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What is Ticket to Work?
Date: September, 2002
Prepared by: Phil Jordan
Q: I keep hearing about "Ticket to Work" - what is that? I have a disability and I want to get a job, but I'm afraid that I will lose my Medicaid coverage if I start working.
A: "Ticket to Work" is a new law that has many different parts. It was written to help people with disabilities find work. If you receive SSI or SSDI benefits, here are some of the ways that the Ticket to Work law may be able to help you.
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Benefits Planning and Assistance |
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Work Incentives |
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Medicaid Buy-in |
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Protection and Advocacy |
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The Ticket |
Q: Can I get all of those services just because I have a disability?
A: Not necessarily. “Ticket to Work” is only for people who receive SSI or SSDI benefits. If you get checks from the Social Security Administration because of your disability and if you want to work, you might be eligible for services.
Q: You said I might be eligible - how do I know which services I can receive?
A: Let's go through them one by one.
The first one is Benefits Planning and Assistance. Anyone who gets SSI or SSDI checks and wants to work can get free Benefits Planning services. You can speak with someone about what will happen to your benefits if you start to work. When you meet with a Benefits Planner, they will talk with you about the kind of job you want, what kind of training and supports you need for that job, and how your benefits will be affected when you begin to earn more money. This service is free.
In King County, call Positive Solutions at (206) 322-8181.
Across the state, call the Plan to Work Hotline at 1-866-497-9443.
Q: Will I be able to keep my Medicaid if I start working? What about my food stamps and my HUD housing?
A: The Benefits Planners will talk with you about all of those things. They will be able to tell you what choices you have and describe to you the various Work Incentives that are available to you.
A large section of the Ticket to Work law has to do with Work Incentives. These are ways you can begin working without immediately losing your Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, or other benefits. There are lots of different Work Incentives in the Ticket to Work law, and they all have names making them sound complicated, such as:
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Extended Period of Eligibility |
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Earned Income Disregards |
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Subsidies |
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Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWE) |
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1619(a) and (b) Status |
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Blind Work Expense |
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Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS) |
These programs can help you – and they are not as complicated as they sound. A Benefits Planner will be able to tell you which of these Work Incentives you are eligible for, and can explain them to you in plain English.
Q: I'm still worried about my Medicaid. Will the Work Incentives help me keep it?
A: Some of them will. There is also a new program called Healthcare for Workers with Disabilities (HWD), sometimes called the Medicaid Buy-in. This program helps people with disabilities who are working. It allows workers to continue their Medicaid coverage after they become ineligible for Social Security benefits. Even if you earn too much money to receive SSI, you can purchase Medicaid benefits at reasonable rates. Talk to a Benefits Planner for more information.
Q: Will these Benefits Planners help me with problems that I have when I start looking for a job?
A: No. That's where WPAS comes in. The Washington Protection & Advocacy System (WPAS) can provide you with information, referrals, and advice if you have difficulty getting the employment services that you need. Contact WPAS if you have been discriminated against because of your disability, or if you have a complaint about how you were treated by someone at:
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WorkSource Centers |
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Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) |
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Any other service that was helping you look or train for work. |
Contact Washington Protection & Advocacy System (WPAS) at:
Phone: 1-800-562-2702 voice, or 1-800-905-0209 tdd
Email: wpas@wpas-rights.org
Q: You've been talking about "Ticket to Work" for three pages now, but you still haven't said anything about a ticket. Will I be getting a ticket? If I do get one, what can I do with it?
A: Yes, there actually is a “ticket” in the Ticket to Work program, you just won’t see it for awhile. Washington residents who receive checks from SSI or SSDI are scheduled to receive a Ticket early in 2004. The "Ticket" program is designed give them more choices about where they can receive employment services. Washington Protection & Advocacy System will keep you up-to-date on Ticket to Work – visit the WPAS web site often, or to get information by email, sign up for WPAS Email Updates.
This publication is an information service of the Washington Protection & Advocacy System (WPAS). It provides general information only and should not be used as legal advice for any specific situation. If you would like more information about this topic, call us and ask for a Resource Advocate.
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