There is quite a bit of a negative perception out there today about people who receive Social Security Disability benefits. The news media doesn’t exactly shed the best light on this important financial safety net, and politicians can be overly broad and biting in their critique of the program and how the Social Security Administration runs it. But the fact is that many people who are receiving SSD benefits view the arrangement as temporary – they want to get back to work as soon as possible.
For these individuals, this is where the “Ticket to Work” program may prove to be useful. As a recent article noted, the “Ticket to Work” program that the SSA runs is intended to help those who receive SSD benefits and who want to get back into the workforce. Specifically, the biggest benefit of the program is that it allows SSD recipients a trial period whereby they can attempt to work and earn an income, while at the same time seeing no change to the status of the SSD benefits that they receive.
Anyone who participates in the Ticket to Work program can earn as much as they want during nine trial months in a five-year period of time. During those particular months, there will be no reduction in the amount of SSD benefits the recipient receives. However, after that, if the recipient continues to maintain employment and earn a substantial income, SSD benefits may be reduced accordingly.
Social Security Disability is in place to help those who have worked and contributed to the SSD fund. It is good to know that this financial safety net is there when it is needed, but it is also good to know that the Social Security Administration recognizes that many people yearn to return to work as soon as they are able to do so.
Source: Revere Journal, “SSDI and the Ticket to Work Program,” Russell Gloor, Oct. 27, 2017