Ticket to Work is a federal program that helps adults with disabilities prepare for, find, and keep a job. To qualify, you must:

• Be 18 to 64 years old
• Currently be getting Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits

Ticket to Work, sometimes simply called the “Ticket program,” offers beneficiaries many free services such as:

• Vocational rehabilitation
• Training
• Referrals
• Job coaching
• Job counseling
• Placement services

While you are in the Ticket program, Social Security will not make you do medical Continuing Disability Reviews (CDRs) as long as you make timely progress in meeting your employment goals. That means you won’t lose your eligibility for SSI or SSDI for medical reasons.

Signing Up

If you get SSI or SSDI and are 18-64 years old, you automatically qualify for the Ticket program. When you are ready to think about employment and want to figure out what is the best way to proceed, you can participate in the Ticket program by contacting an Employment Network (EN). ENs are organizations that can give you the various employment services that Ticket to Work provides.

Here are some examples of the types of organizations that may serve as Employment Networks:

• Vocational Rehabilitation Services
• Centers for Independent Living
• CareerForce locations
• Community rehabilitation programs
• Developmental disability agencies
• Mental health agencies

You can only get services from one Employment Network at a time. That means you have to choose which EN you want to serve you – that’s called “assigning your ticket” to an EN.

Choosing an Employment Network and Assigning Your Ticket

You can find Employment Networks in your area by searching the Employment Network Directory. If you need additional help choosing an EN, you can:

• Call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY)
• Email the Ticket to Work customer service office at support@choosework.ssa.gov
• Download and use the Finding an EN and Assigning Your Ticket Worksheet.

Once you’ve found an EN that interests you, contact it to see if the services and supports it offers are right for you. ENs offer different services based on their specialties. Make sure to talk to a few, because it’s important to find one that will be a good match for you.

Changing Employment Networks

You can change your Employment Network at any time. To change ENs, ask your Employment Network to have your ticket “unassigned.” For more detailed information:

• Call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY)
• Email the Ticket to Work customer service office at support@choosework.ssa.gov

Individual Work Plans

When you and an Employment Network have agreed to work together, you both will develop an Individual Work Plan (IWP) that clearly states the responsibilities you and your EN have in order to help you achieve your work goals.

Your plan should contain at least the following:

• Your employment goals (the type of work you want to do)
• All services your EN agrees to give you and how they will be delivered to you
• Your responsibilities to meet your work goals and continue to receive services
• What you can do if you are not satisfied with your EN or your plan
• How you can change your plan if you need to

Timely Progress

After you and your EN sign the plan, you want to make “timely progress” towards reaching your employment goals, because as long as you do so, you will not be subject to a medical Continuing Disability Review (CDR) by the Social Security Administration (SSA). That means you won’t lose your eligibility for SSI or SSDI for medical reasons.

To determine whether you are making timely progress, the Ticket to Work program will review your progress at the end of each 12-month period. If you have fulfilled specific requirements related to working a certain amount and making a certain amount of money or meeting specific educational goals, you don’t have to do a medical CDR. Click here to see the complete timely progress requirements.

A Minnesota CareerForce location can help you with your job search or career planning.

There are nearly 50 CareerForce locations statewide. Each has a knowledgeable staff to guide you and can give you important tools to make your job search a success. Most CareerForce location services are provided free of charge.

All CareerForce locations have assistive technology to help you use their services and resources. The CareerForce staff can help people with disabilities learn more about working and programs that support work.

Services

All CareerForce locations have staff who can tell you about services offered at the location and any special services that might be available to you. They can help you use online job banks and other employment websites, such as the statewide jobs banks.

CareerForce staff can also give you advice about local employers who are hiring, teach you the basics of how to do a job search, and help you with your resume.

All CareerForce locations have office equipment that can help you with your job search, including telephones, copy machines, computers with Internet access, printers, and fax machines.

Each CareerForce location also has a library with books about how to search for a job, how to write resumes and cover letters, how to interview well, and which industries and jobs are expected to offer good prospects for the future.

Assistive Technology

All CareerForce locations have assistive technology to help you use their services and resources.

CareerForce locations are equipped with computer software and equipment to help people who are blind, visually impaired, or who have other physical impairments, to use computer programs, websites, and read printed materials.

Each CareerForce location has a TTY for people who are deaf or have hearing impairments, and access to speech-to-speech service for people with speech impairments.

Other available assistive technology includes:

• Closed Caption Decoder-Enabled TV/VCR
• Job Access with Speech (JAWS) for Windows
• Okay Vision Aide Corporation (OVAC) Reader
• Pocket Talker Personal Amplifier
• ZoomText Software

CareerForce Locations

Visit a Minnesota CareerForce location near you, or call 1-651-259-7501.

Courses, Workshops, and Trainings

Each CareerForce location offers a variety of workshops to help with your job search and career planning. Examples of workshops include:

• Interviewing skills
• Networking
• Internet job searches
• Completing job applications
• Writing effective resumes and cover letters

Click here to view a schedule of workshops and training sessions being offered throughout the state.

CareerForce locations also sponsor career fairs to help bring employers and job seekers into contact with one another. Career fairs are great places to apply for jobs and to learn about what industries are hiring and what types of positions are available. To find a job or career fair near you, click here.

Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation Services can provide you with a wide variety of counseling, training, job skills, and job placement services.

They can help you get the training or other services that you need to return to work, to enter a new line of work, or to enter the workforce for the first time.

The services they provide are carefully chosen to match your individual needs. You and your counselor will work together closely to set goals and then develop a plan to help you reach them.

Eligibility

Eligibility for Vocational Rehabilitation Services is based mostly on whether you have a physical or mental disability that makes it difficult to prepare for, get, or keep work.

Under the Ticket to Work Program, adults aged 18 – 64 who get SSI or SSDI due to a disability are automatically eligible for Vocational Rehabilitation services.

Minnesota Rehabilitation Services sometimes does not have enough resources to provide services to every person who is eligible to get them. People who have the most severe disabilities will get services first.

Cost

All services are free if you are using a Ticket to Work, or if you get:

• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) based on your own disability
• Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) based on your own disability
• Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP)
• General Assistance (GA)
• Medical Assistance (MA)

Application

To apply for services, call or visit a vocational rehabilitation counselor at a Minnesota CareerForce location.

Use the contact information to schedule an appointment with a counselor at a CareerForce location. In order to apply, you will have to fill out an application and sign a “release of information” form. The counselor will also ask you information about your work history, your education and training, what types of services might help you work, and what your career goals are.

Once you apply, it usually takes less than 60 days to find out if you are eligible.

Appeals Process

If you are not offered Vocational Rehabilitation services, you can appeal that decision. If you appeal, you will have a hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge. She will listen to information that you think is important about the appeal and give an opinion about the agency’s decision.

For more information about the appeal process, or to get help with your appeal, you can contact the Client Assistance Project (CAP) at the Minnesota Disability Law Center (MDLC). Call 1-612-334-5970 (Twin Cities metro area), 1-800-292-4150 (Greater Minnesota), or 1-612-332-4668 (TTY).

Long-Term Job Supports

Long-term job supports – also called “ongoing supports” or “extended services” – typically provide help in training or retraining on:

• Job tasks
• Dealing with schedule changes
• Adjusting to new supervisors
• Promotion to new job tasks or positions, and
• Managing changes in non-work environments or life activities that affect work performance

The Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation agency can contract with a local rehabilitation provider to provide you with long-term support services that can help you keep your job and move ahead in your career.

Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation works closely with a statewide network of community rehabilitation programs to offer no-cost job supports to help people work, provide people with job placement and career development services, and help employers find qualified employees. If you need them, Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation can arrange and pay for long-term job supports.

Long-term job support services fall within three categories: Supported Employment, Community Employment and Center-based Employment.

Supported Employment

A person receiving supported employment has an independent job in a competitive setting and gets the same wages and benefits as co-workers who don’t have disabilities.

The services provided to a person receiving supported employment vary because they are highly individualized, but may include:

• Communication technology
• Help communicating with coworkers and supervisors
• Education of coworkers and supervisors
• Communication technology, and
• Transportation help

Supported employment may be a step in the process to working without ongoing support.

Community Employment

Community employment refers to jobs where the work crew includes a high percentage of people with disabilities and in which workers often are paid less than the usual wage for similar work done by people without disabilities. Community employment provides intensive job supports and often is a step toward reaching supported employment.

Center-based Employment

Center-based employment is typically a job in an industrial production, food service, or janitorial operation in a community rehabilitation program. You will perform standard work assignments while earning wages determined by your rate of production and developing work skills. The focus of the service is on disability-related issues that present real or perceived obstacles to competitive employment.

Supported Employment for Persons Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation can give referrals for supported employment services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. These services typically are available from the Minnesota Employment Center for Persons Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (MEC).

MEC is a specialized program that helps people who are deaf or hard of hearing with finding a job, job coaching, keeping a job, training, and technical assistance.

Long-Term Supports for People with Serious Mental Illness

Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation also provides statewide employment services for people with serious mental illness, through 22 Coordinated Employability Projects. Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation coordinates these projects together with the Mental Health Division of the Department of Human Services.

For information about the Coordinated Employability Projects, ask for a referral from your Vocational Rehabilitation counselor.

If you have vision loss, the Workforce Development Unit of Minnesota State Services for the Blind (SSB) can help you prepare for, find, and keep a job, and live as independently as possible.

Rehabilitation Counseling

If you have major vision loss that makes it hard for you to get and keep a job, you may be eligible for counseling, training, job skills, and job placement services from SSB.

Services vary depending on your individual needs. SSB counselors will work with you to figure out which services you will need to reach your job goal.

After you have decided on a goal and figured out what services you need to reach it, you work with a counselor to make a plan that will help you achieve your goal. SSB counselors know about vision loss and understand workplace demands so they can help you choose which options are the best for you.

For more information about SSB Rehabilitation Counseling, call 1-651-539-2300 or 1-800-652-9000.

Eligibility and Application

Eligibility for vocational rehabilitation services from the Workforce Development Unit of Minnesota State Services for the Blind (SSB) is based on several things. The main thing you must have to qualify is significant vision loss. People who get SSI or SSDI because of their vision loss are automatically eligible.

The Department of Employment and Economic Development provides a list of local SSB offices. To discuss your eligibility and the programs or services that might be available to you, or to ask for an application for services, you can:

• Call 1-651-539-2373 or 1-800-652-9000 and ask to speak with someone in the Workforce Development Unit, or
• Fill out the SSB Information Request form online and a member of the SSB staff will contact you