Ticket Holders Pilot

1
Ticket Holders Pilot

• Career Positions
• Qualified Applicants

2
SSA Hiring Initiative

• Appointment of Individuals with Disabilities
• Schedule A
• The Rehabilitation Act of 1972 requires Federal
  agencies to implement an affirmative action
  program that includes the hiring of qualified
  individuals with disabilities
• People with disabilities considered for
  employment with the SSA by competitive hiring
  process or Selective Placement Program

3
Increased Opportunity

• The Selective Placement Program
• special employment program
• designed to assist qualified individuals with
  disabilities
• employment consistent with their level of skills
  and abilities
• Schedule A is the excepted appointment
  authority used to hire these individuals when
  competitive appointments are not appropriate

Increasing employment opportunities outcomes
for workers with disabilities
4
Application Process

• Application packets will be emailed to each
  Disability Specialist
• Completed Application Packets will be reviewed by
  Lisa Parlapiano
• After final review, application packets will be
  mailed to the SSA Area Work Incentive Coordinator
  Marlene Ulisky

5
Job Titles Grades

• Social Security Administration
• Social Insurance Representative (Claims
  Representative)
• Grade Levels 5, 7, 9, and 11
• Contact Representative (Service Representative)
• Grade Levels 5, 6, 7 and 8

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Job Titles Grades

• Within Social Security Administration in the
  office of
• Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR)
• Locations Jacksonville Orlando, FL
• Ft. Lauderdale Tampa Tallahassee
• Legal Assistant (OA), GS 4, 5, 6
• Official Title Legal Assistant (OA)
• Organizational Title Case Technician
• (same job)

7
Salary Table

• The salary table is located
• at  http//www.opm.gov/oca/09tables/indexGS.asp
•  
• Grade levels are listed with position titles.
• Managers may fill a job at any grade level.

8
Required Documentation

•  
• 1. Resume and/or
• OF-612-Optional Application for Federal
  Employment Whats this? Download and/or see the
  refillable form that can be completed online,
  then printed after completion at
  http//www.usajobs.gov/of612.asp OF-612 is
  included in the info packet emailed to you.
• 2. Certification from a counselor of either the
  VA or State Vocational Rehabilitation Office, or
• Certification from a representative of the
  Employment Network. (Disability Specialists)
• The certification must be based on the
  counselors knowledge of the jobsite and it must
  include a statement that, in the counselors
  judgment, the proposed appointee for the position
  has the ability to perform duties of the position
  and can do the work without being a hazard to
  himself/herself or to others.
• 3. Documentation of meet and deal ability, if
  applicable. Whats this? Behavior based panel
  interview.
• 4. Official Transcript, as appropriate

9
Completed Application Packets (Southern Florida)

• Route Applications for these offices to Frank
  Torano
• SSA, Office of Disability Adjudication and Review
• New River Center, Suite 1550
• 200 E. Las Olas Boulevard
• Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301
• SSA, Office of Disability Adjudication and Review
  
• One Riverview Square
• 333 S. Miami Avenue, 8th Floor
• Miami, FL 33130
• SSA, Office of Disability Adjudication and Review
• Fountain Square II, Suite 200
• 4925 Independence Parkway
• Tampa, Florida 33634

10
Completed Application Packets (Northern Florida)

• Route Applications for these offices to Marlene
  Ulisky
•  
• SSA, Office of Disability Adjudication and
  ReviewDeSoto Building, Suite 400 8880 Freedom
  Crossing Trail Jacksonville, Florida 32256
•  
• SSA, Office of Disability Adjudication and
  ReviewGlenridge Building, Suite 3003505 Lake
  Lynda DriveOrlando, Florida 32817-9801
•  

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Eligibility Qualification

• U.S. Citizenship is required
• A physical or mental impairment which
  substantially restricts one or more of the
  individuals major life activities
• Ability to meet and deal

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What is the expanded definition of 'major life
activities' under the ADAAA?

• Under the ADAAA, 'major life activities' is
  expanded to include "major bodily functions." The
  statute contains a non-exhaustive list of "major
  life activities" that adds additional activities
  to those currently listed in the ADA and Section
  503 regulations, and a non-exhaustive list of
  "major bodily functions." Specifically, the ADAAA
  provides that
• Major life activities include, but are not
  limited to, caring for oneself, performing manual
  tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping,
  walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking,
  breathing, learning, reading, concentrating,
  thinking, communicating, and working.
• Major Bodily Functions include, but are not
  limited to, functions of the immune system,
  normal cell growth, digestive, bowel, bladder,
  neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory,
  endocrine, and reproductive functions.
• Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act
• Source US DOL Office of Federal Contract
  Compliance Programs (OFCCP)

13
Meet and Deal?

• Meet and deal is something which occurs in
  Federal Government hiring when an individual is
  interviewed, if the Federal Agency is strongly
  considering the applicant, a "meet and deal"
  interview is scheduled.
• For this hiring initiative, the interview will be
  conducted by 3 managers who pose various
  questions and scenarios to the individual to gage
  how they respond and how they react.
• Some folks may have had government service in the
  past and may have this document available.  Most
  do not.

14
Behavior Based Interview

• We cant know what questions will be asked of
  qualified candidates who are invited for a panel
  interview the meet and deal aspect is similar
  to a Behavior Based Interview.
• A Behavior Based Interview is a standardized
  method of interviewing designed to measure how
  one will perform on the job. The principle behind
  the technique is the belief that the best
  indicator of future behavior is past behavior.

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Example Questions

• Describe a difficult problem that you tried to
  solve. How did you identify the problem? How did
  you go about trying to solve it? (Demonstrates
  problem solving)
• Describe a time when you tried to persuade
  another person to do something that they were not
  very willing to do. (Demonstrates leadership)
• Describe a time when you decided on your own that
  something needed to be done, and you took on the
  task to get it done. (Demonstrates initiative)

16
SSA Eligibility

• Eligibility is based primarily on
• 1. severity of the impairment and
• 2. effect it has upon how a person functions in
  a particular job
• A severe physical impairment
• 1. one that is relatively permanent
• 2. seldom fully corrected by medical treatment,
  therapy or surgical means
• (i.e. blindness, deafness, learning disabilities
  or mental disorder)

17
Certification of Disability

• To be considered for an appointment under the
  Schedule A hiring authority, an applicant must
  provide a certification of disability, documented
  by
• a counselor at either the State Vocational
  Rehabilitation Agency or the Vocational
  Rehabilitation and Employment Service of the
  Department of Veterans Affairs or
• by statements, records or letters from a Federal
  Government agency that issues or provides
  disability benefits or
• by the Employment Network (same criteria used for
  TTW eligibility)

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What needs to be certified?

• Certification must verify
• the applicant has a severe disability (all
  SSI/SSDI folks do by definition) and is therefore
  eligible under a Schedule A appointment
  authority, and
• he or she is able to perform the essential duties
  of the position
• Applicants are not required to have an Assigned
  Ticket prior to application however, the aim of
  this initiative is to increase Ticket to Work
  Assignments in conjunction with applicant
  referrals which offers safety nets and incentives
  to earn.

19
Qualification Requirements

• Applicants must meet the basic qualification
  requirements, including any positive education
  requirement as described in SSA Office of Program
  Managements Handbook on Qualification Standards
  for General Schedule Positions. For more detailed
  information, go to
• http//www.opm.gov/qualifications/index.asp
• US Office of Personnel Management
  Qualifications Standards
• Please also include college transcript (copy
  accepted) and resume, as applicable.

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Self Identification

• Standard Form 256

• Whats in a name?

• Self Identification of Handicap must be included
  in the application packet.
• Self Identification of Handicap on the web
• http//www.opm.gov/forms/pdfimage/sf256.pdf

• Self Identification of Handicap
• SF256
• This is a form put out by the Federal Government
  that was last revised on 8/87. The title of the
  form and the language therein is not up to date.
  
• Concerns were shared with the AWIC, and her
  positive response I apologize for the language
  in the name of this OPM form (i.e., Self
  Identification of Handicap). I have copied the
  Regional Recruitment Coordinator (HR) so that CHR
  may consider addressing this issue with OPM.

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Job Accommodation

• The certification must also describe any needed
  reasonable accommodation. You can review
  additional information at 
• https//www.opm.gov/disability/appempl.asp
• US Office of Personnel Management Federal
  Employment of People with Disabilities
• http//www.jan.wvu.edu/
• Job Accommodation Network

22
Where are the jobs?

• All of the local offices have had or will have
  openings local openings are available at the
  discretion of the local area directors (to place
  the slots in specific offices).
• SSA Atlanta Region includes many states in the SE
  Region
• SSA has the ability to share applications of
  qualified candidates with other Federal Agencies
  as well.

23
Relocating?

• With the difficult economic times across the
  nation, there may be fewer local career
  opportunities for qualified workers.
• This has forced employees everywhere to consider
  accepting positions with longer commutes, working
  out of town during the week and returning home on
  weekends or moving to a new location.
• The more flexible and focused a job seeker can
  be during the job search process, the sooner
  success may be achieved in securing a new
  position.

24
Looking forward to success

• 2009 marks the second year for this hiring pilot
  
• In 2008 workers with disabilities connected to
  jobs in the SSA Atlanta Region comprised of 8
  states  NC, SC, FL, AL, GA, MS, TN, KY.
• Connecting Workers to Jobs