9.8 Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999

DVR is an Employment Network (EN) option under TWWIIA, designed to increase options for Social Security Administration (SSA) beneficiaries in obtaining rehabilitation and vocational services to help them go to work and attain their employment goals, remove barriers that require people with disabilities to choose between health care coverage and employment, and provide more Americans with disabilities opportunities to lessen their dependence on public benefits.

When an individual applies for services and reports that they are eligible for SSI or SSDI benefits, in all likelihood, that individual also holds a “Ticket to Work.” The Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) includes an agreement that the individual is assigning their Ticket to Work to Colorado DVR. This applies for all individuals, regardless of their desired employment outcome, unless the individual specifically requests, in writing, that the ticket not be placed in use with DVR. 

If an individual's Ticket is currently assigned to another EN and the individual chooses to keep their Ticket assigned to another EN, the EN’s offered services are considered comparable benefits and DVR shall not provide funding for them. Information about the services available through each EN is available through https://choosework.ssa.gov/findhelp/.

The DVR Counselor will inform Ticket to Work holders of their protection from SSA’s Continuing Disability Reviews as long as the individual maintains timely progress toward the employment outcome as outlined on the IPE.

All SSA beneficiaries shall be provided information and referrals necessary to ensure understanding of SSA work incentives and the impact of earnings on federal and state benefits. Beneficiaries are not required to use SSA work incentives to offset costs to DVR for necessary goods and/or services.