Effective Dates: 03/01/2022 - Present Previous | Next

TN 3 (03-22)

DI 55060.001 Overview of the Employment Network (EN) Payment Process

CITATIONS:

Soc. Sec. Act as Amended in 1999, §§ 1148(b)(4), (c)(1), (h)(1) through (4), and (k)(2) through (5); P.L. 106-107, 101(a) and (e)(2)(H); 20 CFR 411.355, 411.365, 411.370, and 411.500 through 411.587

A. Process – field office (FO) and program center (PC) role in the EN payment process

FOs and PCs will not be involved directly in making decisions on requests for payment that Employment Networks (ENs) (or State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agencies serving as ENs) submit. However, FOs and PCs play an important role in the EN payment process because they review and process reports of earnings for beneficiaries/recipients with tickets that come to SSA from ENs via , SSA's Ticket Program Manager (TPM). The processing of these third-party earnings reports and any resulting adjustments to benefits ultimately dictate whether and how timely EN payment requests can be approved.

B. Process – TPM and the Office of Research, Demonstration and Employment Support’s (ORDES's) role in the EN payment process

TPM and ORDES share responsibility for processing claims for payments from ENs (and State VR agencies serving beneficiaries/recipients as an EN) under the Ticket to Work Program. The EN payment process involves:

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    recording each EN's (or State VR agency's) choice of EN payment system and any subsequent changes in that choice;

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    recording a State VR agency's payment choice with respect to a specific ticket beneficiary/recipient (see DI 55060.005C.4.);

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    certifying reports of earnings and inputting them to the Disability Control File (DCF) so that FOs can develop and process the reports (see DI 55030.001);

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    inputting payment recommendations to an automated EN payment system; and

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    resolving disagreements with ENs over payment decisions.

NOTE: ORDES has a claims unit that provides oversight over both the EN payment and VR cost reimbursement payment processes.

C. Procedure – handling EN and state VR agency payment questions

1. Questions about payment system elections

Operating components should refer any questions about payment system elections that ENs and State VR agencies have to TPM. TPM's toll free numbers are:

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    1-866-968-7842 (1-866-YOUR TICKET); or

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    TTY/TDD 1-866-833-2967 (1-866-TDD 2WORK).

2. Questions about EN payment decisions

Operating components should refer any questions about EN payment decisions (i.e., decisions about requests for outcome or milestone payments), including disputes about EN payment decisions to TPM.

3. Questions about VR cost reimbursement payment decisions

Operating components should tell State VR agencies that call with questions about or disagreements with VR cost reimbursement payment decisions to contact the VR helpdesk at VR.Helpdesk@ssa.gov.

To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0455060001
DI 55060.001 - Overview of the Employment Network (EN) Payment Process - 03/01/2022
Batch run: 03/01/2022
Rev:03/01/2022