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Kregel, J., O'Mara, S., & West, M. (2003). Consumer advocacy in the implementation of the Ticket to Work Act. Richmond, VA: Virginia Commonwealth University, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Workplace Supports.
Abstract
This report identifies ways in which agencies involved in the implementation of the Ticket to Work (TTW) program can have adverse effects on beneficiaries, and provides recommendations to eliminate or reduce the potential for harm. Entities involved in TTW include Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies; Employment Networks (ENs); Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach (BPAO) programs, and Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) programs.
Conflicting interests between these agencies may lead to a number of negative consequences for TTW participants. PABSS programs lack the capacity to adequately represent beneficiaries with other agencies involved in TTW, cannot represent people who no longer receive cash SSI or SSDI benefits, and cannot engage in systems advocacy. Beneficiaries may receive inaccurate information about how work will affect their cash benefits or Medicaid/Medicare eligibility, or may be unable to locate an EN willing to accept Ticket assignments. In other cases, ENs who have accepted a Ticket assignment from a beneficiary may terminate the Ticket if the Ticket holder is seen as too costly to serve. Other conflicts and disincentives may thwart the efforts of beneficiaries to use the TTW to achieve successful employment outcomes.
The report concludes with a number of recommendations to upgrade program quality, reduce inter-program conflicts, and minimize disincentives in the TTW system.
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