Getting Back to Work: Ticket to Work Program

triage-cancer-blog-return-to-workIf you are receiving disability benefits because of a cancer diagnosis, you may be considering going back to work. You may even be eager to get back to the normalcy of working.  As Americans, we get a great sense of worth and identity from our jobs.  Work is also a great social outlet for a lot of people.  After a cancer diagnosis, working can mean more than financial independence.  It can also mean moving beyond your diagnosis.

Well, when you’re ready to return to work, the Social Security Administration is ready to help.  They have a robust program designed to assist you to find work after a disability: the Ticket to Work Program.

Ticket to Work
If you are receiving SSI or SSDI, and are between the ages of 18 and 64, you qualify for a program called Ticket to Work.  This is a free and voluntary service that can help you go to work, get a good job that may lead to a career, and become financially independent.  Essentially, this program matches you with career planners and vocational rehabilitation services that will help you make a plan for getting back to work, and then help you execute that plan.  They will review your resume, set up interviews, conduct job training, and much more.  They will also provide information about your disability benefits and what they will look like when you go back to work.  Here are some things you should understand about the Ticket to Work program:

  • Opening a Ticket to Work does not mean you will automatically lose your SSDI or SSI benefit. If you open a Ticket to Work and make timely progress with either an employment network or a state vocational rehabilitation counselor, your medical condition will not be reviewed and you will continue to receive you normal benefit until you start actually working.
  • Opening a Ticket to Work will not cancel your Medicare benefit. Even if you go back to work and make enough to stop your SSDI benefit, you are still eligible to keep Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) for up to 93 months.
  • Opening a Ticket to Work will not necessarily cancel your Medicaid benefit. If you make enough to stop your SSI benefit, but are still under the earnings threshold set by your state, you could still be eligible for Medicaid.  Even if you make more than your state earnings threshold, you could be eligible for a Medicaid buy-in program.  You need to speak with your state Medicaid office to find out what that threshold is in your state. Click here to find your state Medicaid agency.

Another concern you may have about returning to work too early is sacrificing the SSDI or SSI benefit that took you so long to get in the first place.  Social Security has a work incentive program called Expedited Reinstatement.  Basically this means that if your benefits ended within the last 5 years due to an increase in your earnings, and you still have your original medical condition, you do not have to reapply for benefits.  Instead, you will receive 6 months of temporary benefits while your case goes under medical review.  If you are found not to be eligible for benefits after that review, you don’t have to pay back the temporary benefits you received.

Don’t be afraid to get back out into the workforce if you are able.  Cancer can be very isolating and working can be just the thing you need to feel better and move on from your diagnosis.

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