Social Security Administration
Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel Quarterly Public Meeting
Hyatt Regency Albuquerque
November 12-14, 2002

Tuesday, November 12, 2002 - Day 1

Joseph Hickman, Alternate Designated Federal Officer, called the meeting to order at approximately 10:00 a.m. and turned the meeting over to the Chair, Sarah Wiggins Mitchell.

Presenter: Sarah Wiggins Mitchell, Chair
Topic: Welcome, Introductions, and Review of Agenda

Attendees
Advisory Panel Members
Sarah Wiggins Mitchell, Chair, Jerome Kleckley, Frances Gracechild, Steve Start, Kris Flaten, Thomas Golden, Susan Webb, Bryon MacDonald, and Katie Beckett.

Advisory Panel Staff
Marie Strahan, Executive Director, Bernie Wixon, Kristen Breland, Gordon Richmond, Lisa Ekman, and Shirletta Banks.

Presenters
Paul Johnson, Mary Satterfield, Steve Bell, Martin Gerry, Linda McMahon, Pam Mazerski, Joe Razes, Cheryl Bates-Harris, John Kregel, Melissa Wittman, Michael Zambonato, Ron Konkol, and Steve Knapp.

Members of the Public
Kim Dillon, Judi Drew, Carol Fehner, Andrea Harles, Rebecca Holland, Richard Johnson, Jamie Kendall, Mary Modrow, Patricia Jackson, Bernadine Chavez, Robert Kresmer, Lynn Kresmer, Debras Martinez, Theresa Yanan, Jim Wiegel, Mary Nojo, Veronica Rondou, Sharon Shreet, Cheryl Williams, Richard Johnson, Pat Jackson, Anita McCloud, Anthony Salas and Joseph Hickman.

Business Meeting
Presenter: Sarah Mitchell
Topic: Approval of minutes of the August quarterly meeting

Motion: The Panel moved, seconded, and passed a motion to approve the minutes from the August quarterly meeting.

Committee Reports
Presenter: Marie Strahan
Topic: Administrative and Panel Operations Update

Presenter: Steve Start
Topic: Panel Planning and Operations Committee

Presenter: Thomas Golden
Topics: Program Design, Implementation and Evaluation Committee

Presenter: Susan Webb
Topics: Program and Legal Policy Committee

Old Business
Presenter: Sarah Wiggins Mitchell
Topic: February Quarterly Meeting
          February 10-12, Ritz Carlton in Pentagon City

New Business
Presenter: Marie Strahan
Topic: Letter from the Social Security Subcommittee, U.S. House of Representatives

Presenter: Sarah Wiggins Mitchell
Topic: Proposed 2003 Meeting Dates
          May 13-15 in Washington DC
          August 12-14 in Detroit, MI (tentative)
          November 18-20 in Washington DC (tentative)

Presenter: Kris Flaten
Topic: Ticket Conference in Minnesota

Presenter: Bryon MacDonald/Frances Gracechild
Topic: California TWWIIA Legislation

Lunch Break

Marketing and Public Education
Presenter: Paul W. Johnson, Regional President Mid-Atlantic Region & Senior Partner, Fleishman- Hillard
Topic: Potential public relations and outreach activities for the Ticket program.

Presenter: Mary Satterfield, Project Manager, Maximus
Topic: Marketing and outreach activities and the EN Capitalization Project

Public Comment
Presenter: James Jackson, Director, Protection and Advocacy Services of New Mexico
Topic: Training and technical assistance needs of P&A agencies

Presenter: Andrea Harles, International Association of Business, Industry and Rehabilitation
Topic: Ticket related training needs of INABIR members and request for Panel sponsorship of conference

Presenter: Rebecca Holland, Program Manager, Jemez Vocational Rehabilitation Program
Topic: Tribal VR Programs as ENs

TWWIIA Advisory Panel Contract
Presenter: Steve Bell, Ph.D. Urban Institute
Topic: Working relationships between Panel members and consultants

Top of Page

Wednesday, November 13, 2002 - Day 2

The meeting reconvened at approximately 9:00am with Sarah Wiggins Mitchell, Chair presiding.

Social Security Administration Updates
Presenter: Michael Zambonato and Ron Konkol, Social Security Administration
Topic: Systems design to support TWWIIA implementation

Presenter: Linda S. McMahon, Deputy Commissioner for Operations
Topic: Implementation of TWWIIA by the SSA field offices and the Work Incentives Specialists

Presenter: Martin Gerry, Deputy Commissioner, Disability
And Income Security Programs
Topic: Disability Program Navigator positions

Presenter: Pam Mazerski, Acting Associate Commissioner, Program Development and Research
Topic: Demonstration Projects

Lunch Break

Update on Health Care Provisions of TWWIIA
Presenter: Joe Razes, Senior Project Manager, and Steve Napp, TWWIIA Implementation, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Topics: Financial outlook for state Medicaid programs and the impact upon TWWIIA Medicaid provisions

Technical Assistance and Training
Presenter: Cheryl Bates-Harris, Disability Rights Specialist, National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems
Topic: Technical assistance and training to the Protection and Advocacy Programs

Presenter: John Kregel, Ed.D., Principal Investigator, VCU Benefits Assistance Resource Center, Virginia Commonwealth University
Topic: Technical assistance and training to the Benefits Planning and Outreach (BP&O) Programs

Presenter: Melissa Wittman, Project Director, National Consortium for Health Systems Development
Topic: Technical Assistance to the Medicaid Infrastructure Grants Programs

Top of Page

Thursday, November 14, 2002 - Day 3

The meeting reconvened at approximately 9:00am with Sarah Wiggins Mitchell, Chair presiding.

Public Comment
Presenter: Carol Fehner, AFGE Council 220
Topic: TWWIIA from the perspective of the field office staff

Presenter: Theresa Yanan, Native American Protection and Advocacy Program
Topic: Meeting the needs of Native American populations through the PABS project

Presenter: Andrea Harles, I-NABIR
Topic: Views of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities on the role of VR in the Ticket program

Presenter: Ralph Vigil, New Mexico Vocational Rehabilitation Program
Topic: Marketing of the Ticket and other New Mexico VR initiatives

Panel Discussions and Deliberations
Presenter: Jim Wiegel
Topic: Committee Priorities

Motion: The Panel moved, seconded, and passed a motion to accept the priorities presented by the Program Design, Implementation and Evaluation Committee, with the exception that "serving those with mental impairments" is moved to "Ongoing Issues".

Motion: The Panel moved, seconded, and passed a motion to accept the priorities presented by the Program and Legal Policy Committee, with the exception that the SGA issue is moved into the priorities, that a Medical Improvement Expected (MIE priority is added, and the word, "Medicaid" is changed to "healthcare".

Presenter: Sarah Mitchell
Topic: Follow up on items discussed during the meeting

Motion: The panel moved, seconded, and passed a motion that a letter be written to SSA supporting the ten-month rollout proposal, that the Panel has concerns about the delay in rollout in the third phase states, and that the Panel asks SSA to consider the feasibility of overlapping rollout of the second and third phase states. The letter would state that the Panel understands that there may be difficulties getting good pre-Ticket evaluation data. The letter would contain another paragraph saying that people need to know that Tickets are available to them on demand; and that the Panel would like the Agency to proactively or aggressively seek a reasonable solution to making sure people are aware that the Tickets are available to them.

Motion: The Panel moved, seconded and passed a motion to write a letter to Deputy Commissioner McMahon regarding work credits, training, workload, implementation of time dates of the MTRW, and disparity between the Union and management presentations.

Action: The Panel formally directed Ms. Strahan to request funding to enable the Panel to continue its work until Congress passes a permanent budget.

Presenter: Sarah Mitchell
Topic: Proposed topics for the February meeting

The meeting adjourned at approximately 1:00 p.m.