Region 6 Colleagues and Partners:
As the Social Security Administration (SSA) Ticket to Work Program Manager
for Recruitment and Outreach (PMRO), the CESSI Division of Axiom Resource
Management (CESSI) is responsible for increasing communications and
awareness regarding the Ticket Program and Work Incentives. As the Region
six Account Manager for CESSI, I am specifically charged with developing a
communications network in this region, including: Arkansas, Louisiana, New
Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. I look forward to collaborating with you to
ensure return-to-work opportunities are available to all beneficiaries who
seek employment. This month I have specifically highlighted the following:
• The launch of the new ChooseWork website
• Effective outreach methods to Beneficiaries
• New Employer Initiative launched by SSA and CESSI
• Recent Employment Network (EN) Awards
• EN Payment Information
• Regional Events, Conferences, and Webinars
• Ticket to Work Resources & Support
Sincerely,
Isaac Huff
Account Manager, Region 6
Service Provider and Blind Outreach Coordinator
SSA Ticket to Work Recruitment & Outreach
EMAIL: [email protected]
PHONE: 703.448.6155, ext. 234
TOLL FREE: 877-743-8237
*****************
NEW CHOOSEWORK SITE LAUNCHED!
The Social Security Administration and CESSI, the Program Manager for
Recruitment and Outreach for the Ticket to Work program, are pleased to
announce the launch of the new Choose Work web site
(http://www.choosework.net) for people with disabilities receiving Social
Security disability benefits.
The web site challenges willing SSI and SSDI beneficiaries to “Choose
Work” by participating in the Ticket to Work program and using other SSA
Work Incentives. For the first time, those unfamiliar with the program can
view short, informative videos; hear powerful stories told by people just
like themselves whose circumstances have led them to explore the Ticket and
other Work Incentives; experience a Work Incentive Seminar Event; find local
resources and other helpful information in one interactive location online.
Stop by http://www.ChooseWork.net and hear directly from some of the
people with disabilities the Ticket program has helped to Choose Earnings,
Choose Fulfillment and Choose Work.
*****************
OUTREACHING TO OUR BENEFICIARIES
Make WISE Connections!
Attend Work Incentive Seminars (WISE) Events
CESSI, and our partner New Editions Consulting, collaborate with the Work
Incentive Planning and Assistance (WIPA) Projects to host Work Incentive
Seminars (WISE) Events across the nation.
What are WISE Events? WISE Events are FREE community events, held by the
WIPA Projects, for beneficiaries with disabilities and their families to
learn more about Ticket to Work and other work incentives through
accessible, informal, learning opportunities. Beneficiaries should attend a
WISE to connect with local training and employment resources, explore
opportunities to increase their income, and network with other job seekers
and employers.
Who’s invited? Employers, Employment Networks, Vocational Rehabilitation,
Protection and Advocacy Services, and other employment supports are invited
to these meetings to share information about available services and
opportunities for beneficiaries in the community. For more information go
to http://www.cessi.net/wise/
Upcoming WISE Events
Date: February 3, 2010
Location: Las Cruces, NM
Host: NM DVR
Contact: Stefan Strohmyer
Phone Number: 1-800-318-1469 or 505-954-8523
Date: February 16, 2010
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Host: NM DVR
Contact: Stefan Strohmyer
Phone Number: 1-800-318-1469 or 505-954-8523
Date: February 19, 2010
Location: Basin, TX
Host: Workforce Solutions Permian Basin
Contact: Frank Perez
Phone Number: 915-751-8463
Date: March 17, 2010
Location: Quail, NM
Host: NM DVR
Contact: Karen Wiley
Phone Number: 505-841-6450
Date: March 26, 2010
Location: Santa Fe, NM
Host: NM DVR
Contact: Karen Wiley
Phone Number: 505-841-6450
Date: April 13, 2010
Location: Clovis, NM
Host: NM DVR
Contact: Karen Wiley
Phone Number: 505-841-6450
Date: April 21, 2010
Location: Las Cruces, NM
Host: NM DVR
Contact: Karen Wiley
Phone Number: 505-841-6450
Date: April 22, 2010
Location: Bank of the West Building, Los Cruces, NM
Host: NM DVR
Contact: Karen Wiley
Phone Number: 505-841-6450
If you are an employer, EN, or other service provider and you are interested
in participating at a WISE Event in your area, please email [email protected].
The WISE Team is eager to work with any organizations that are interested in
participating at WISE Events in order to attract more Ticket Holders and
promote return-to-work options.
Please help spread awareness of WISE Events to beneficiaries who may be
interested in exploring their work options.
*****************
Reaching Out to Spanish Speaking Beneficiaries
SSA and CESSI hosted a Ticket to Work Training Teleconference on October 15,
2009 for Spanish-speaking individuals with disabilities receiving Social
Security benefits and the organizations who work with these individuals.
The teleconference provided an overview of the Ticket to Work program and
other valuable Work Incentives, Work Incentive Seminar Events (WISE Events),
the technical assistance support offered to Latinos with Disabilities
through Proyecto Visión, the services and supports Employment Networks
provide, and important resources available to SSI/SSDI recipients. The
teleconference will be archived and available shortly at
http://www.cessi.net/ttw/resources/
http://www.cessi.net/ttw/employer/index.html
For more information on this teleconference and/or to be added to the
Hispanic Outreach mailing list, please contact Leslie Barrett, Hispanic
Community Outreach Specialist at [email protected].
*****************
NEW EMPLOYER INITIATIVE LAUNCHED BY SSA AND CESSI
Tell your local employers all about it! If a local employer is committed to
hiring qualified workers with disabilities, it may choose (1) to Turn
“Diversity into Dollars” by becoming an approved Employment Network (EN) –
OR – (2) register as an Employer Partner to promote their organization as a
disability-friendly employer on our website, where jobseekers will be
referred to the employer’s job opportunities. Or, it can choose to
participate in both types of partnerships.
Ask your local employers, and employer associations – such as Chamber of
Commerce and Business Leadership Networks – to join us as an Employer
Partner to highlight their business as disability-friendly employer to gain
exposure to thousands of qualified applicants with disabilities.
Strictly business! If the employer has a demonstrated commitment to hiring
people with disabilities and meets the Employer Partner criteria, they can
post a company logo with a link to their job postings’ webpage directly from
the CESSI Ticket to Work website. The partnership requirements employers
need to meet are outlined at
http://www.cessi.net/ttw/employer/index.html.
Thousands of jobseekers, and service provider agencies/job
coaches/employment specialists, will have direct access to their jobs. This
opportunity will advertise and promote your local employers to competitive
and qualified jobseekers with disabilities.
Although a new initiative, the Employer Partner project is gaining
popularity. We are proud to announce that the following business partners
have joined Ticket to Work as an Employer Partner: Alumwire, Axiom, Harris,
Lockheed Martin, Terremark, and Walgreens
Please help inform employers in your community of the critical need for them
to include people with disabilities in their diversity outreach programs.
Being involved in the Ticket to Work program as an Employment Network or as
part of the Employer Partner initiative will help create a new pipeline of
candidates.
For more information, please contact Susan Samuels, CESSI’s Ticket to Work
Employer Specialist, at: [email protected], or 703-448-6155 x235.
*****************
RECENT EMPLOYMENT NETWORK AWARDS
The Ticket to Work program is enrolling new ENs at a rapid rate since the
new regulations came out in July 2008. Congratulations to the following new
ENs in Region six from August 2009 until December 2009! (For more detailed
information on approved ENs in your area, please visit
www.yourtickettowork.com/endir or visit the Choose Work site and select the
new Resources Map, http://choosework.net/)
EN Name City, State Type of EN
Pathfinder, Inc Little Rock, AR Mental Health
St. Martin’s Hospitality Center Albuquerque, NM Mental Health
Families Plus, Inc. Albuquerque, NM Service Provider
Odessa’s Committee for Disabled, Inc. dba ABLE Center Odessa, TX Service
Provider/CIL
Tony Habeger & Diana Habeger dba H&H Services
Mena, AR Service Provider
New Orleans Resources for Independent Living, Inc. New Orleans, LA
Service Provider/CIL
Sterling L. Cannon dba Cannon Institute of Higher Learning Dallas, TX
Youth/Grad
E. Michelle Williams, CRC dba Williams Counseling & Consulting North Little
Rock, AR Service Provider
A Better Way of Living Albuquerque, NM Service
Provider
Mid South Health Systems Jonesboro, AR Service Provider
Mental Health Mental Retardation of Tarrant County
Fort Worth, TX Mental Health
Magnificat House, Inc Houston, TX Service provider
Empower Me, Inc Fort Worth, TX Service Provider
Community Options, Inc. Amarillo, TX Service Provider
Lafayette City Parish Consolidated Government Lafayette, LA One-stop
Central Arkansas Planning & Development District, Inc. Lonoke, AR One-stop
****************
EN PAYMENT INFORMATION
Total EN Payments in Region six from January 2009 through September 2009 is
$3,676,286.41! For details on payments per state from April to September
2009, please refer to the chart below.
State Apr- 09 May-09 Jun-09 Jul-09 Aug-09 Sept- 09
AR $4,787.00
$933.00
$570.00
$2,463.00
$933.00
$933.00
NM $6,908.00
$0.00
$7,705.00
$37,019.00
$34,232.00
$21,809.00
OK $49,038.00
$16,197.72
$23,681.00
$14,309.84
$27,323.00
$24,551.00
LA $9,241.00
$14,375.00
$406.00
$5,536.00
$10,059.00
$2,898.00
TX $334,357.00
$208,771.00
$315,963.50
$348,889.75
$375,075.50
$519,183.00
*****************
REGIONAL EVENTS, CONFERENCES & WEBINARS
Ticket to Work Mental Health Summit: Supporting Recovery Through Work
The first-ever Mental Health Summit held by Social Security Administration
in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
(CMS), and CESSI, occurred from November 15 through November 17, 2009 in
New Orleans, LA.
The Summit brought together more than 300 diverse mental and behavioral
health decision makers and national opinion leaders for this exciting event
to improve awareness and build momentum for the Ticket to Work Program.
During the two-day summit, the lineup of presenters gave a series of
impactful keynotes and breakout sessions. Keynote speakers included:
• Kathryn Power, MEd, Director, Center for Mental Health Services, SAMSHA
• Peggy Swarbrick, PhD, OTR, CPRP, Director, Institute for Wellness and
Recovery Initiatives, Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey
• William A. Anthony, PhD, Executive Director and Professor, Center for
Psychiatric Rehabilitation, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences,
Boston University
• Judith Cook, PhD, Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago
Presentations and related Summit materials are currently available for
download at the following address:
http://www.cessi.net/ticketmentalhealthsummit/program.html. Just click on
any presenter’s name that is a live link and you will be able to open or
save the associated documents.
We will also be making Webcasts of keynote presentations available for view
in the near future. These will be available at
http://www.cessi.net/ticketmentalhealthsummit/video/index.html
If you are a mental health organization interested in becoming an EN please
contact David Jones, Account Manager, at [email protected] 703 448 6155 x
201.
To receive related information and announcements for future events,
subscribe to our Mental Health Mailing List by sending an email to
[email protected] that includes SUBSCRIBE MENTAL HEALTH in the subject
line.
Regional Events & Conferences
May 28 – 30, 2010
2010 Arkansas Rehabilitation Association Annual Training Conference, Hot
Springs, AR. The theme of this conference is “Staying Ahead of the Game: Technology,
Innovation and Top Notch Service Delivery”
If you know of other regional, state or local conferences or events where
you would like to partner with the PMRO to share information through your
networks, or have the PMRO attend an event in your area, please send an
email to [email protected] with partnering, or event participation, in the
subject line.
*****************
Archived Webinars
Please visit our Ticket to Work Webinars that have been archived by our
partners at Cornell University: http://www.cessi.net/ttw/resources.html. Here’s a
sample of what you will find!
Ticket to Work Webinar for Universities/Higher Education Entities, Reaching
Higher, Strengthening Abilities (October 29, 2009)
This webinar targeted Universities and/or Higher Education entities
interested in learning more about the Ticket to Work program and how to
become an Employment Network (EN). The topics included an overview of the
Ticket program and how it can generate revenue for the school, the value of
the Ticket program for its students, models of successful higher education
institutions as ENs, the GRADS Initiative of the Ticket program and what it
has learned concerning students who receive SSI or SSDI, and the technical
support available to schools exploring the Ticket to Work program.
Ticket 201 for One Stops (September 28, 2009)
This webinar targeted One Stop staff, Workforce Investment Board members,
and One Stop Operators interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the
Employment Network (EN) operations as it pertains to One Stops who are
interested in becoming an EN, or are currently an EN. Topics included: how
to assess and assign a Ticket, explanation of the Ticket to Work look back
policy, how to work effectively with VR under Ticket to Work, SSI telephone
wage reporting, and One Stop EN best practices.
*****************
COOL TOOLS
Employment Network (EN) Revenue Estimator: This tool allows you to
“estimate” up to ten years of revenue from the Ticket program. Visit the
CESSI web site at http://www.cessi.net/en_estimator/.
Employment Network Handbooks: Two new handbooks, one for Service Providers
and one for Employers, explain the Ticket program, how an organization can
become an EN, and the benefits of becoming an EN. The EN Handbook for
Service Providers provides an overview of the new Ticket regulations,
detailed information on how to become an EN, examples of EN models, and
information on options for partnering with State VR agencies under the new
Ticket regulations. It highlights resources of interest to service providers
and beneficiaries with disabilities. The EN Handbook for Employers provides
information specific for employers such as dispelling myths and facts about
individuals with disabilities and employment, work place accommodation
resources, and other incentives for hiring individuals with disabilities
(i.e., the Work Opportunity Tax Credit). Visit CESSI’s Ticket to Work
Resources page at http://www.cessi.net/ttw/resources to download these valuable
resources.
SSA Redbook: A summary guide about employment supports for individuals
receiving benefits under the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. This document is updated
annually and provides a great summary of SSA’s Work Incentives. Available
at: http://www.ssa.gov/redbook.
For more Ticket to Work tools and resources, please visit
http://www.cessi.net/ttw/resources
*****************
TICKET TO WORK SUPPORT
EN Request for Proposal (RFP): If you are interested in becoming an EN under
the new Ticket program, you will need to complete an EN RFP which can be
downloaded at www.ssa.gov/work/enrfp.html.
CESSI: If you are exploring the Ticket program but have a few questions, or
you would like assistance in completing the EN RFP, CESSI has several
resources. Account Managers are available to provide answers to your Ticket
questions and individualized technical assistance as you complete the EN
RFP.
Isaac Huff
Account Manager, Region 6
Service Provider and Blind Outreach Coordinator
SSA Ticket to Work Recruitment & Outreach
EMAIL: [email protected]
PHONE: 703.448.6155, ext. 234
TOLL FREE: 877-743-8237
CESSI also offers bi-weekly EN Application Walk-Through Teleconferences
every other Wednesday at 2:00 pm Eastern Time. These free teleconferences
will guide you through the entire application, section by section, page by
page. To receive the call-in instructions please contact your Account
Manager.
SSA’s Employment Network Contract Team (ENCT): The ENCT is also available to
answer questions about the EN RFP, and walk you through the EN contract
award process. Contact SSA ENCT at 1-866-584-5180 (V) or 1-866-584-5181
(TTY), or e-mail [email protected].
For more information on the Ticket to Work program:
• Visit SSA’s Work Site: http://www.ssa.gov/work
• Visit CESSI’s Ticket to Work Recruitment & Outreach site:
http://www.cessi.net/ttw
• Visit the Choose Work web site: http://www.choosework.net
• Visit the MAXIMUS, Ticket to Work Operation Support Manager site:
http://www.yourtickettowork.com
To learn about “Ticket Traffic” in your state, check out SSA’s Ticket
Tracker: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/work/tickettracker.html
****************
Ticket to Work Region 6 Distribution List
To be added to the Region six Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Mailing and
Teleconference List, please visit www.cessi.net/ttw and join the Ticket
Express Mailing List. If you would like to be removed from the mailing
list, please submit an email to [email protected] with UNSUBSCRIBE in
the subject line.
********************************************************
This list is managed by the CESSI Division of Axiom Resource Management,
Inc., which is the program manager for Recruitment & Outreach (PMRO) for the
Social Security Administration’s Ticket to Work Program. Please note, CESSI
makes every effort to provide reasonable accommodations for our customers.
Please contact us at [email protected] if you:
– Wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to this mailing list;
– Want more information on the Ticket to Work program; or
– Require materials in alternate formats or have questions on accessing
Ticket to Work information or materials