXIMUS, OSM

handles all activities related to program service providers (Employment Networks and Vocational Rehabilitation agencies)

• Beneficiary Access and Support Services (BASS) Manager: Run by Booz Allen Hamilton, BASS handles all activities related to beneficiary education, outreach and support of the program.

OSM is responsible for:• Recruiting experienced and highly-qualified ENs• Establishing and maintaining a Technical Assistance and Support

Center (TASC)• Facilitating/monitoring active Ticket to Work program participation be

VR agencies and ENs• Administering and supporting the Ticket assignment process• Administering and supporting the EN payment process 3

History of the Ticket to Work Program

• National Organization on Disability/ Harris Survey (1998)• 29% of individuals with disabilities were working

• 79% without disabilities

• Federal disability spending (1999)• $51.3 Billion on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

• $22.9 Billion on Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

• Federal disability spending (2009)• $109.3 Billion on SSDI

• $37.9 Billion on SSI

• Government Accountability Office (GAO) findings• Less than 1% of SSDI and SSI beneficiaries are able to obtain full self-

sufficiency

• One-third of those who do, return within 3 years4

Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act

• Signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1999

• Purposes• Provide health care and employment preparation and placement services

• Encourage states to enable beneficiaries to purchase necessary Medicaid coverage

• Provide Medicare coverage while employed

• Establish the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program

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What is the Ticket to Work Program?

• What?• An employment program administered by Social Security

• Who?• Beneficiaries with disabilities, ages 18 through 64, receiving SSDI and/or

SSI cash benefits

• Why and How?• Bob Williams’ (Associate Commissioner of Social Security’s Office of

Employment Support Programs) Vision.

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Vision of Associate CommissionerOffice of Employment Support Programs (OESP)

The Five Cs:

•Choice•Capacity•Coordination•Collaboration•Credible Results

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Goals of the Ticket to Work Program

• Increase the number of service providers

• Increase the number of ticket holders that leave the rolls

• Decrease the cost to the government• Group health coverage vs. Medicare and Medicaid

• Public assistance, housing subsidies, food stamps

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Ticket Holders• Eligibility- Ticket holder

• 18 – 64 years of age

• Currently receiving benefits

• Process- Ticket holder can choose• When to use their ticket

• Where to assign their ticket to receive services

• “Tickets” are simply metaphorical

• Services are free• Participation is voluntary• Advantages of participation

• Continuing Disability Review (CDR) protection

• Opportunity to earn more income

• Beneficiary Information• Contact the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-

7842/ 1-866-833-2967 (TTY) or connect with a Certified Work Incentive Coordinator (CWIC) at a Work Incentives Planning & Assistance (WIPA) office. 9

How do Ticket Holders Participate?

• A physical ticket is no longer mailed when individuals are approved for SSDI or SSI benefits

• No physical ticket is needed to participate in the Ticket to Work Program

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How the Ticket Works

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Ticket to Work Program & Service Providers

• Service Providers• Employment Networks (ENs)

• State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies (VRs)

• Process• Connect with Ticket holders

• Create Individual Work Plan (IWP) with beneficiary

• IWP reviewed and ticket assigned

• Provide services to Ticket holders

• Receive payments bases on Ticket holder’s progress

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What are Employment Networks?• Organizations deemed by Social Security to be qualified to

provide • Vocational Rehabilitation

• Other types of employment-related services, to support and assist beneficiaries to enter, maintain and advance in employment

• Must complete to EN Request for Quotation (RFQ) Application• New RFQ imposes stricter requirements regarding qualifications of ENs

• An EN can be a single entity, two entities forming a partnership, or a coalition of organizations functioning as a single EN.

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How do Ticket Holders Find an EN?• A ticket holder can:

• Learn about ENs serving their area by viewing online directory at: www.yourtickettowork.com or by contacting the BASS Hotline at 1-866-968-7842/ 1-866-833-2967 (TTY)

• BASS is responsible for beneficiary outreach and will mail ticket holders a complete listing of approved Ens in their zip code or surrounding area.

• The ticket holder and EN should discuss the job placement services and supports needed to achieve their employment goal

• Remember!• Many ticket holders are not aware that they qualify for the Ticket to Work

program

• Your organization may already be working with ticket holders

• Other Resources:• www.chooseworkttw.net 14

Request for Quotations (RFQ)Qualification Requirements for ENs

•Offeror must have 2 years of experience providing employment services for people with disabilities

•Offeror must submit with their proposal at least one of the following:• Evidence of contract of vendor agreement with state VR contract or

federal agency

• Evidence of certification or accreditation from national rehabilitation and employment service accrediting bodies (examples: CARF, CRC, ICCD, USPRA,)

• A copy of the license or certification as required by state law to provide employment services

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Request for Quotations (RFQ)Qualification Requirements for ENs (continued)

•Offeror must provide at a minimum these three core services: career counseling, job placement and ongoing employment supports (this requirement applies to current ENs, as of July 2011)

•Offeror must provide a business plan that describes the services leading to employment

The full application is available at http://ssa.gov/work/enrfp.html

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New Guidelines as of July 2011• ENs work under an EN Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA)

rather than the previous contract agreement• BPA has a potential 10-year life

• Better mechanism for Social Security to administer the Ticket to Work Program

• An EN must provide at a minimum three core services—career counseling, job placement and ongoing employment supports.

• An organization must submit to Social Security for pre-approval the names and qualifications of all subcontractors

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New Guidelines as of July 2011 (continued)

• In developing individualized work plans (IWPs)—an organization must hold one-on-one career counseling sessions with beneficiaries and include documentation of both short and long-term services provided to get and maintain employment

• Social Security will expect an EN to maintain quarterly contact with each employed beneficiary and must document this process, unless a beneficiary cannot be located

• An EN will be required to document services provided to qualify for EN payments—at several specific intervals (Phase 1, Milestone 4, Phase 2 Milestone 11, Outcome 11 and Outcome 22) 18

Why Become an Employment Network (EN)

Benefits Being an EN

• Ticket payments are unrestricted

• Braided funding

• Generous funding stream: between $22,354 (SSI) and $23,164 (SSDI) per successful ticket holder

• Ticket holders hired qualify for Work Opportunity Tax Credits (WOTC) http://www.doleta.gov/business/incentives/opptax/eta_default.cfm

• There is no fee to becoming and EN20

Opportunities for Success

• New source of funding in an era of shrinking budgets

• Get paid for work you are already doing

• New options for funding long-term employment supports• Outcome-based rather than fee-for-service• Payments can continue for 5 to 7 years

• Unrestricted funds• SSA places no requirements or restrictions on use of Ticket to Work

Program payments• SSA does not view Ticket payments to ENs using other sources of funding

to serve Ticket Holders as “double- dipping”

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EN Payment Methods

When signing the agreement with Social Security, an EN chooses between payment options

•Outcome Only Payment Option

•Milestone-Outcome Payment Option

•Traditional Cost Reimbursement• State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies only

• Requires 9 months SGA-level earnings

• Lump Sum Payment

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Outcome Payments Option

• ENs can only receive payment after Ticket Holder’s cash payments have stopped

• Payment Schedule

• Advantage• Overall payout is greater than if Milestone-Outcome method used.

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Milestone Outcome Payments Option

• Payments for steps toward self-sufficiency

• Allows payments more quickly and for partial completion

• Less money obtained overall than just the Outcome Payments Option

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Milestone Outcome Payments Option

• Phase 1

• Phase 2

• Outcome

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What is Partnership Plus?

A service delivery option under which SSA will compensate a State Vocational Rehabilitation agency (VR) and an EN for successfully serving the same beneficiary under the same Ticket

•The service provision must be sequential, not concurrent

•State VR agencies provide the up-front services leading to job placement and EN secures Ticket assignment after State VR agency case closure

•Ticket regulations only allow a Ticket to be with one service provider at a time

•The same service provider may function as a State VR vendor while the State VR case is open and an EN after the case is closed

•State VR agency eligible for cost reimbursement; EN eligible for Phase 2 and Outcome payments but not Phase 1

State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies and ENs partner to meet needs of Ticket Holders

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How Partnership Plus Works

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After you become an EN, you should notify your State VR agency and discuss how you can work together. That’s what Partnership Plus is all about—Workingtogether to ensure that beneficiaries have access to ongoing supports after job placement.

Ticket to Work Program Resources

Connecting with Ticket Holders

• Look at those you are already serving

• Develop relationships with local Social Security staff and Social Security sponsored programs and services• Area Work Incentive Coordinators (AWIC)

• Work Incentive Planning and Assistance (WIPA) projects

• Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security

• Register for a Work Incentives Seminar Event

(WISE) Webinar: http://chooseworkttw.net/wise/jsp/wise.jsp

• Advertise locally

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Area Work Incentive Coordinators (AWIC)

• Social Security has a team of Work Incentives specialist to ensure that beneficiaries receive

• Accurate information about returning to work

• Assistance in processing information on work activity

• To find the Region 4 AWIC serving your state please visit:

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/work/awiccontacts.html

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Work Incentives Planning Assistance (WIPA)

• Social Security approved organizations that assist beneficiaries in making informed choices about work

• Trained to provide information about work and work incentives

• Can answer questions about how work will impact a beneficiary’s federal, state and local benefits

• Can assist beneficiaries with finding resources and services to achieve their employment goals.

• WIPA services are FREE!

• To find your local WIPA please visit: https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/oesp/providers.nsf/bystate

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Protection and Advocacy

Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS)

•State Protection & Advocacy Systems receive funds from SSA to provide

• Information, advocacy services & legal advice on employment services and rights protection

• Information and support during the job application process, and following job placement

•Find your local PABSS visit: http://ssa.gov/work/PandA.html

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Beneficiary Access and Support Systems (BASS)

BASS assists disability beneficiaries by:

•Providing basic information about all Social Security work incentives and as appropriate, makes referrals to the local WIPA projects

•Developing tools, resources and models to encourage beneficiary participation in the Ticket program

BASS Hotline: 1-866-968-7842 / 1-866-833-2967(TTY)

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More Information

For more information on the Ticket to Work program

Social Security Work site: www.socialsecurity.gov/work

BASS: www.chooseworkttw.net

OSM Ticket to Work: www.yourtickettowork.com

or call 1-866-949-3687

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Region 4 Contact Information

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Ticket to Work Operations Support Manager

Technical Assistance and Support Center (TASC)

Donna M. De Julius

Senior Account Manager

Office: 703-336-8044

Email: donnamdejulius@maximus.com

Andrew B. Baptista

EN Recruitment Account Manager

Office: 703-336-8139

Email: andrewbbaptista@maximus.com

Questions

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