Disability Employment Initiative
(DEI)
Ticket to Work Boot Camp:
Advanced Operations
EN Staffing & Services: Marketing & Outreach
Hosted/Facilitated by:
Miranda Kennedy, NDI Technical Assistance Team
Presented by:
Kevin Nickerson, NDI Technical Assistance Team &
Michael Greenberg, Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
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
DEI Projects at the state level and/or local level participating
LWIBs are required to become Employment Networks under
Social Security Administration’s Ticket to Work Program.

Training and Technical Assistance to DEI Projects in attaining
Employment Network status and implementing effective EN
operations is provided under U.S. DOLETA contract with NDI
Consulting, Inc. and the National Disability Institute (NDI).

Evaluation of the impact of the DEI Projects implementation
and outcomes as Employment Network will be provided under
U.S. DOL ODEP contract with Social Dynamics.
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Upon completion of this training, DEI grantees will have
the following:






A better understanding of EN staffing requirements
Information to obtain Security clearance for EN staff
Typical Services provided by ENs
A better understanding of how to apply basic marketing &
outreach concepts to your TtW promotional plans &
practices
Knowledge of the role Beneficiary Access and Support
Services BASS plays in support of the Ticket to Work
program
Understanding of ways ENs can access & use BASS
resources to promote Ticket and your Workforce EN
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





EN Staffing requirements & services
Marketing and outreach concepts to promote Ticket
Role of Beneficiary Access and Support Services
(BASS)
Accessing BASS to promote Ticket & Workforce
ENs
Next Steps
Q&A
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Partnership Plus
5

Employment Networks have specific staffing needs, which break down
based on two main functions:
1. Staffing needs based on Services an Employment Network provides to Ticket
holders
2. Staffing needs based on the Administration requirements of an Employment
Network

In order to sort out the staffing needs of an Employment Network, you
must examine the types of services you will provide Ticket holders

The EN Business Model Checklist & Planning Guide can help you
examine staffing needs, amongst other considerations in developing
EN operations

Administrative requirements of ENs are similar, regardless of whether it
is a One-Stop/EN, private EN, or State VR agency, although there are
new, and effective tools to help streamline the administrative burden for
Workforce ENs, that have been developed over the last couple of years
Providing EN Services

Every EN, according to SSA, is expected to provide at a minimum:
◦ Career Counseling Services
◦ Job Placement / Matching Services
◦ Follow-up Services

Beyond these services, ENs typically provide a variety of other services
beyond the core services SSA expects of each EN

ENs must outline the services they will provide in the Request For
Quotation (Formerly an RFP, Request for Proposal) submitted to
become an EN
NOTE: RFQ (Solicitation Number: SSA-RFQ-11-0010J can be found at:
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=c1f31099bf457054387c61e84abdc456
&tab=core&_cview=0
Providing EN Services

Typical Services Offered by ENs might include:
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Career Counseling
Job Placement / Matching
SSA Benefits Advisement (in-house, or by referral)
Resume development & Interviewing preparation
Job Search training / assistance
Referrals to supportive services / providers
Registration with One-Stop Career Center
Long-term follow-up supports
Job accommodation instruction & assistance
Assistance providing information / support with employers regarding
Tax Incentives for hiring qualified individuals with disabilities
◦ Long-term Asset Development strategies (i.e. home ownership, etc.)
Providing EN Services in a One-Stop
Career Center

Additional Services a One-Stop / EN can provide:
◦ Individual Training Accounts are a unique draw to the One-Stop for Ticket
beneficiaries, although certain eligibility requirements apply
◦ Youth services may be another unique niche the One-Stop can fill as an
Employment Network, and may be one of your Strategic Service Delivery
Components as a DEI Pilot Site
◦ The use of full wage subsidy in youth programs translates to earnings for
Ticket holders, which may qualify your One-Stop for payments via
Milestones and/or Outcomes achieved
◦ Training programs for older workers, like Experience Works, typically
located in One-Stop Career Centers, can provide subsidized wage
employment for training purposes
Staffing
Staff
Outreach
&
Marketing
EN
Coordinator –
Likely the
DRC
X
Various Job
Developers /
One-Stop
Employment
Counselor /
DRC
X
Administrativ
e Support
X
Collaborative
Agency / Or
Internal Staff
with expertise
X
Benefits
Advisement
Intake &
Assessment
Job Development
/ Service Delivery
File
Management
X
Billing &
Tracking
X
X
X
?
?
?
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Security and Suitability
Paragraph H: EN Security and Suitability
Requirements



Purpose of this clause is to provide SSA policies and procedures re:
background investigations
Investigations are to determine the suitability of the EN to acquire,
handle, and have access to beneficiary personally identifiable
information (PII)
EN suitability process does not begin until after the Blanket
Purchase Agreement (BPA) is awarded; at this time, only EN staff
names who acquire, handle, or have access to PII are required
Slide provided by Emily Malsch, Maximus,
Operations Support Manager

Step 1: after BPA award received, EN to submit cover letter to SSA that
provides EN name, the EN contract number, the Signatory Authority name
and contact information, and each applicant’s full name, Social Security
number (SSN), date of birth, and place of birth

Step 2: Signatory Authority receives eQIP (http://www.opm.gov/e-qip/)
invitation; time sensitive, must send to each applicant listed in cover letter;
each applicant to complete eQIP

Step 3: Each applicant completes paper forms- OF306, Fair Credit
Reporting Act (FCRA) Authorization Form, and FD-258, Applicant
Fingerprint Chart (sent by SSA, 2 charts per applicant, ink or electronic
captured)

Step 4: Forms submission- eQIP signature page, OF306, FCRA, Fingerprint
charts
EN security/suitability questions? Email ENSuitability@ssa.gov
Slide provided by Emily Malsch, Maximus,
Operations Support Manager

Only Workforce EN staff that have contact with Personally Identifiable
Information (PII) received directly from SSA through its Operations Support
Manager (MAXIMUS) need to request suitability determination. This would
include:
- Employee(s) responsible for direct management of the EN activity
- Employee(s) responsible for maintaining, sending, and receiving any SSA
beneficiary data files furnished by SSA through its Operations Support
Manager, MAXIMUS
- Employee(s) who handles the Beneficiary Referral CD used for
beneficiary outreach purposes
- Employee(s) identified by the organization as a Ticket to Work
Coordinator, Disability Specialist, Disability Program Navigator, or
Disability Resource Coordinator who has Ticket to Work customers as
their primary customer base.
Slide provided by Emily Malsch, Maximus,
Operations Support Manager

At a minimum PII includes:
Person’s name
Social Security No.
Medical Information
Driver’s license/ ID No.
No.
Social Security Benefit Data

Alien Registration No.
Date of Birth
Home Address
Government Passport
Only one single, individual PII element is permitted
in email communications
Slide provided by Emily Malsch, Maximus,
Operations Support Manager
Ongoing Assessment of Staff Needs
Staffing

Professional Development of EN program staff is ongoing

Consider areas that might enhance effectiveness of EN
operations:
◦ Assessing readiness
◦ SSA Work Incentives Counseling, now of greater importance to
have internal expertise
◦ Job placement / matching and business connections
◦ Understanding of, and implementation of available Tax
Incentives for employers
◦ Services to maintain employment, career advancement, selfsufficiency
◦ Tracking earnings, billing, documentation
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How Services might look in a OneStaffing
Stop Career Center
Benefits Advisement – Based on the TtW/Benefits Basics training,
provided in March, 2012, various models to provide this service to
Ticket holders were identified, including:
◦ Resource Model – One-Stop’s partner with the Work Incentive
Planning Assistance (WIPA) project staff or Community Work Incentive
Coordinators (CWICs) to provide benefits advisement to Ticket holders,
this will likely be a task of the DRC
◦ NOTE: With WIPA projects likely ending in June 2012, this model may not be
available until a new program replaces WIPA
◦ Expert Model - DRC has understanding of how the TtW Program
operates AND has training in SSA disability benefits (SSI/SSDI) and
work incentives. Ticket holder can be provided at least core benefits
advisement internally, and may be referred to CWIC for more advanced
issues.
◦ Purchase of Services – In areas where CWICs are not readily
available to collaborate with, you may explore the purchase of these
services through the use of Ticket funding
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How Services might look in a OneStaffing
Stop Career Center
Marketing & Outreach – Ideally, all One-Stop staff should be able
to market the Ticket program, and services you offer in your OneStop
 What should One-Stop Staff know?
◦ That Ticket to Work is an SSA program for individuals on either SSI, or
SSDI benefits, for those ages 18 through 64
◦ If One-Stop customers indicate they have a disability, they might have
SSA disability benefits, and if so, may have a Ticket available for
assignment
◦ How to describe the services your One-Stop / EN offers (i.e. job search
assistance, job matching, Career Counseling, referrals, etc.)
◦ That staff of the One-Stop should have a commitment to marketing this,
along with other One-Stop services at public events, whenever possible
◦ Business Services Staff should understand, and promote, that this is
another service of the One-Stop
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How Services might look in a OneStaffing
Stop Career Center
Intake & Assessment: This is a task most likely left to those most
knowledgeable about the Ticket to Work program, and your EN
Business Model (i.e. Services you offer), and might include:
◦ One-Stop staff referring a Ticket holder to the Coordinator of EN
services (See example: Ticket to Work Staff Guide, next slide)
◦ Determining availability of a Ticket for assignment by EN Coordinator
(Can determine by contacting Maximus representative, assuming
security clearance is in place)
◦ Assessing whether Ticket holder is best served at the One-Stop / EN
based on individual need, services / training that can be offered, and
revenue potential (EN Desktop Ticket Holder Assessment Guide
developed to assist in this process)
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How Services might look in a OneStaffing
Stop Career Center
Billing & Tracking: This is a task that may be delegated to the EN
Coordinator, or may be handled at the State level for State EN models,
or could be handled within the Workforce Investment Board office.
Tasks and knowledge would include:
◦ A data-base dedicated to tracking Ticket holders, payments received, and
when to bill for next Milestone or Outcome
◦ NOTE: There are tracking tools available to assist in data collection
◦ Understanding of the billing requirements, and necessary data to process
billing requests
◦ Base level knowledge of SSA disability benefits, and how employment
impacts benefits, in order to better predict and decipher whether a payment
is due to the EN
◦ NOTE: Some level of interaction with Ticket holder may be required
◦ NEW: For Workforce ENs, one of the e-Processes eliminates the need for
manual billing, called e-Pay, e-Processes will be explained in a future
webinar, and trainings are available through Maximus)
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In today’s presentation we covered:




Introduction of typical EN Staffing requirements
and Services provided by ENs
Basic marketing and outreach concepts to
promote Ticket to Work
The role the Beneficiary Access and Support
Services (BASS) plays in support of TtW program
Information on how to access BASS resources to
promote Ticket and Workforce ENs
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Attend the next Ticket to Work Boot Camp

Ticket Holder Assessment & Individual Work Plan
(IWP) Assignment - This webinar will cover the following
information:
 Assessment strategies
 Overview of Ticket Holder Assessment Guide
 Case Studies
 Ticket Assignment Registration logistics for next training


Date and time: Tuesday, May 22, 2012 from 3:00 pm –
4:30 pm Eastern Daylight Time
Registration Link:
https://ndi.webex.com/ndi/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=960073516
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If you have a comment or
question you can :
A: Submit it to the host in writing
via the Chat or Q&A Box to the
right, or…
B: Click on the “raise hand” icon
to have your line un-muted and
ask your question/make your
comment.
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Michael Greenberg
Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
Phone: (301) 325-1128
Email: greenberg_michael@bah.com
Kevin Nickerson
NDI Technical Assistance Team
Phone: (607) 272-7570 Ext. 136
Email: knickerson@ndi-inc.org
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