Do You Receive Disability Benefits & Want a Job?
If you receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you may be eligible for Social Security’s Ticket to Work Program (TWP). This free and voluntary program allows disability beneficiaries age 18 thorough 64 test their abilities to work for at least 9 months. During the TWP, participants will receive full SSDI benefits regardless of their earnings as long as they report their work activity and have a disabling impairment.
The goal of TWP? To help people with disabilities work toward financial independence.
The Ticket to Work Program helps set people up for long-term success in the workplace. With the help of the TWP employment service providers called Employment Networks (EN), SSDI beneficiaries could access meaningful employment and improve their earning potential as a result. Work incentives under the Ticket to Work program include:
- Continued cash benefits, for a time, while working
- Continued Medicare or Medicaid benefits while working
- Help with education, training, and free vocational rehabilitation to start a new line of work
- Job referrals
- Expedited reinstatement
- Help with extra work expenses stemming from disability
- Plan to achieve self-support (PASS)
There is no earning cap during the 9-month trial work period. In the 36-month extended period of eligibility, however, the monthly earning cap for 2021 is typically a maximum of $1,310 ($2,190 if you are blind), or else your benefits will stop. Keep in mind that Social Security deducts the beneficiaries’ disability-related work expenses when counting their monthly earnings.
If you have extra work expenses, your earnings could exceed $1,310 in 2021 before they impact your benefits. These work expenses may include, but are not limited to:
- Copayments for prescriptions
- Counseling services
- Transportation to/from work under limited circumstances
- A personal attendant or job coach
- A wheelchair
- Any specialized work equipment
In addition, Ticket to Work participants who receive Social Security because of a disability must immediately notify their Social Security representative if any of the following occur:
- They start or stop work
- They reported their work, but their duties, hours, or pay change
- They start paying expenses for work because of their disability
Questions? Our Dallas Social Security disability lawyer can be your trusted resource for answers. The Ticket to Work program can become a complicated process without the guidance of a knowledgeable attorney, which is why we invite you to reach out at 888-4-ZEN-LAW to learn how we can help.