Sometime ago, I wrote an article about and on The Ticket To Work Program and Pass To Self-Support administered by The Social Security Administration.
Well, I have been having trouble first of all with my state DHR/DORS counselor in the State of Illinois. He seems to be a nice enough man compared to the last DHR/DORS counselors the State has given to me before they gave me the present one I have.
First of all, the last one was ILLINOIS-DHS/DORS gave me was a counselor for the hearing impaired. He was unable to communicate with me orally.
The previous one before that one had no good command of the English language and had broken English and had to search for the proper word to use while talking to me. He was from Columbia. (Great huh?).
To further insult me- The State intake work asked me if I could speak any other languages other than the official United States language which is English.
My answer to that was "NO" this is the United States and our official language spoken here is ((ENGLISH)).
Well, it took ILLINOIS DHS-DORS a while to find me a state counselor infact. When I told them I had a Ticket To Work they referred me to my present counselor and told me where to call.
First of all, know this, when you call your State DHR/Department of Vocational Rehabiliation Services to use your Ticket To Work make sure your first meeting is not an orientation meeting with a lot of other Ticket Holders please.
I walked into the State DORS office and I had no idea it was an orientation for a whole lot of Ticket Holders.
The Ticket To Work program orientation consists of all the State Dept. of Rehab Counselors and maybe 40 other Ticket Holders looking to find out what services The State which is a Employment Network has to offer in the way of services to help you obtain to become employable.
If one plans to turn in their Ticket To Work and use it to obtain part-time employment, forget it. The Ticket To Work is only good if a Ticket Holder is planning to use it to go back to work full-time.
The company that Social Security contracted to oversee The Ticket To Work program name Maximum which is located in McLean, Virginia is no help either.
They really don't have statistics on how many Social Security recipients who are on either program i,e, SSDI or SSI, have been helped and gainfully employed by using the Ticket To Workthat have psychiatric, learning or developmental disabilities.
It is the statistics that prove how effective a program will work for persons that have one of the above mentioned disabilities.
This author realizes that some persons with physical disabilities may have a hard time using their Ticket To Work as well. However, some physically disabled recipients have one thing going for them. In the past before they became disabled, do have a work history and have actual work experience which may help them become employable once again.
Most indiviudals on either SSDI,( persons who recieve their checks on the third of the month) and/SSI (persons who receive their checks on the first of the month) with one of the non-physical disabilities in nature will most likely have a hard time being placed in a job.
Particularly those born before Special Education came in to effect. For those persons after Special Education came into effect. They have the benefit of many vocational training programs and post-secondary education vocational programs that will help them get the skills and vocational training to train them to do something wth their hands.
Unfortunately for all of us- either physical or mental disability-before special education programs were introduced into the public school systems. We have it much tougher.
Experience tells me that most State Vocational Service Counselors are not trained on how to help those of us with a mental, learning, or developmental disability. This is is because it is a invisible disability.
Society is partly responsible for the negative and archiac outlook on those of us that are mental health consumers, learning or developmentally disabled.
A developmental disability is one that is onset before one's twenty-second birthday and continues on and effects one of many parts of a person's life.
It is not the same thing as a developmental delay on the contrary.
Some developmental delays can be corrected or modified whereas it does not cause permanent damage to the person later on in life.
The Ticket To Work was implemented by none other than The Clinton Administration in 1997 just like the other miserable law he passed during his eight year presidency in the White House which the American Safe Children and Family Act.
Neither of Bill (Blow-Job's) Clintons two acts he passed during 1997 work and more than that they destroy lives and the persons, families, and individuals they effect.
The United States Department of Human Services runs both ASCF and Social Security Admininstration.
Both of these programs help no one.
An in both programs people get left behind, because neither are destiny to succeed in the long run.
Due to cut backs in the State Medicaid program run by each individual state and partly funded by the United States Department of Human Services and State government. Many parents have had to terminate their own parental rights to their mentally and developmentally disabled children.
This is because the parents do not qualify for state Medicaid because the state says they make too much. The parents exhaust their private health insurance for their child on preventive mental health care and developmental services. The benefits are non-renewable each year.
It states it is for the lifetime of the child. Once exhausted there is no more benefits. The parents have limited means to continue to do what is needed for their child or children with such disabilities.
They go to the State Office that administers the State Medicaid progam only to find out they make one dollar to much to qualify for benefits, regardless that the family is having a hard time financially with both parents working full-time.
Psycotopical medications are expensive and some health care providers and even Health Maintenance and Preferred Provider Organization will cover the cost of us expensive medications.
Medicare will cover only diabetic supplies and certain presciptions. It is very limited. It does not cover the cost for medications of persons who are stricken with M.S. or other neurological disorders.
Then what is a parent of a child or children to do. The only recourse is of that to "TPR" themselves and make their children award of the state. This way the state has to give their children what they need to make it in life and life long services.
It is not that the parents don't love their children with such physical and non-physical disabilities. It is simply that they have no financial means to continue to give them the health care they need.
It is the safest remedy rather than being hit by Child Protective Services and charged with Neglect I am afraid.
This writer was totally upset with what she was told by her State Client Assistant Program person , when The Ticket To Work is only good if the Ticket Holder plans to totally get off Social Security Benefits.
Some CAPS, are not trained to meet the needs of a client who is on social security for a non-physical disability such as a psychiatric, learning or developmental disability.
Some CAPS are not trained to be senstive when talking to those with physical disabilities either.
Social Security's agenda is to try to get so many recipients off their Social Security benefits rather than address the main problem : The Current Job Market and Its Acceptance With Persons with Disabilities.
The American Disability Act of 1993, did not help with our cause. It only assured equal access for those with disabilities in the work-force.
It did not create jobs for persons with disability either non-physical or phyiscal. It did not take away the stigmatism that many of us with a psychiatric, mental, learning, or developmental disability have.
The theory behind "Supportive Employment" program is one that does not work. Sometimes there is a lengthy waiting list because the counselor helps one client at a time until that client is successfully placed in a work place for six months.
Again, certain criteria must be met to get in to the "Supportive Employment"progam.
Maximum, the agency contracted by The United State Department of Human Services/SSA is not equipped to answer all the questions one may have.
The Ticket To Work program board is a board which Congress and The President hand-selected. Most are not ordinary every-day citizens.
All of them have experience dealing with one kind of physical disability. But none on the current board have knowledge or expertise in dealing with persons with a psychiatric, learning, or developmental disability or mental retardation for that fact.
It was specifically designed in mind, for those individuals with a non-physical disability. Individuals who have a previous work history, job training, and want to go back to work full time rather than part time.
The Ticket To Work was simply a bad idea that is destiny to fail and will not work for most of those with a psychiatric, learning or developmental disability and for some with a physical disability not allow to return to work full-time.
The J.Lodge Corporation, a quality call services company, has sustained profitability since 1999 and accredits its success solely to its unique employee model that consists of disabled business Americans. J.Lodge is striving to provide work from home part-time careers for disabled Ticket to work holders. Currently, J.Lodge is expanding and accepting applications for those individuals who are interested in our company and who qualify for our positions. If anyone is interested, please visit: http://www.jlodge.com/careers and apply online
If unsure how to obtain your “ticket to work” you can contact Maximus at 866-968-7842 or www.mytickettowork.com. (Maximus is the group authorized by Social Security Disability for Ticket to Work Program) Any questions? Feel free to contact us!
Also the "The American Disability Act of 1993" is actually "The Americans with Disabilites Act (ADA) of 1990", signed by former President George H.W. Bush. Note that this act allows for "reasonable accommodations" to be made for disabilities in employement and education. According to the ADA, an individual with a "disability" is defined as an individual who has a "physical or mental impairment" which "substantially limits one or more major life activitity". The ADA also includes individuals who are regarded as having such an impairment or having a record of such impairment. (Note: For public high schools, they can alter the fundamental requirements of the curriculum; however, for higher education, the "reasonable accommodations" cannot "fundamentally alter the requirements of the class or program. Substitute courses may be appropriate, though, for general ed. classes, etc.)
The individual must provide documentation of their impairment and how it limits one (or more) major life activity (e.g. breathing, self-care, walking, speaking, communicating, walking, interacting with others, concentrating, learning, working, sleeping) as compared to the general population. The documentation may be from a medical doctor, nurse, rehabilitation counselor, social worker, other licensed therapist.
The problem is that, despite the full text of this ADA of 1990, it is "vague", and seems hardly worth the paper it's printed on---the employee still must be able to perform the "essential functions of the job" (but not necessarily the "marginal functions")--With OR WITHOUT "Reasonable accommodation".
It's ridiculous!
And this Ticket to Work thing---the Federal-State "Vocational Rehab Programs have no education/interest in mental disabilites of any kind and leave you hanging---they don't care about you---and once they get you working, it's "3 months on the job, and case closed"; never mind the side effects of treatment, the need for post-employment support, the fact that ANY individual's disability/SITUATION needs to be considered on a INDIVIDUALIZED, case-by-case basis, with the LONG-TERM in mind; considering decompensation, need to revert to part-time, problems with Medicaid/Medicare Part D Drug Coverage, cyclic episodes with certain psychiatric disabilities. Oh, and let's not forget that even people with "mental disabilities" might need continuing medical coverage for other medical conditions that are well-maintained and not disabiling (but chronic or persistent--such as asthma, diabetes, migraines, etc.).