Welcome to the Department of Rehabilitation - Employment, Independence, & Equality

NOT USED BY DOR

Ticket to Work Program Status in California

The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act was signed into law by President Clinton on December 17, 1999. There are many provisions in the law designed to assist and encourage recipients of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to prepare for and enter into employment. The Ticket to Work Program is one of those provisions.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) will mail out a Ticket to eligible SSDI/SSI recipients along with information that explains the Ticket Program. The individual who wants to go to work can take their Ticket to the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) or an Employment Network that has been approved by the SSA.

Thirteen States have been selected to begin the initial ticket roll-out. These are the Phase I States and tickets were released to eligible SSI/SSDI beneficiaries in early 2002. These states include: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, and Wisconsin. The Phase 2 ticket roll-out occurred in November 2002 in 20 states: District of Columbia: Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Virginia. The 3rd Phase or final roll-out is scheduled to occur in November 2003 and will include the remaining 17 states. California is one of these states. The program must be available nationwide by September 2004.

The SSA has contracted with Maximus to manage the Ticket Program. Maximus will have information on approved Employment Networks, what disability groups those Employment Networks serve and the geographic area they cover.

Participation in the Ticket Program is voluntary. There will be no penalty if a recipient decides not to use their Ticket.

The benefit of participating in the Ticket Program is that continuing disability reviews (CDR) will be suspended while the Ticket is active and the recipient is making sufficient progress toward employment. The final regulations for the Ticket program more clearly define "sufficient progress toward employment".

There is no cash value to the Ticket. Once the recipient has deposited their Ticket with an Employment Network or DOR, that organization and the recipient will jointly decide what services are necessary for the recipient to go to work. In some cases DOR and an Employment Network will work together to provide the needed services. Those individuals who have already developed an Individualized Plan for Employment with a DOR rehabilitation counselor may choose to continue without interruption.

If you would like more information about the Ticket to Work Program, visit SSA's website at http://www.ssa.gov/work/Ticket/ticket_info.html

If you are interested in applying for Department of Rehabilitation services and want to learn more about the Ticket To Work (TTW) program, contact DOR's toll-free help line at:

1-866-449-2730 (Voice)
1-866-359-7705 (TTY)

You can also e-mail us at ttwinfo@dor.ca.gov.

MAXIMUS also has information about the Ticket Program at http://www.yourtickettowork.com

LINKS: - DOR's Ticket To Work (TTW) Brochure:

- Ticket To Work Fact Sheet for Consumers (Rich Text Format)
- Ticket To Work Questions and Answers (Rich Text Format)
- Department of Rehabilitation Office Locations
- Department of Rehabilitation Application