By Ray Morrison
Senior Job Placement Specialist
Employment Options
Employment Options is an Employment Network under the Social Security Administrations Ticket to Work program. What we do is assist those on SSDI and SSI who wish to try and return to work find employment. Employment Options has been doing this type of work for a long time. In fact, our President, Paula Vieillet has been helping people for over 20 years. She has written books to help people who have not been in the workforce for a while as well; her latest is called “Employment Options, the Ultimate Resource for Job Seekers with Disabilities and other challenges”. I have read this book and I can tell you, it has a lot of great information in it that I use to assist my clients. You can find out more about that at our web site www.myemploymentoptions.com
What I am here to do today is to discuss the Ticket program and tackle some of the myths that I have come across in the chat rooms I conduct, Facebook, yahoo, e-mails I received etc. What I am going to do is give you a few myths, and then I will give you the facts. If for some reason I did not cover any questions you may have, you can contact me at 800-441-3114 ext. 755. Or e-mail me at
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. Now, let us dispel some of the most popular myths.
Myth 1) If I use my Ticket and go to work, the Social Security Administration will conduct a medical review and I will lose my benefits.
Fact: A Beneficiary will not get a medical review while they are participating in the program as long as they are making progress toward work goals.
Myth 2) if I do this, and my check stops, then I lose my Medicare.
Fact: If you do choose to continue working full time, you can keep your Medicare for up to eight years as long as you pay the premiums.
Myth 3) My income is limited as far as what I can earn from working.
Fact: For those on SSDI, for nine months, you are allowed to work and earn what you feel comfortable with and still receive your check. (The nine months do not have to be consecutive, in order for the month to count; you must earn over $720.00 gross) AFTER those nine months, you can make up to $1,000 gross and still receive your check.
Myth 4) If my benefits do stop, and I have to quit my job due to my disability etc. I will have to reapply, go through a hearing again etc.
Fact: If within three years, you should become ill, disability gets worse, unable to continue etc. you are entitled to what they call expedited reinstatement. Your check will start up again right away.
Myth 5) I heard from a friend that he has to pay the Government back because he was working and they found out.
Fact: The friend probably did not have an Employment Network to keep track of his trial work months, so he went into over payment status. In other words, his nine months were up, he kept working and earning the same amount (over $1,000 gross), kept receiving his benefit check, the SSA found out, and now he has to pay the money back.
These were just a few myths, there are more, believe me. But if you choose to do this, I strongly suggest you get an Employment Network to assist you. They can help in many ways, for instance, we assist with resume writing, interview coaching, job search and a lot more. Plus as long as you report your income, we keep track of your trial work period so you do not fall into an over payment situation. What you need to do when choosing an EN, you need to ask questions, investigate them, visit the web site etc. To succeed in the program, you have to be willing to try and go back to work, make progress toward your goal, and also, be honest. Ask yourself; Am I able to return to work? Can I do what I did before I became disabled? Am I going to need training? Also be honest when with an En or Vocational Rehabilitation you choose to work with, if you’re working, report your income, it only hurts you in the end.
Remember, not all EN’s and VR’s are not the same. Shop around; make the choice that is right for you. Many work in different ways, have different contacts etc., for example, we here at Employment Options work with companies that offer legitimate work from home jobs for those who qualify, our community job search is top notch too. Also remember, this is a FREE PROGRAM, if someone tries to charge you money, they are not an EN under the program. I wish you luck, again, my contact6 information is
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, or 800-441-3114 ext. 755 and the web site is www.myemploymentoptions.com
Ray Morrison
Senior Job Placement Specialist
Employment Options INC.
