Social Security Disability Benefits Include Protections for Returning to Work

By Steve Perrigo

Editor’s Note: When you’re approved for Social Security Disability Income benefits by the Social Security Administration, you receive monthly financial payments (upon approval) and Medicare (after 24 months). A secondary benefit of SSDI is the ability to participate in the Ticket to Work program that allows beneficiaries of SSDI to return to work while protecting their SSDI and Medicare benefits.

In this post-COVID era, many Americans are well aware they could be the casualty of a life-threatening illness, injury or disability that could remove them from the workforce. As a result, American workers are becoming familiar with protections inherent to their work that can help them sustain themselves and their families.

Benefit For Workers: Ticket To Work Program

All individuals currently receiving SSDI benefits are eligible for and encouraged to use the Ticket to Work program. This is a free and voluntary program that provides individuals with disabilities with a range of services provided by Employment Networks (EN). Case managers at ENs assist individuals in the process of preparing to return to work. Services can include interview preparation, résumé writing, and encouragement in overcoming the barriers to finding employment once they are ready.

Bypassing Valuable Benefits: SSDI And Ticket To Work

While more than 156 million Americans are insured for this benefit, the SSDI program is frequently overlooked for its incredible value. This is true especially among individuals who’ve had a solid working career and want to return to their profession or field after a medical issue. “Many of our clients have significant work experience and have gotten sidelined by a medical issue,” said LeighAnn Jarry, Assistant Vice President of Allsup Employment Services. “Now they’ve recovered enough and are ready to get back into the workforce.”

A medical condition and its work-disrupting effects are not necessarily permanent. For instance, a number of individuals who experience a stroke – depending on the severity – eventually recover. They can stabilize through rehabilitation and return to work. This means workers with a health issue lasting 12 months (and longer) can receive important monthly income and then support with their return to work when they reach medical stability. That’s the core mission of the SSA’s Ticket to Work program.

The little-known TTW program helps those with disabilities get back to work while protecting their benefits and offering other significant incentives. It was signed into law by President Clinton as “The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999” with the mission of increasing the options for individuals with disabilities who wanted to return to work.

Benefits Of The Ticket To Work Program

1. 1. 1. 1. It costs you nothing. The SSA oversees the Ticket to Work program. It pays the fees for services you access in order to get back in the workforce.
        
        Earn more. You can make as much money as you want, in your first full year of work and keep your SSDI benefits.
        
        Avoid risk. If you stop working, your SSDI benefits will start again. There’s no need to repeat the application and appeals process.
        
        Keep your Medicare coverage. When you go back to work, you can keep Medicare coverage for 93 months once you complete your trial work period.
        
        No more CDRs. Going back to work with the help of a Social Security Administration-authorized EN means that the SSA will suspend all Continuing Disability Reviews while you are making timely progress toward the goals in the TTW program.

Many people have underestimated the value of SSDI benefits and may be unaware of TTW and its significant return-to-work protections. Learning about these little-known programs can be part of the due diligence of knowing how to provide for yourself and your family when the unexpected strikes.

About Steve Perrigo

Steve Perrigo has written 10 posts in this blog.

Steve Perrigo, J.D., is Vice President & Head of Sales and Account Management. He joined Allsup in 2010 following 17 years with the Social Security Administration (SSA) in various roles of increasing responsibility, including Claims Representative, Technical Expert, Operations Supervisor, and Assistant District Manager. Steve leads Allsup’s national account sales activities and provides consultative guidance to client companies by analyzing complex data sets that compare performance against historical measures, Allsup’s business results, and industry benchmarks. His consultation includes leveraging his prior experience with the SSA to identify and analyze macro-level trends with the Social Security Disability Insurance program, and providing timely insights and client updates through channels such as Allsup’s commercial blog. Steve’s educational background includes a law degree from the Nashville School of Law, where he graduated in the top 10 of his class, and a bachelor’s degree from The State University of New York. He currently is an adjunct professor of Social Security Disability Law at the Nashville School of Law.