Celebrating 25 Years of the Ticket to Work
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: June 24, 2025
This year, we’re celebrating the 25th anniversary of our Ticket to Work (Ticket) program. The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act helps people with disabilities go to work and reduce or eliminate their need for benefits.
The Ticket program:
- Is free and voluntary.
- Offers career development for people ages 18-64 who receive payments from Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and want to work.
- Connects them with free employment services from approved in-person or virtual service providers.
- Helps them decide if work, including self-employment, is right for them.
The Ticket program has helped many people reach their employment goals. Here are 2 success stories.
Adrienne: Successful Career Launch with Ticket to Work
Adrienne has autism spectrum disorder (ASD). When she was preparing to graduate from high school, her parents wanted to ensure she had opportunities in adulthood, including access to employment. Thanks to a collaborative effort between the Ticket program and local agencies, she works full time as a departmental aide for the city of Philadelphia. She proudly traded her monthly SSI payments for a rewarding job she loves. Read Adrienne’s story.
Kushal: Financial Independence with Ticket to Work
Kushal has muscular dystrophy, a disease that causes muscle weakness that has severely reduced his mobility. The Ticket program allowed him to reach his educational, employment, and financial goals. Despite physical limitations, he earned a master’s degree in social work and is a full-time benefits counselor. As his career progressed and his income increased, he had to overcome many challenges. With help from Ticket program service providers, he has been able to keep his critical health care benefits. Read Kushal’s story.
You can find more Success Stories on our Ticket Program website.
Start Your Journey with Ticket to Work
Would you like to follow Adrienne and Kushal’s lead? To get started with the Ticket program, you can use the Find Help Tool on our website, choosework.ssa.gov, or call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842. For callers who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, call 1-866-833-2967 (TTY). Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Ticket service providers, such as an Employment Network (EN) or a state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agency, can help you understand our work incentives and navigate your journey to work and financial independence.
To stay up to date on the Ticket program and our many resources:
- Subscribe to the Choose Work! blog.
- Register for a free Work Incentive Seminar Event (WISE) webinar.
- Follow us on Facebook and X.
- Text the word “TICKET” to 1-571-489-5292 to receive information via text messages. Standard messaging rates may apply. You can opt out at any time.
Please join us as we celebrate 25 years of the Ticket to Work program and share our success stories with family, friends, and others with disabilities who want to work.
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Tags: Social Security benefits, Ticket to work
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revitalifeegypt
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Serge
But, for example, the German government wants to take money from abandoned accounts.
Tony
This program funding will be cut back like the rest of the federal program funding.
The Employment Networks and State Rehabilitation Services needs to prepare for less federal TTW funding.
States and local governments are already preparing for the cuts to HUD Section 8 voucher program. They are no longer accepting applicants for the voucher program.
Low income people must live in the low income Section 8 communities. They won’t be given a voucher to live in middle and upper class communities.
The Trump Administration cut federal funding for food pantry. When they closed the local food pantry in my neighborhood, almost all the homeless people in my neighborhood are gone now.
Disabled people aren’t good at working for the profit companies. Disabled people need to work for non-profit companies who don’t need to make a profit in order to survive. Most of these non-profit are closing due to federal funding cuts and there will be less jobs for the disabled people.
The biggest non-profits such as the federal, state, and local governments are cutting jobs. It will be harder for disabled people to get a government job soon.
The recession is already here for disabled people looking for a job. You better get started now in the TTW before everyone is waiting to for a good paying non-profit job that doesn’t care about productivity.
Lonnie S.
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Orlando M.
In fact, first of all, job justice should be provided for everyone. This is an important prediction for employees and those who will start working.buca. As you know, everything should be for a better life. Sometimes life may not be fair and it is in our hands to reverse this.
Jane S.
Work is what makes me very happy. Although in the current economy I am more and more inclined to listen to the coaches and use multiple income sources. I have a job, but I am learning investment here and I understand that this alone will make my life better than it would be without it. There are also business opportunities, and I am ready to consider them after a while too.
Jessica D.
Thank you for sharing! This is valuable information. I lost my job recently, the employer was unable to accommodate me. It’s really frustrating system and cycles of non transparency and cooperation.
Kimberly B.
My Husband was on the ticket to work and was doing real well.
Every 2 weeks he reported his part time employment and decided he would go full time it was the right job that help support his disability
Unfortunately while he was reporting there was nothing happening and I kept telling him to call and report he was working.
the Social security workers kept telling us to trust the system, we ended up suspending his SS and it took about 6 to 8 month to get the info on his overpayment which I knew just from me working with a state agency. I saved his checks most of them I thought I figured it out but they stated we owed about 3000.00 more then I thought.
So I paid 10,000.00 right directly so the system is good if it works but beware.
Mmv02194@duck.com
Adrienne, Kushal, and others..kudos..and kudos to ssa and Ticket to Work
Joelle
The ticket to work program would greatly improve if SSA educated their staff better on the program. You would increase your success stories, decrease the amount of people on benefits, and improve the economy. As a former SSA employee for many years, I can strongly say SSA does a poor job on educating its employees about the ticket to work. SSA is closed off to feedback on how they can improve. A common phrase SSA beneficiaries on disability would say is “ the ticket to work, don’t work”. The reason for that is people do not understand how to use the TTW resources correctly and SSA staff is poorly informed about the program the government pays for to give cost reimbursements.
MajJohn
As a retired SS supervisor, I could not agree with you more. The ticket to work program is a disaster as much as a success because most SS employees don’t understand the complexities of the regulations.