Opening Statement of The Honorable E. Clay Shaw, Jr., Chairman, and a Representative in Congress from the State of Florida

March 18, 2004

Good morning.  Today, our Subcommittee will examine the Social Security Administration’s management of the Ticket to Work Program.  

The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act was signed into law in December of 1999.  The goal of this landmark legislation is to remove barriers and increase incentives for individuals with disabilities to seek work.  These incentives empower beneficiaries with choices for job training and placement services. 

Prior to enactment of the bill, less than 1 percent of individuals with disabilities receiving Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income left the rolls to return to work.  Now, the Social Security Administration is reaching the end of its three-phase implementation plan of this program. 

To date, almost seven million tickets to individuals with disabilities in all 50 states have been distributed and all program components are operational.  This has been no small effort, and I commend the Agency for its extraordinary efforts. 

I have a sample of a ticket here and you can see that it allows the ticket holder to obtain employment services by turning in the ticket to a State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency or an Employment Network.  So far 40,000 tickets have been assigned, yet ninety percent of these tickets have been assigned to State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies and only 10 percent have been assigned to Employment Networks. 

In the Ticket to Work Program, choice is paramount.  To continue to grow the success of the program, we need to understand why a market of Employment Networks has failed to materialize. 

The bipartisan Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel has been examining issues related to the service provider marketplace since it first convened.  Today, we will hear the Panel's latest recommendations, along with testimony from three Employment Networks that are currently accepting tickets and helping individuals return to work. 

Although the low number of Employment Networks participating in the Ticket to Work Program is troubling, we must not lose sight that this program is having a positive impact on the lives of many individuals with disabilities. 

Therefore, I think it is only fitting that our hearing begin with testimony from two individuals who have changed their lives by taking advantage of the Ticket to Work program.  Following their testimony will we hear from representatives from the Social Security Administration and the Department of Education and then from other key stakeholders. 

Taking the first step to try work is one of the most difficult decisions someone with a disability can make.  Our challenge is to ensure that the Ticket to Work Program helps make this decision easier, not harder.  I look forward to hearing the thoughtful counsel of each of our witnesses today, and thank them for in advance for joining us.