WIPA

There are numerous Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) projects across the U.S. and the U.S. territories work with Social Security Administration (SSA) beneficiaries with disabilities on job placement, benefits planning, and career development.

By working with a WIPA, SSA beneficiaries will be better equipped to make informed choices about work.  Each WIPA is staffed with Community Work Incentive Coordinators (CWICs) to:

• Provide work incentives planning and assistance

• Help beneficiaries and their families determine eligibility for Federal or State work incentives programs

• Refer beneficiaries with disabilities to appropriate Employment Networks or State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies based on individual needs and impairment types

• Provide general information about potential employer-based or federally subsidized health benefits coverage available to beneficiaries once they enter the workforce

• Inform beneficiaries with disabilities of further protection and advocacy services available to them
   

WIPAs are authorized to serve all SSA beneficiaries with disabilities, including transition-to-work aged youth, providing benefits planning and assistance services on request and as resources permit.
 

Ticket to Work Program

The Ticket to Work Program provides most people receiving Social Security benefits (beneficiaries) more choices for receiving employment services.  Under this program, the Social Security Administration (SSA) issues tickets to eligible beneficiaries who, in turn, may choose to assign those tickets to an Employment Network (EN) of their choice to obtain employment services, vocational rehabilitation services, or other support services necessary to achieve a vocational (work) goal.  The EN, if they accept the ticket, will coordinate and provide appropriate services to help the beneficiary find and maintain employment.
 

 

If you are interested in working, the Ticket to Work Program is the key to unlocking vocational rehabilitation, training, job referrals, and other ongoing support and services to help you reach your employment goals. The program is available for people who are between the ages of 14 and 65 and receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits because they are disabled or blind.
 

You can take your Ticket to any Employment Network (EN) or State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agency to request assistance in job training, preparing materials to use to finding a job, locating employers, information about work incentives and other assistance in you may need in order to go to work.

What are the advantages of using the Ticket and Work Incentives?

While you are actively participating in the Ticket to Work program, you can get the help you need to find the job that is right for you and you can safely explore your work options without losing your benefits.
 

• You can easily return to benefits if you have to stop working (known as “expedited reinstatement of benefits”)

• You can continue to receive healthcare benefits

• You will not receive a medical continuing disability review (CDR) while using your Ticket
   

How does work affect my check benefits?

First, you should know that if you go back to work, you will NOT automatically lose your disability benefits. The Ticket to Work and special rules called "work incentives" allow you to keep your cash benefits and Medicare or Medicaid while you test your ability to work. For the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program, there is a trial work period during which you can receive full benefits regardless of how much you earn, as long as you report your work activity and continue to have a disabling impairment.
 

To find out specifically how your participation in the Ticket to Work Program could affect your disability benefits, you can contact CRCIL at 936-544-2811 for the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) project for East Texas. You can also use the contact form below for a follow-up call. 

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A complete list of routine uses for the information you provide to us is available in our System of Records Notice entitled Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income Demonstration Projects and Experiments System, 60-0218.  This notice, additional information about this form, and any other information regarding our systems and programs are available on-line at 222.socialsecurity.gov or at your local Social Security office.

Information contained on our website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. There is no promise or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, adequacy, timeliness, or relevance of the information contained on this website.

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This web page is funded through a Social Security cooperative agreement. Although Social Security reviewed this web page for accuracy, it does not constitute an official Social Security communication. We developed this website at U.S. taxpayer expense.