This article is a follow-up on The Ticket To Work Program and Pass To Self Support Administrated By The Social Security Administrationi.

The Ticket To Work Program and Pass To Self Support has now been up and running for four years.

One question that comes to mind is how many Social Security Supplementary Security Income Recipients has it actually helped in obtaining rehabilitation and support services for individuals with psychiatric, mental illness, or developmental disabilities.

That is the big ten million dollar question.

I am a paralegal and a legal research specialist. I have checked out many state vocatioinal service programs to see how they administer their Ticket To Work and Pass To Self-Support progams.

Let's take a look and see how each state runs their Ticket To Work and Pass to Self Support program.

I took a look at Iowa's program. Hmmm, that is interesting. They place the disabled person looking for rehabilitation services in to one of three catagories.

They are: 1) Severe, which means if the person needs vocational services and falls under their guidelines. They are placed onto a waiting list until the next available counselor comes available and if there is any funds available to help that person.

2) Moderately Disabled. The person must have met certain criteria and if the person meets the financial criteria . They are placed on a waiting list . This waiting list may be as long as 3 to 9 months.
3) Mildly disabled: The person who is placed on this list. Has to wait until all others are served. Most likely this person is already working and may only need a job coach, work accomomdations and etc.
They will only get help if funds are available and all others have been helped. It is a first come and first serve basis.

Iowa's Ticket To Work and Pass To Self Support program is admininstrated differently.

They monitor the person's progress every two years rather than every four years.
If progress is not being made on increaed work hours, less reliance of Social Security Checks and etc. They view it as no or little progress is being made by client.

The Ticket To Work and Pass To Self Support under Social Security Guidelines states that they will not monitor the client for the first four years of the program, but they give the states the right to modify it.

Most states use the Federal guidelines.

Now we look at the questionn above.

Is the Ticket To Work and Pass To Self Support really working for those with psychiatric disabilities,
mental illness, and learnng and developmental disabilities.

Or does it just help those with disabilities that already have a verifiable work history.

How many people have actually been placed after using The T icket To Work and Pass To Self-Support successfully?

The orientation meetings set up for The Ticket To Work and Pass to Self Support usually consists of persons on both Social Security Programs.

People on SSDI already have a work history and most likely with proper vocational rehab services can be replaced out in the work force.

Unlike people on SSI . They have had little work experience and no or little work history.

Many of these of these people have psychiatric problems, and other kinds of problems that kept them from working in any kind of gainful employment.

Society still sees those of us with a
psychiatric problem or unvisible
disability as crazy. Igorance is not bliss in the form of adults.

Maximum, the agency that oversees the Ticket To Work Program for the Social Security Administration is charge of
the Employment Networks.

Some of employment networks are not in the state where the person lives.
They use consulting firms.

It is best to use an Employment Network that is located withtin your city.
So one can go and talk to them.
Find out what they can and can not do for the person.

Some State Vocational Services will not
cooperate with the person assinging
the Ticket To Work to them.

Force is necessary. One must learn to
advocate on one's behalf.

Many states have a legal services just for the disabled. It is highly recommended that the disabled person
seek out legal remedies.

Some states just refuse to help those who are not willing to go back to work full time.

Sometimes the person must resort to asking for a new counselor and making sure they can get along with that person.

The Ticket To Work and Pass To Self Support still needs work on it.
It needs to concentrate on the rights of the psychiatic disabled, perons with mental illness, developmental and learning disabilites.

Persons with a physical disability does not have this trouble in getting placed.
Society has no problem with accepting
something they can see and understand.

Unless a person walks a mile in another person's shoes and experiencess the prejudice and discrimination one feels when one is psychiatric disabled, mental illness, learning disabled or developmental one will understand.


KAL