Ticket to Work & 9 months trial work period with SSI benefits?

Question

If someone receives SSI which is $603 per month, are they allowed to work for 9 consecutive months before being cut off?

Also, what is the maximum amount someone can make before the $603 is reduced each month during this 9 month period?

I've been unable to work for awhile now, but I would love to return to work in a year or so. However, I'm dealing with major depression and anxiety, and I won't know for sure if I'll be able to do so permanently. I've suffered from both the last few years, and I'm afraid if I return to work full time, that may push my stress level through the roof, and I'll be where I was when first approved for SSI. I'd hate to start working and lose SSI if I'm unable to continue.

Lastly, can someone explain the ticket to work program to me? Does my employer have to know the nature of my disability? Will they tell co-workers? Are there any other programs that will help people with disabilities return to work? I need a job that has very little stress. Thanks

P.S. Has anyone noticed that social security is late performing the 3 year reviews? Is this for everyone? Have they changed the review time?

Answer 1

ON the ticket to work thing, I think its safe to assume that everyone WILL already know about the disability. We can just hope that they will be nice about it. I think we are allowed to earn like $800 a month or so before it has any effect on benefits. More than that for 3 months affects benefits in a big way I think. Good Luck !!

Answer 2

the ticket to work is set up to help you through the starting period of work. A little extra money to help out. You can recieve benefits from ssi while work if you make under a certain amount but if you make over the amount your payments stop. You can always go on the website and find this stuff out or call them and they will send you a package full of infor.

Answer 3

The Ticket to work program and the 9 month Trial Work period, are two separate work incentives. The 9 months that you refer to do not have to be consecutive, they can be any 9 months with in a 5 year period. This work incentive is NOT for people on SSI, it is only for people on Social Security Disability (SSD), which is different form Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Both SSI and SSD are managed thorough the Social Security Administration (SSA), but they are separate. Someone can have just SSI, just SSD, OR both SSI AND SSD. If you just have SSI, the 9 month Trial Work period is not a work incentive that you can use.

If you are just on SSI, you are allowed to make $65.00 a month, Gross, ($85.00 a month if you have NO OTHER income, earned income or unearned income, in addition to your SSI and wages). Your SSI will be reduced by a dollar for every two dollars that you make above the $65.00 limit (or the $85.00 limit). So basically 1/2 of all your wages above the $65.00 limit will need to be returned to SSI. They will do that by reducing your future SSI payments. You must report your wages on a monthly basis to SSI, if you don't you are setting your self up for an overpayment in the future. What happens in an overpayment situation, is that your SSI check is reduced even further. It is reduced the 10% to collect on the overpayment, and it will be reduced for your estimated wages....not a good situation. So it is best to report your wages by the 10th of the following month (report August’s wages by September 10th). Depending on your local SSA, you can either mail your pay stubs in (always make copies if you do this) or bring them in. If your SSA office will let you mail them in, that is so much better. SSI will ALWAYS find out about past wages and unreported assets, as they get IRS alerts when someone on SSI has any income both earned and unearned.

The Ticket to Work is a work incentive program. You would take your Ticket, which the SSA will send to you in the mail, to a qualified employment network. This network will give you training, support, and will help you to get a job. Once you earn enough where you are no longer entitled to a cash benefit through SSI, the qualified employment network that helped you to get off of cash benefits will receive compensation from the federal government. Basically, they will receive money for getting someone off of benefits. The person on SSI will loose their cash benefit, but they will have wages, and the employment network will be reward for helping someone get off of benefits. At least this is the way the program was last time I was trained on it about 4 years ago.

Their is a another work incentive called the PASS. Here, you will need to have a specific goal (such as I am going to go to college and get a degree in nursing, so I can get a job that will allow me to support my self) and you will have to have a second form of income (wages, SSD etc.). Your PASS will have to be written up and approved by SSI before you start saving. If you do not use the saved money how you say you will in the PASS, you will have a HUGE overpayment. So if you get a PASS, just make sure you follow the PASS exactly as you have written out. If you have money saved in a PASS and your goal changes, you will have to return all of that saved money to SSI. If you get a pass, you can take your wages, and put them in a special bank account, and all or some of your wages won't affect your SSI. It all depends on how your PASS is written. Here is some more info on the PASS program
http://www.ssa.gov/disabilityresearch/wi/pass.htm
You will need help on putting one together, as they are very complicated.

You do not need to tell your employer that you have a disability; however, if you wish to receive accomidations from them so you can do your job, you have to tell them. If you don't want accomidations, you don't have to tell them because it is up to you to report your wages to the SSA, not your employer. If you do tell your employer, I believe they are allowed to tell certain people of your condition, such as your boss, as they would need to know.

Well, that is it, I hope it helps. Good Luck!!!

PS# I have noticed the SSA is late is doing some of the reviews. The SSA office that is in charge of most of my case load is VERY back logged. The SSA needs to hire some more people, as most SSA offices throughout the counrty are very under staffed. I know this from meeting with people that do the same work as me, and from my own experience.

Answer 4

You get $603 per month for depression? Where am I going wrong? Hell, what is this country coming to? We all have been depressed, take your Prozac and get through life. Period. Go to work and get off disability. Save that for the REAL people who ARE disabled. Shame on you.

Answer 5

check out the social security web site.

Answer 6

social security office has a pamphlet telling you all about the program, so pick one up .

Answer 7

Josie's answer is perfect.