The purpose of this guide is to educate New Yorkers with disabilities who have a Ticket to Work from the Social Security Administration on how to secure the services and supports to go to work by choosing an Employment Network

Golden, Thomas P

Lopez-Soto, Edwin J.

English

The purpose of this guide is to educate New Yorkers with disabilities who have a Ticket to Work from the Social Security Administration on how to secure the services and supports to go to work by choosing an Employment Network.SS46_PDF.pdf: 2446 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020.0-SS46_TXT.txt: 92 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Golden, Thomas P.

eCommons@Cornell

Ticket to Work: Choosing the Right Employment Network

DigitalCommons@ILR

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Mapping Your Path to Work
Answers To Your Work Questions 
From New York Makes Work Pay
Choosing the Right Employment Network
Ticket to Work
  TICKET TO WORK 1
1 What is the Ticket to Work?
2 What is an Employment Network?
3 Important Questions to Ask When Choosing an EN
4 After Hearing From the EN, Ask Yourself These 
Questions
5 What If the Relationship With the EN Does Not 
Work Out?
5 Will My Benefits be Impacted by Going Back to 
Work?
This booklet is part of a series of New York Makes Work Pay 
publications that help New Yorkers with disabilities plan a 
path to employment. 
In This Guide
The purpose of this guide is to educate New 
Yorkers with disabilities who have a Ticket to 
Work from the Social Security Administration 
on how to secure the services and supports to go 
to work by choosing an Employment Network.
  TICKET TO WORK 1
The Ticket to Work is a Social Security 
Administration (SSA) program that helps people 
with disabilities interested in working to get the 
services and supports they need to accomplish 
their desired work goals. 
SSA has been mailing the “Ticket to Work” to individuals who 
receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental 
Security Income (SSI) since November 2003. 
Once you receive your Ticket to Work in the mail, you can partici-
pate in the program by taking it to any Employment Network (EN) 
approved by SSA to receive free services and supports to help you 
start working. The program is completely voluntary – you only 
have to use your Ticket if you want to find work and earn money. 
A Ticket looks like this: 
What is the Ticket to Work?
  TICKET TO WORK 22 TICKET TO WORK 3
An EN can be a public or private agency, large or small, non-profit 
or for-profit entity. Not all ENs are the same – each may offer dif-
ferent services, and may serve different people. For example, an 
EN might be a trade school or college, a local employer or business, 
a community rehabilitation program, a temporary employment 
agency, and the list goes on. 
To locate the ENs in your local area, go online to the following web-
site: www.yourtickettowork.com. Then click on the “Directory of 
ENs” in the left hand column. You can then search ENs in your area 
by zip code, city, county, and/or state. You can also get this informa-
tion by placing a toll-free call to 1-866-Your Ticket (1-866-968-7842). 
If you decide that you want to use your Ticket, you will need to 
choose an EN. You should contact several ENs to find the one that 
offers the services that best fit your needs and support your work 
goals. Explore your options and ask lots of questions to find the EN 
that is the best match for you. Take notes, and compare services. 
After all, you are the customer.
An Employment Network (EN) is an organization 
contracted with SSA to coordinate the delivery of 
employment services, vocational rehabilitation 
services, or other support services to Ticket to 
Work beneficiaries.
What is an   
Employment Network?
EN
  TICKET TO WORK 22 TICKET TO WORK 3

What services does the EN provide? 
  Does the EN work with individuals with disabilities similar to 
your disability? Remember, ENs can limit their services to per-
sons with specific disabilities or needs.
  Is the EN knowledgeable about career choices and options for 
individuals with disabilities similar to yours?
  Is the EN knowledgeable about the services, supports, and ac-
commodations you need and want? 
  Does the EN understand your employment goals and needs?
  How will the EN work with you to identify and reach your em-
ployment goals? 
What are the qualifications and experience of the staff 
who would be working with you?
  What training, educational background, and credentials do the 
staff have?
  Do the individuals providing the services for the EN have ex-
perience in providing employment services to individuals with 
disabilities with needs similar to your needs? 
  Is the EN willing to share their successes and failures with you?
  Will the EN provide you with a reference you can contact to 
discuss their experience? Remember, you are hiring them to do 
a very specific task.
Important Questions to 
Ask When Choosing an EN
  TICKET TO WORK 44 TICKET TO WORK 5
Remember, the Ticket to Work program is all about 
CHOICE. If you choose to use your Ticket, then 
you also choose which EN will serve you. Take the 
time you need to feel comfortable with the choice 
you are making.
  Are you comfortable talking with the EN? 
  Did the EN make you welcome? 
  Will the EN allow you to visit and tour their facility before as-
signing your Ticket?
  Did the EN explain your obligations, so that you understood 
them, if you were to give your ticket to it?
  For example, if you participate in training, would you have 
to finish the training within a specific time frame?
  Would the EN expect to meet with you? If so, how often and 
where?
  Should you become employed, what information will the EN 
expect you to share with them?
After Hearing From the EN, 
Ask Yourself These Questions

  TICKET TO WORK 44 TICKET TO WORK 5
More Questions
What if the relationship with the EN does not work out? 
Each EN is required to have a grievance procedure that you can use 
to resolve problems. If you cannot resolve your problem through 
the grievance, you can ask MAXIMUS, the private contractor SSA 
hired to manage the Ticket to Work program, to help. If MAXIMUS 
cannot resolve your grievance, you can ask SSA to review the prob-
lem. 
If an EN is not providing the services and supports you feel are 
necessary and to which you agreed, you can take your Ticket back 
and re-assign it to an alternative EN. You may want to keep a list of 
your top three choices for ENs in the case that an alternative EN is 
needed.
For a complete list of ENs in your area, call Maximus at 1-866-968-
7842 (TDD: 1-866-833-2967.) Or, you can visit their website:  
www.youtickettowork.com
Will my benefits be impacted by going back to work? 
If you have any questions about how your benefits will be impact-
ed by going back to work, you can contact Neighborhood Legal 
Services at 1-888-224-3272. The hotline is available during business 
hours Monday through Friday, except on holidays. Every effort will 
be made to return calls the same day or within one business day.
SSA has contracted with local organizations to provide work incen-
tive and planning services for Social Security SSDI and SSI ben-
eficiaries. The Work Incentive Planning Adviser (WIPA) agencies 
have people who have been specially trained to help individuals 
with disabilities considering returning to work or returning to 
work. You can get a list of the WIPA’s in New York at the following 
website: https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/oesp/providers.nsf/bystate
www.N YMA K E SWO R K PAY . o r g
Development of the “Map Your Path to Work” guides is made 
possible by a Comprehensive Employment Services Medicaid 
Infrastructure Grant funded by the U.S. Department of Health 
and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 
(CMS) to the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) 
and its management partners the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at 
Syracuse University and the Employment and Disability Institute 
(EDI) at Cornell University.
Employment and Disability Institute
Cornell University
201 Dolgen Hall
Ithaca, New York  14853
voice:  607-255-7727
fax:  607-255-2763
tty:  607-255-2891
email:  nymakesworkpay@cornell.edu
web:  www.nymakesworkpay.org


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Ticket to Work: Choosing the Right Employment Network

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