Effective Dates: 04/13/2023 - Present Previous | Next

TN 3 (04-23)

DI 55002.001 Overview of Ticket Eligibility

CITATIONS:

Soc. Sec. Act as Amended in 1999, §§ 1148(b)(1) and (2); P.L. 106-107, 101(a), (d)(1), and (e)(2)(A) and (B); 20 CFR 411.120 through 411.135 and 411.155

A. Policy — issuance, use, and termination of a ticket

Under the Ticket to Work program, SSA issues tickets to eligible (see DI 55002.005) Social Security disability beneficiaries and disabled and blind SSI recipients. (Eligible beneficiaries/recipients are often referred to as "Ticketholders".) Eligible beneficiaries/recipients may use their tickets to obtain employment, vocational rehabilitation (VR), and other support services that will assist them in obtaining, regaining, and maintaining self-supporting employment. Once a ticket terminates (see DI 55002.055), a beneficiary/recipient may no longer use the Ticket program to obtain these services.

An individual who is eligible for a ticket does not have to have a physical, paper ticket in order to participate in the Ticket to Work program. Ticket-eligibility alone is enough to participate in the program. And, an individual who is eligible does not have to show a paper ticket in order to receive Ticket to Work services.

B. Process – the system selection of eligible beneficiaries/recipients

1. The system identifies ticket-eligible beneficiaries/recipients

A daily systems' run identifies ticket-eligible beneficiaries/recipients based on data recorded to the Master Beneficiary Record (MBR), the Supplemental Security Income Record (SSR), and the Disability Control File (DCF) (see DI 55002.035B and DI 55002.035C).

2. Effect of subsequent coding changes

The system looks for coding changes to the MBR, SSR, and DCF daily.

a. Record not previously selected

If a record was not previously selected and a coding change now makes the beneficiary/recipient ticket-eligible, the system will annotate the record as ticket-eligible and send the beneficiary/recipient a letter during the next scheduled mailing to notify them of their ticket-eligibility (see DI 55002.015B and DI 55002.015C).

b. Record previously selected

If a record was previously selected and a coding change now removes the beneficiary/recipient from a ticket-eligible status, one of two things occurred. Either the system notes that the beneficiary/recipient does not currently have an “assignable” ticket (see DI 55025.001B.1.) or the ticket has terminated.

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    The practical effect of not having an “assignable” ticket for those who have not yet assigned their tickets is that they cannot do so until the ticket becomes assignable again. However, those who have assigned their tickets to providers may continue to participate in the Ticket program even though they do not currently have assignable tickets.

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    The practical effect of having a terminated ticket is that the beneficiary/recipient is no longer eligible for the Ticket program.

C. Process – role of field components in ticket eligibility issues

1. Assist beneficiaries/recipients with ticket-eligibility questions

Field components assist beneficiaries/recipients with questions about when ticket-eligibility letters will be mailed (see DI 55002.015 and DI 55002.016), why the system did not select their records for a ticket (see DI 55002.035), and why their tickets terminated.

2. Input corrections and updates to the MBR, SSR, and DCF

When appropriate, Field Office (FO) and Program Center (PC) staff input data corrections and updates to the MBR, SSR, and DCF (see DI 55002.045), to enable beneficiaries/recipients to get a ticket, move into “assignable” status, or to be moved from ticket-terminated status.

To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0455002001
DI 55002.001 - Overview of Ticket Eligibility - 04/13/2023
Batch run: 04/13/2023
Rev:04/13/2023