If you’re receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA), you may have heard about the Ticket to Work Program. The program is a free program offered by SSA that connects SSDI and SSI recipients with free employment services to help them decide if working is right for them. If you participate, it can also help to prepare you for work, find a job or maintain success while you are working.
SSA offers the program as a way to help SSDI and SSI beneficiaries work towards financial independence. By participating in the program, you agree to take specific steps within specific time frames set by Social Security to either work at a specified earnings level or, complete certain educational/training requirements. Which steps you need to take will depend on the plan you develop with your service provider.
The Ticket to Work program can be helpful because typically SSA reviews your medical condition every few years to see whether you still have a disability through a process called the medical Continuing Disability Review, or CDR. However, if you sign up through the program and assign your Ticket to an approved service provider before you receive a CDR notice and make “timely progress” following your employment plan, Social Security will not conduct a review of your medical condition.
If you decide to participate, call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-833-7842 to verify your eligibility. If you have questions about the Ticket to Work program, there is an FAQ here. If you have questions about the SSDI process, contact your local SSA office, or a local attorney.