Lives are turned around by the work incentive programs offered by the Social Security Administration.  Inevitably, the isolation associated with leaving the work force creates emotional burdens and potentially depression.  The ability to renew and update skills with the Ticket to Work Program in Texas will enhance your potential for employment.

I encourage all recipients to consider where they want to work and obtain training.  In Dallas, Texas, we are incredibly blessed with the Community College system. Both the Collin County and Dallas County Community Colleges provide an excellent education.  YOU WILL NOT LOSE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS in conjunction with your participation in the work incentive program.

You may be able to receive monthly benefits and continue your health care coverage during a trial work period.

For information about Social Security’s work incentives and how they can help you return to work, you should:

SSA work site at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/work.

Red Book on work incentives at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/redbook.

Review:  http://www.social security.gov/pubs and type “work” in the search box.

Ticket to Work Program Solution to Expanding Disability Roll

The Social Security Disability program was expensed at $135 billion in fiscal 2012.  Technical and demographic changes, such as later eligibility for ordinary Social Security benefits, the aging of the workforce and the rising percentage of women in the workforce are one contributing factor.  There are literally millions of people who could be retrained to work rather than receive benefits.

Te Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, economists Mary C. Daly, Brian Lucking and Jonathan A. Schwabish demonstrated the growth in Social Security Disability Insurance cases from 2.3 percent of the working-age population to 4.7 percent between 1980 and 2011 — a rate of growth double that of the working-age population as a whole.  I will address this in greater detail but the white paper suggests a structural change to diminish the long-term consequence of the expanding SSD roles and increase labor-force participation.

Our workforce needs constant retraining.  Combining better Ticket to Work incentives and programs is clearly a significant contributing factor to a long term solution.

1.  Technology mandates continued learning

2.  Community Colleges deliver excellent training environments

There is a solution.