Ticket 101 One Stops as Employment Networks

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Ticket 101 One Stops as Employment Networks
Nov-09
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Presenters

• Elizabeth Jennings
• Training TA Specialist
• National Disability Institute
• 561-351-9140
• ejennings_at_ndi-inc.org
• Emily Malsch
• Team Lead One Stop Specialist
• CESSI, SSA Ticket to Work
• Program Manager for Recruitment and Outreach
• 703-448-6155 ext. 203
• emalsch_at_cessi.net

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Teleconference Overview

• The objectives of todays training are to
• Learn the basics of the Ticket to Work program
  for beneficiaries and Employment Networks (ENs)
• Learn how your One Stop can earn non-restrictive
  revenue for services you already provide to your
  customers
• Learn about the new Partnership Plus service
  delivery model and how this impacts the
  partnership between the State VR agency and the
  One Stop
• Learn the value of the Ticket program for your
  One Stop and how your One Stop can become an EN

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What is the Ticket to Work Program?

• A voluntary employment support program
• Offers beneficiaries with disabilities receiving
  Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and
  Supplemental Security Income (SSI) increased
  choices in obtaining services supports to
  engage in work achieve their employment goals
• Pays participating Employment Networks for
  Milestones and Outcomes beneficiaries achieve in
  moving towards self-supporting employment
• Ultimate goal Reduce reliance on Social Security
  disability benefits, increase self-sufficiency,
  and improve the quality of life for beneficiaries

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About Employment Networks

• Employment Networks (ENs) are private (for profit
  non-profit) organizations, government agencies,
  employers and other service providers that offer
  education, job training and employment services
• Federal agencies are not eligible
• A single entity, a partnership, or a coalition of
  providers functioning as a single EN
• Beneficiary and EN agree on services/supports to
  be provided and develop an Individual Work Plan
  (IWP)
• SSA pays the EN based upon the beneficiary
  attaining specific milestones and outcomes
  related to self-supporting employment

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ENs Can Provide

• Services and supports to assist the beneficiary
  in entering the workforce and progressing towards
  self-sufficiency
• Counseling and guidance
• Education and training
• Job placement
• Job coaching
• Work adjustment counseling
• Job retention and ongoing support services
• Other supports and services as spelled out in the
  IWP

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Entities Automatically Qualified to Be ENs

• Good News for One Stop Career Centers!
• One-Stop Career Centers, its Operators and
• Workforce Investment Boards, are automatically
  qualified to be ENs

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How the Ticket Works
EN Ticket Holder Connect
EN Ticket Holder Negotiate a Plan (IWP)
Ticket Holder Assigns Ticket
EN Submits Payment Request to Maximus Gets
Paid (30 days /-)
EN Provides Services Supports to Complete
Negotiated IWP
Ticket Holder Goes to Work EN Collects
Evidence of Earnings
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Choice An Underlying Principle of the Ticket to
Work Program

• Beneficiaries can choose when or whether to use
  their Tickets
• Beneficiaries choose where to assign their
  Tickets (EN, VR, Employer)
• VR agencies can choose between serving a
  beneficiary under the traditional Cost
  Reimbursement System or as an EN

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Key Features of Interest to Beneficiaries

• The Ticket Program is voluntary and free to the
  beneficiary
• Includes all disability beneficiaries ages 18
  through 64
• Using a Ticket and making timely progress towards
  a beneficiarys employment goals can postpone
  regularly scheduled medical Continuing Disability
  Reviews (CDRs)
• If the beneficiary stops working, there is an
  expedited reinstatement to benefits

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A New Approach to Service Delivery

• Payments based on Milestones and Outcomes
  occurring after job placement rather than
  reimbursing providers for services
• Congress instructed SSA to use its regulatory
  authority to make changes based on lessons
  learned during early implementation

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The NEW Ticket Features

• Tickets to all adults beneficiaries with
  disabilities, ages 18 through 64
• Better aligns all programs
• Ticket to Work
• Work Incentives Planning Assistance (WIPAs)
• Protection Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social
  Security (PASS)
• Other Work Support Initiatives
• Timely progress reviews
• Features for ENs
• Outcomes payment system

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Improvements to Outcome-Milestone Payment System

• Provides EN payments when a beneficiary attains
  certain Milestones and Outcomes in moving towards
  self-supporting employment
• ENs earn milestones earlier, more often, and at a
  higher rate
• gt Phase 1 Milestone payments associated with
  initial efforts at self-support employment
• gt Some Milestone payments based on part-time
  work
• gt Milestone payments based on GROSS earnings
  encourage use of work incentives
• -- Phase 1 - Trial Work level earnings
• -- Phase 2 SGA level earnings

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New Phase 1Milestone Payments
2009 Rates
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New Phase 2 Milestone Payments
2009 Rates
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Outcome Payments Under Outcome-Milestone Payment
System
2009 Rates
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Recent Work Rule

• Work at or above applicable Trial Work level
  earnings (700 in 2009) within 18 months prior
  to Ticket assignment can impact ENs access to
  Phase 1 Milestones
• Does not apply to Tickets assigned prior to July
  21, 2008
• MAXIMUS has created a tool to explore a
  beneficiary recent work history
• gt Check out the 18-Month Prior Earnings Tool at
  http//www.yourtickettowork.com/training

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Prior Work Rule
2009 Rates
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Milestone Reconciliation Payment

• Milestone Reconciliation Payment
• When Beneficiary moves quickly into the Outcome
  Payment Period
• Includes all Milestones available at time of
  first Ticket assignment that remain unpaid due
  to the start of the Outcome payment period
• Reconciliation payment made when 12th Outcome
  payment is achieved

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Requesting EN Payments

• Simplified EN Payment Process
• Three options for requesting payment
• gt Evidentiary Payment Request (EPR)
• -- Requires primary evidence of earnings
• gt Certification Payment Request (CPR)
• -- Uses secondary evidence of earnings
• gt Auto Pay
• -- SSA gathers evidence of earnings starting at
  Outcome payment 13
• (less work for EN, takes longer to get paid)

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Additional Improvements of Interest to ENs

• SSA will not seek an adjustment if a retroactive
  determination or decision about a beneficiarys
  right to benefits causes an overpayment to the EN
• ENs must also report to MAXIMUS when they want a
  Ticket taken out of assignment
• Payments to beneficiaries are allowed (currently
  treated as unearned income)

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Partnership Plus A New Model

• Beneficiary can assign Ticket to an EN after VR
  case closure
• gt Phase 1 Milestones not available to EN if VR
  closed case with beneficiary employed
• -- VR provided services leading to initial
  efforts at self-supporting employment
• -- SSA pays EN for Milestones Outcomes
  achieved after Ticket assignment

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New Opportunities for EN-VR Partnerships

• VR Cost Reimbursement payments and EN Milestone
  and Outcome payments both possible for same
  beneficiary
• SSA will pay for sequential, but not concurrent,
  services
• When VR chooses to serve a beneficiary under Cost
  Reimbursement, beneficiarys Ticket is
• -- Not assigned to VR, and
• -- Cannot be assigned to another EN while VR
  case is open
• New in-use SVR status extends Continuing
  Disability Review (CDR) protection to
  beneficiary while receiving VR services under
  Cost Reimbursement

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VR As an EN

• VR can still choose to serve a beneficiary under
  its elected EN payment system
• Ticket is assigned to VR
• VR must operate under same rules as any other EN
• If Ticket is reassigned at case closure, VR and
  EN could share EN payments based on how services
  provided by each contributed to Milestones
  Outcomes earned
• Additional funding available under Partnership
  Plus is not available

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One Stops and Ticket

• Why should One Stops become an EN?
• Reinforces a WIA principle, to create a
  comprehensive, customer-focused workforce
  investment system
• Many individuals with disabilities are already
  receiving services at local One Stops, and a
  percentage of these individuals are receiving
  Social Security benefits

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One Stops and Ticket

• Individual Training Accounts are a unique draw to
  the One Stop for Ticket beneficiaries
• Youth services may be another unique niche the
  One Stop can fill as an Employment Network
• The use of full wage subsidy in youth programs
  translates to earnings for Ticket holders, which
  can qualify your One Stop for payments via
  Milestones and Outcomes achieved

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One Stops and Ticket

• Workforce staff already have the necessary
  expertise to implement ITAs, and provide Job
  Development services to ALL customers
• Ticket holders that work with your EN may require
  the same amount of time any other customer would
  receive through the course of receiving core and
  intensive services
• Ticket holders will require follow up services,
  but in most cases, once the placement is stable,
  this does not require extensive staff time

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The Bottom Line

• Many One Stops are already placing customers with
  disabilities in jobs that would qualify them for
  payments through the Ticket to Work program
• Why lose out on payments for work youre already
  doing?

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Potential Revenue for an EN

• These are flexible funds that can be used for
  many purposes- DOL does not consider EN payments
  program funding, will not effect current funding
  streams!

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See for Yourself!

• Look at the people you served last year and use
  SSAs EN Revenue Estimator to determine potential
  revenue from the Ticket to Work Program.
• http//www.cessi.net/en_estimator/

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Becoming an Employment Network
Nov-09
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EN Request For Proposal

• EN Request for Proposal (RFP)
• For a copy of the RFP www.ssa.gov/work/enrfp.html
  
• Submit completed RFP electronically,
  ENContracts_at_ssa.gov, or by fax [phone]
• Questions about the RFP, contact CESSI at
  tickettowork_at_cessi.net
• After approval, CESSI will connect EN to a
  MAXIMUS Regional Account Representative

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RFP Details

• Forms and Other Requirements
• Employer Identification Number (EIN)
• Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS)
  www.dnb.com
• Central Contractor Registration DUNS number
  must be registered on the Central Contractor
  Registration database- www.ccr.gov
• Direct Deposit Complete ACH Vendor/Misc. Payment
  Enrollment
• form, requires bank official signature
• General or Professional Liability Insurance
  Minimum of
• 500K/occurrence not required to submit proof
  of policy
• Qualifications One Stop Centers prequalified
  under the Ticket regulations therefore exempt
  from submitting proof of qualifications.

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RFP Package

• A complete RFP package for One Stops includes
• Part III, Section 5 H- EN Security Suitability
  Forms
• Part IV- EN Proposal Documentation Requirements
• Section 1, SF 1449
• Section 2, EN Information Sheet
• Section 3, Addendum for additional locations, if
  applicable
• Section 4, SF 3881, ACH Payment Enrollment Form
• Section 5, Offeror Reps Certs

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Completing the EN RFP

• Contact CESSI, Ticket to Work Program Manager for
  Recruitment and Outreach, for assistance in
  completing the RFP at 1-877-743-8237 or visit
  http//www.cessi.net/ttw
• Participate in an application process
  walk-through conference call (to register, e-mail
  application_at_cessi.net)
• documentation requirements
• review forms
• Q A
• Receive one-on-one assistance from an Account
  Managers
• Emily Malsch, One Stop Specialist, 703-448-6155
  ext. 203 emalsch_at_cessi.net

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Where Do I Find Good Candidates for My Services?

• Look to those you are already working with
• Beneficiary Referral CD
• Internal Marketing
• Attend local Work Incentive Seminars
• 15-20 motivated beneficiaries
• Local ENs invited

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Learn More!

• Check out the CESSI Ticket to Work Webinars,
• Service Providers as ENs
• Turning Diversity Into Dollars The Business Case
  for Hiring An Untapped Pool of Talented Employees
  
• The EN Payment Process  
• And more!
• Visit http//www.cessi.net/ttw/resources.html
• MAXIMUS, Ticket to Work Operations Support
  Manager
• 1-866-949-ENVR (3687)
• Website www.yourtickettowork.com
• Ticket Training available
• Ticket Training Tuesdays - FREE CD
• Online, self-paced Training
• Enhanced online directory listing
• Beneficiary List

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And Even More Resources!

• National Disability Institute provides one on one
  technical assistance as you consider this
  opportunity in your State and/or Region
• Elizabeth Jennings
• Training and TA Specialist
• National Disability Institute
• 561-351-9140
• ejennings_at_ndi-inc.org

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CESSI Support

• Emily Malsch
• Team Lead, EN Recruitment
• One Stop Specialist
• CESSI, Ticket to Work Program Manager for
  Recruitment Outreach
• 703-448-6155 ext. 203
• emalsch_at_cessi.net

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Why Is the New TTW Better for ENs?

• Social Security is making it easier for ENs to
  participate
• NEW Ticket to Work is more profitable for ENs
• New Phase 1 and Phase 2 Milestone payments
  available while beneficiary is still receiving
  cash benefits
• TTW is an additional revenue source
• EN payments are yours to use as you choose

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Why Is It Better for Beneficiaries?

• More ENs participating means more choices for
  beneficiaries
• New opportunities for EN-VR partnerships means a
  better mix of services for beneficiaries and
  better coordination of services
• Service provider and beneficiary have more
  control of employment services and their flexible
  design

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And Finally

• More beneficiaries receiving Tickets means more
  opportunities for ENs and VR agencies to match
  services and supports with beneficiary needs

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Begin Now the Process Now!

• Become an EN!
• Start Taking Tickets!
• Start Getting Paid!!

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THANK YOU!

• National Disability Institute provides one on one
  technical assistance as you consider this
  opportunity in your State and/or Region.
• Elizabeth Jennings, National Disability
  Institute, ejennings_at_ndi-inc.org or 561-351-9140
• CESSI provides assistance in completing the EN
  application.
• Emily Malsch, CESSI, emalsch_at_cessi.net
• or 1-877-743-8237 or 703-448-6155