Dear Editor:
Social Security is making new efforts to help people with disabilities return to work.
Social Security Commissioner Jo Anne Barnhart, speaking at the New Freedom Initiative celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, said a new contact person will be available to help people with disabilities find work. The new contact will be called a “disability program Navigator” a position that is being created jointly with the Department of Labor.
The “Navigators” will be located in the Department of Labor’s One-Stop Career Centers. Their job will be to link people with disabilities who visit the centers with employers and other help organizations. The Navigators also will provide information on Social Security’s work incentives, employment networks and the Ticket to Work program.
“Under President Bush’s New Freedom Initiative, the Social Security Administration is providing greater opportunities for people with disabilities to stay connected to the workforce,” said Commissioner Barnhart. “SSA is committed to making positive changes in the lives of millions of Americans.”
As of November 1, the Ticket to Work program is operating in 33 States and the District of Columbia. The Ticket to Work program was launched in February 2002 and will be available nationwide by January 2004.
The program provides Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability beneficiaries with more choices to help them go to work. Upon receiving a ticket from SSA, people may give it to an employment network to get free vocational rehabilitation, job training and other support services.
As an offshoot of the Ticket to Work program, a new service has been developed with the Department of Labor called “Ticket to Hire.” This is a free, national referral service to help employers locate and recruit skilled workers from the Ticket to Work program. Ticket to Hire specialists are available at 1-866-TTW-HIRE (1-866-889-4473) and can also answer questions about the Ticket to Work program.
People can visit www.ssa.gov to learn about Social Security’s many programs designed to help Americans with disabilities return to work.
Dave Ryder
Social Security Administration