Derek >> Good afternoon and welcome to today's Ticket to Work webinar, Ticket to Work and Mental Health. My name is Derek Shields and I'm a member of the Ticket to Work Program Manager, the moderator for this webinar. We are so pleased to have you with us today to learn about Social Security's Ticket to Work Program and how it can help you as you start or expand your path to financial independence through work. We also will be covering managing stress and other mental health strategies during the job search and work. Each of us has our own journey we hope you will get some information today that will truly help you on your path to employment. Let's get started by reviewing some of the functions of the webinar platform so you can interact and get the most information out of today's session.

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As I mentioned at the start my name is Derek Shields and I am a member of the Ticket to Work team and will be serving as the moderator for our webinar. We are also delighted to have with us Ray Cebula. He is our presenter today. Ray received his law degree from the university of New Hampshire's Franklin Pierce School of Law. He spent 23 years providing legal services to individuals with disabilities in their interactions with Social Security. He then became part of Cornell University's Work Incentives Support Center and in 2005 joined the staff of Cornell's Yang Tan Institute on Employment and Disability. He now serves as the Program Director of YTI Online, Cornell's Work Incentives Practitioner Credentialing Program.

During today's webinar, Ray will cover Social Security's Ticket Program Ticket to Work Service Providers, and importantly, managing stress during a job search and on the job. It is now my pleasure to introduce Ray, for him to begin with an introduction to the Ticket to Work Program. Over to you, Ray.

Ray >> Thank you, Derek. Can you hear me?

Derek >> Confirmed, yes, go ahead.

Ray >> Right, thank you so much, Derek. I just wanted to make sure. Okay, let's move right into the Ticket to Work Program. Um, the Ticket to Work it says here, support your journey to work, and that's exactly what it does and we've got to go through some basics that are going to relate to your individual situations in order to get you prepared to start using that Ticket or taking that journey to work. We've got two different disability programs and they are very, very different. Social Security, the Administration, does administer both benefits. The first one you can see is SSDI or Social Security Disability Insurance. It is exactly what it says, it's an insurance plan in order to be insured one needs to work, pay FICA taxes and you're buying credits. Yeah and those credits are going to eventually insure you. They're going to insure you for retirement, they're going to reassure you, insure you against disability if a disability prevents you from working. So these are folks who have worked and have worked enough and have paid in sufficiently in order to draw back. The other program is SSI, Supplemental Security Income. Notice there's no insurance there and this is not an insurance plan. It is basically a Federal welfare program that's paid to the aged, blind and disabled. Yet it's -- the amounts are going to be fairly similar because there's a Federal benefits rate. This does not require work activity at all, it doesn't require that you've paid in. So people who have, have, have worked and may have a low benefit could potentially get an SSI supplement. People who have not worked at all could get a full payment. Yeah, and sometimes people who work just don't work long enough if that disabling condition prevents that, that person might not be fully insured for SSDI but will be eligible for SSI. Two very, very different programs and the people who are going to be on your employment team need to know and they need to be sure which benefit you're on and how much you're receiving.

And how do you find out that? You know you'll get notices from Social Security, uh, that will every year you get one that says what your benefit's gonna be for the new year. That's a great thing to hang on to but we can't wait until January because it's only June. So why not sign up for a my Social Security account. You know they are absolutely wonderful things. I had one very early on and I use it, you know, I use it quite regularly.

You can sign up at Social Security, you know there's a Web pod in your, uh, box, Web pod box that will get you to that. Go on the website socialsecurity.gov or ssa.gov that's going to get you there. What you can find out is what did I earn last year?

What did I earn last year? You know I will be looking in probably April when I get my notice from Social Security. That says time to check to see if your wages are okay, you know what happens if I retire today? That website is going to tell me what I'm going to get, what my family members might get. You know it's going to give me a lot of information and that could be a good source of information to get what you need for your employment team. So I'm going to encourage you all and I know some of you are here every month with us. If you haven't done it yet, do it today.

So starting that journey to work it is a big decision. Yeah, and we are not here to make that decision for you. We need to give you all of the information we can possibly give you to allow you to make the right choice and only you can make this decision. You know, we don't want to tell you what kind of job you can have or how much you should be working or whether or not you should. You know, we give information if you return to work this is what we can see happening and better to know before you start. Talk to us, we'll help you make that decision. But, again, this is up to you. So why choose work? You know, they're, not everybody's going to be able to make a living through work but that's not the goal here the goal is to work. You know, I think that once you make that decision and you're leaving your home or you're coming into where your computer is to work from home, yeah, you're going to understand why we encourage work. You're engaged with people, even if it is through one of these machines, you know your mind is focused on work. You're not focused on what ails you. You're not focused on what's going on in the world, you're focused on work. And there is product from what you're creating. This is a good thing and it helps people and encourages people to stay at work. I think once you understand after today what kinds of free services and supports are going to be available to you that work is going to far outweigh the risks. You know, cash benefits in SSI are going to go down because you're working if you work over a certain level. Your SSDI benefits may go away for a while but you're always going to have more money. Yeah and I didn't mention healthcare because healthcare is going to last so long you really don't need to worry about it too much. There's got to be a plan for you that's prepared that will let you know all of this.

The Ticket to Work. You know, this program started in uh it was Bill Clinton signed it in December of 1999. It is a free and voluntary Social Security Program and it can provide career development and all kinds of other services to peoples aged, aged 18 through 64 who receive a Social Security disability check, either SSI or SSDI, and want to go to work. It's free and voluntary. If you want to do this after you've talked with people, that's fine. No charge, you know, no charge. I'm sure if you choose not to go to work the first time we're going to give you lots of information and say come on back after you think about it. So you get connected through the Ticket to Work with free employment services and what can we help you do. There's a team there, are all kinds of people on this team. We'll talk about those individuals later. But how do you decide if it works right for you or not? You know what if you don't know what your capacity to work is? You were working full-time you became disabled and now you're not sure if it's 10 hours a week or 20 hours a week. We can help you figure that out. How to prepare for work. There are lots of us who have been sitting at home working for a long time and if we were to have to if we were to go back into an office we would need to prepare for that. You know, how are we going to get ready for that? What if you are relearning your job? You're using a prosthetic device now and I need some training so that I can, I can do the job, I just need to learn how to do it with this prosthetic. What about training? You know, I've been disabled and out of work for 10 years. I was working on computers and I know enough about computers that they're not the same thing. I need some training to get my skills updated. Help finding a job. You know, the Employment Networks who are part of this team of yours tend to have local connections and they will know who is hiring, which companies are hiring, what's the best company out there in their opinion, you know, to work with somebody with your disability. Yeah, help you get your resume put together. Yeah, help you with interview practice. Yeah, and then look at that last bullet, succeed at work. Just because we found you a job doesn't mean we're going to let you go, you know we don't want to do that. We want to make sure that for several months after you begin we can continue to work with you and be there to support you if that's necessary. You know, getting you into a job situation and have something go wrong shouldn't mean you have to quit we can help you work around that so ongoing on the job supports if needed and just ongoing support for your efforts. You can learn more is at what is Social Security's Ticket to Work in the Web pod box. The Ticket to Work Helpline, you know, we have this great place where you can start, you know if you're not sure who to make contact with in your community, the Helpline is a good place. They'll get you in contact with somebody in your local area, yeah, and help you with some information to get this journey to financial independence working. And you can call that Ticket to Work Helpline Monday through Friday 8 a.m to 8 p.m Eastern time and that phone number is

1-866-968-7842 and if you use a TTY it's 1-866-833-2961.

So who are these providers? I told you, you have an employment team out there and now we need to talk about the members of that team. You may need all of them, you may need one of them, but we're all waiting to help.

Who can achieve, who can help you achieve your work goals? Well, look at the providers, Employment Networks, otherwise known as ENs. Workforce ENs. You know, we're talking about the Job Centers, you know the One Stops. You know, uh, and those people are, you know, fabulous. That's a great first stop because they're going to give you access to computers not only to help you do that resume but also to help you start the search. How about the VR agencies. Your State VR Agency, they're a big player in this if you need some serious rehabilitation services or some serious educational training, anything like that, that's where you're likely to get those services. The WIPA Programs, the Work Incentive Planning and Assistance Programs, are out there to help you determine what might happen to your benefits and they're going to look at your Social Security benefits. They're going to look at your health care. If you're receiving SNAP benefits, they're going to look at that. Maybe you're in subsidized housing, they're going to look at that. And if you return to work, what's going to happen to each of those benefits and when and that's a great thing to know. There are not supposed to be surprises and we don't want a surprise happening, you know, particularly when you're concerned about health care and finances. The last player on your team is the PABSS program, Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security. This is the legal wing of things. If you have a question about how do I ask this brand new employer for a reasonable accommodation? PABSS can help you. You know, talk you through that if you're really uncomfortable about it, and lots of people are. They may talk with your employer with you, you know, if, they're in every state, so they can be called upon to assist with any barriers to employment.

Now let's get a little deeper into each one. That Employment Network, the EN, is a private or public organization that has an agreement with Social Security to provide you with free employment services, the whole gamut. Yeah, you have to be eligible for that Ticket, so you're aged 18 through age 64. You know again many state public Workforce Systems, the American Job Centers are Employment Networks, too. We just call them Workforce ENs.

How can an EN help you? Lots of things. I, I think this is everything, everybody needs regardless of their situation to find a job. You know the goal here is financial independence through work. We can help you identify your work goals and maybe you don't want to just get a job, maybe you want that job to turn into a career. Well let's get a job and we'll work towards the promotions that you need so that you're on a career path. You know, what are your interests? If you don't have a recent work history, many people have interests that they're passionate about that can be turned into jobs. How about writing that resume? You know, I always tell this story to everybody. I haven't written a resume in 25 years and if I needed a resume today I would have no clue where to start because they change. They don't look like they used to look. I need help preparing for interviews, your interviews are a very tense situation, they just are. Yeah, you need to have answers, you know you, need to be able to ask questions when they say "Do you have questions of us?" Practice and preparing those questions are really critical to your making a good show of yourself. Reasonable accommodations we talked about. You need to ask for them. You know employers may be a little bit reticent at times because they don't quite know what you're going to ask for, how much it's going to cost. We know statistically that the average accommodation is still around five hundred dollars, so it's not going to break the bank, but how do you do that? How do you do that without letting somebody know you're on benefits if that's what your choice is? Very hard not to involve a disability. You have to say what's wrong and why you need the accommodation. But talk to somebody about that before you do it and receiving benefits counselors. Lots of ENs have benefits counselors right on staff and again the WIPA programs are available in your area if the Employment Network you're working with does not have a counselor.

Now on to State VR. State VR provides a lot of services to people with disabilities. Yeah, and the goal for the State VR Agency is to get people back into the workforce. That may be by entering a new line of work, you know, or the first time job. You know you could very well be you know that you've not tried to work yet and you're thinking about it. That's okay. Yeah, let's start and get this process going. So the State VR Agency can offer benefits counseling as well. You know, lots of folks, lots of State VR agencies have entire staffs who are dedicated to benefits planning. Vocational rehabilitation. What do you need? What do we have to do? I mentioned that prosthetic device. Do you need to be fit for one and then be trained to use it? You know, it's one thing to get a prosthetic hand, it's another thing to make it work on a typewriter. So there's training involved with that to get you back into the workforce. Training and education on anything. You know, I mentioned earlier retraining. Can you do your old job in a different way? Do you need that training to get your computer skills updated? You know, or are you looking for, you know, a basic community college education? You want to be a teaching assistant, you need a two-year associate's degree. Community college can get that for you. VR can help you get to the community college.

There's this new kid on the block called Partnership Plus.

Which I think is great. I think it's the best thing since sliced bread. You used to have to get your Ticket to either VR or an EN. Now you don't have to anymore. If you want to work with the state agency because you want to go to school for two years, you can do that and then when you finish that goal of getting that training a private EN can take the Ticket and help you get the job, get what you need to get started. It's the best of both worlds, it really is, because you get the heavy hitter State VR and the education paid for and then the smaller player, the Employment Networks, you know who are there to focus on getting you placed, supporting that transition to work. It's a really, really good deal. If your state doesn't have a formal Partnership Plus agreement you can still work with an EN after your case closes. Partnership Plus just sort of seals the deal. Look at that Partnership Plus Fact Sheet in the Web Link pod, it's really a good program. And now the WIPAs, the Work Incentive Planning and Assistance Programs. They are staffed by Community Work Incentive Coordinators, uh or CWICs, and they provide free benefits counseling. You have to be a Social Security disability recipient, SSI or SSDI. And they're going to talk to you about how you're attaining a job and beginning to earn income is going to affect your SSDI and your SSI. And I'm going to tell you right now this is why you need to know what benefit you have and how much it is. The rules are remarkably different for both programs. How about Medicare or Medicaid? Is there any risk to that at all? When will that become apparent if we just use Medicare and I tell you seven and a half years after you use up your Trial Work Period? That's a signal to not worry about it for the first five years. If everything is going well, we'll talk about it five years from now, right now focus on work because your Medicare is fine. How about to help you understand the work incentives? Again, different work incentives for each program. SSI has some. SSDI has some. There are lots of them, you know there are so many of them, yeah that, yeah it's got to surprise you. And what they're used for is to deduct countable income. If you earn a thousand dollars a month, you know, we could use some more incentives to show that. You know, Social Security is only going to worry about 500 of it. Yeah, it, these things are really, really exciting. I mean if they weren't exciting I wouldn't spent my career using them. But they are wonderful work incentives and you got to know that they're there to help ease this transition and make it comfortable for you to watch those benefits shrink away because there's always more. How about explaining the potential benefits of employment and dispelling the myths about work, and there are lots of benefits to work you know that are beyond that paycheck. Yeah and I know that your first concern is going to be the paycheck, that's my first concern, too. But, you know, I have three dogs because i work. You know, I have a house because I work. I have a car because I work. And those things you can't take for granted. You know, I went to the movies for the first time since the lockdown last weekend and it was like "I went to the movies" -- if i wasn't working I couldn't do that. And so, simple things that are out there yeah and I know it's all about the finances but we're going to make that make sense to you so that you can just enjoy life a bit more. How about help you decide if the services and supports are right for you? Yeah, let's go back to the ENs. You know, Employment Networks tend to work with a specific disability population. So if I am blind and I go to an EN who specializes in physical impairments that doesn't sound like a good match. Yeah, and so maybe the WIPA program can refer you to a more appropriate EN. And I, I hope you've noticed throughout all of this that there's no wrong door, whatever door you knock on it's going to be the right door. Who do the WIPA projects serve? Right now they're serving people who are currently employed or self-employed or have job offers pending or are actively interviewing for jobs. That means you had an interview in the past 30 days or you have one scheduled in the next two weeks. There's a special category for transition aged youth aged 14 to 25, even if they're just beginning to think about the topic of work. So if you don't fall into those categories don't be leery there are other benefits planners out there and most certainly your WIPA program can get you to those.

Now the last one is the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security. Now, this agency, the Protection and Advocacy agency in your state, usually Disability Rights California, Disability Rights Oregon, something to that effect, they're going to provide you with legal support. How do I ask for a reasonable accommodation? What kind of accommodation am I entitled to?

Well that can be had by talking with the PABSS program. What about advocacy? You asked for a reasonable accommodation, it was denied, and now you need to take this up one step more and you would like an advocate to work with you. How about help with resolving employment concerns with employers, Social Security, an Employment Network, a State VR Agency, a WIPA project, or somebody else? This is kind of like a watchdog that can help you navigate this entire system if it gets too confusing and things just aren't working right. Yeah, so remember give them a call as well. PABSS can help you navigate these organizations and services so that your work effort will be supported and all of your rights will be protected. Again, requesting reasonable accommodations, that includes in college classes and training courses, licensing programs, as well as the workplace. If i'm going to community college for that teaching assistant degree, what if i need somebody to take notes for me? That's a reasonable accommodation. Most community colleges are superb at that, but PABSS is there if they happen to say no. And, of course, addressing other disability-based legal issues that are barriers to employment.

So how do you find these people?

You know there is a Find Help page that's in your Web Link pod as well and you're able to search by zip code by the services offered. That's a great one. Is somebody not going to be able to get you a training course that you want to but they will be doing the resumes and the placement. Disability type, that's critical you know. I don't want, you know, I told you, if I had blindness I don't want to be working with somebody who only deals with physical impairments. What language is available? if your first language is Spanish and you feel more confident and able to communicate in that language, you can look for an EN or a PABSS program or a WIPA that can provide you services in Spanish. Or simply by provider type. You know, do you want to reach out to an EN just to start search for ENs? You know, if you don't narrow your search, of course you can get I think too much information. But I want to talk to a benefits planner first, so click the WIPA box and you'll get the list of WIPA programs that can help you. Very easy thing and I am at the point in my life where I say “If I can do it, anybody can do it.” Yeah, and last but not least, do not forget that Ticket to Work Helpline. You know, they can get you a list of, uh, service providers in your area. And all you need to do is dial 1-866-968-7842

or 1-866-833-2967

for TTY users Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time.

All right, Derek, with the first question break.

Derek >> Excellent. Thank you, Ray, for covering the Ticket Program and all the details. You know, you went through a lot of great content. I wrote down one thing you said, it really resonated with me -- the goal here is financial independence through work -- and then you really covered all the providers there that can help in navigating that pathway. So, um, yes, we are taking a couple breaks for questions. This is the first one and as a reminder we encourage you to submit your questions so Ray is able to answer them. And, if we are not able to get to all of them, we, you know, or they're too specific in this venue, then you know we'll navigate the ones that are appropriate here and we're going to try to get to as many as possible, right. We do have some questions that have come in so the first one, you know, going back to what you said about SSDI and SSI, we had a question: Can a person have both SSDI and SSI? Ray >> Absolutely, um, and I probably did not explain myself well enough. You know, when you're working and paying into the system what comes out as an SSDI benefit is based on that. Yeah, if you're making a whole lot of money there's going to be a higher benefit, if you're making minimum wage there's going to be a lower benefit. If that SSDI benefit is below the threshold for SSI, you could very easily receive SSI as well. That doesn't prevent anything from what I said from happening it just means that you really need to be thorough, you know, you need that my Social Security account so that you can tell whoever you're going to work with how much you get in SSDI, how much you get in SSI. Because, as I said, the work incentives are all different. In order to have them applied to each program separately it gets a little confusing but it's certainly doable. So, yes, lots of people have both benefits.

Derek >> Excellent. Thanks for providing that clarity there. And, of course, encouraging people to contact the service providers to help navigate each person's unique situation, right. Next question came in: How long does a VR program last? You covered working with the State VR agencies, is there some type of time limitation for working with a VR program? Ray >> Well, you know, I think a lot of them would like there to be but you really can't do that. You know, I, if I, to be that teaching assistant, my plan is going to last at least two years, right. Because that's how long it takes to get through school. And you add a disability to that maybe I can't take a full caseload so we need to stretch that out a little more. So they're very individualized plans, you know, and they can last several years. If you need a four-year degree and it's going to take you six years to earn that degree we've got a long plan and so it is individualized. You know, it's your plan for employment and no one's going to say look and if you can't get a four-year degree in four years we're not going to help you. And the fact of the matter is that it takes at least five years for almost any student to finish a four-year degree nowadays. So this is custom work.

Derek >> Excellent. Thank you for, for that answer. Sticking with the VR theme here, the question came in: When my case is closed with the VR can I then assign my Ticket to the Employment Network? You talked a little bit about, yeah, you talked a little bit about Partnership Plus, but describe that again and be clear on with or without Partnership Plus how somebody does that, okay? Ray >> Yeah, um Partnership Plus is going to be floating around there and I said you could do the same thing without Partnership Plus in your state. So we can leave Partnership Plus as the overall umbrella. This is for you to make that decision if you need VR, the State VR agency, to get help, get you that two-year degree. Yeah that's fine. What has to happen is the State VR agency takes your Ticket and puts it in-use status, that's a good thing. They are using the Ticket, you're getting your protections that come with using the Ticket. Then when your case is closed, you can take that Ticket and assign it to an Employment Network. Yeah, and it's a great plan. You know, that's how Partnership Plus works. The steps even if Partnership Plus doesn't exist in your state are the same. So we're going to, to VR, getting our services, yeah and we're not assigning a Ticket, it's in use at the end of the VR plan. When your case is closed, your Ticket can then be assigned to an EN who might be there to help place you or if VR has placed you in a job, would be providing on the job supports or supports in other ways to you. It might be necessary for you to just talk to people. You know, I need somebody there who's watching. I just need to be connected with somebody so that I can discuss what's going on, you know, how am I being treated in the workplace. Is my employer, you know, you know, understanding what I need as a disabled worker? You know, lots of kinds of support like that. Um, and that is the best of both worlds. It does work in states without Partnership Plus the same way. So just remember in use with State VR assignment to the Employment Network.

Derek >> Excellent, that's really helpful. It allows for the question to be answered but also really goes into the slight difference in word choice there -- in use with VR, assigned to the Employment Network, and an individual can choose the Employment Network that they prefer. And you mentioned how to find that and we'll revisit the Find Help tool and the Help Line, too. Right, we have one, we have one more question and then we'll probably transition back so we can get into your next segment. This question came in and it's a, it's really about age: What if a person isn't quite yet 65, they're not 65, maybe a month before, can they still apply it to Ticket to Work and they still use their Ticket?

Ray >> That's a really good question you know. And I'm not sure of the logic behind it. I know that when I started working, 65 was retirement age. So people aren't expected to work, yeah, and that's not quite real now. People just continue to work. But the Ticket says 65. Now you can take your Ticket to State VR again. You can take your Ticket to an Employment Network. And the question is if the Ticket terminates at age 65 and you walk in at 64 and 6 months is there time for the Employment Network of State VR to use that Ticket, yeah, and get you anywhere? I mean, what's the possibility, you know? So 64 is calling it close. Yeah, um, I very much support an increase in that because people are working. You know, I turned 65 almost a year ago and I'm still going at it and I don't intend to stop anytime soon. Um, so, but I think you got to just think about what you need as somebody who's close to 65 and whether it can even be had in the time you have because right now the Ticket stops at age 65.

Derek >> Excellent, thanks for that, Ray. Um, we'll, we'll add one more here. Um, somebody has asked: How can I find the PABSS? So you mentioned the different service providers and you, of course, covered the Protection and Advocacy organizations. You just remind us how somebody could find a PABSS that would serve them? Ray >> Well, you can use that help tool and that's in your Web Link box. That's easy enough and you would put your zip code in, click PABSS so you don't get responses to anything else and they would be there, you know, depending on the state you're in. I said they're usually Disability Rights New Mexico, Disability Rights California. You could Google ‘disability rights’ and the name of your state and likely find that number, too.

Derek >> Excellent, thanks for, for answering these questions that have been coming in, Ray. And, I, I did bring up the find service provider page so as Ray was saying that you could go to the Find Help page and, um, bring up, uh, PABSS and, uh, by your zip code if you like. I also just wanted to revisit the importance of the Ticket to Work Helpline, where I mentioned these before and just going to repeat the telephone numbers there for service providers. You can get a list of service providers that is really customized for you from our Helpline team at 1-866-968-7842

or through TTY at 1-866-833-2967.

And so with that, Ray, I'm going to send it back to you. I appreciate your advice but let's move forward now so you can focus in really on our theme today around mental health and managing stress during a job search and on the job. So back to you. Ray >> Right, absolutely, thank you, Derek. All right, so we are going to talk about managing stress. You know, um, a job search is going to be clearly stressful. You know, on the job can be, too. I can assure you this has not been a great week for me and we're gonna figure out some tips as to how to deal with that when it happens. So what is mental health? You know, we, there's a lot of talk about mental health nowadays, you know. But mental health is much broader than everybody makes it out to be. You know it includes your emotional status, your psychological status, and your overall social well-being. It affects everything. It affects how you think. It affects how you feel. It certainly affects how you act. Yeah, and we need to understand that, that mental health encompasses everything. It also helps you determine how you're going to handle stress. I didn't do a good job of that yesterday. Yeah, how you relate to others and what choices you're making when you're stressed as opposed to when you're not. So this is super encompassing theme that, let's just narrow the world down to workers -- that every worker is going to face and stress is a big deal. You know stress affects everybody and affects everybody differently. It affects your mood, it can increase symptoms of another mental illness, anxiety. I, you know, throw a good dash of stress on top of that anxiety, you're going to react in a situation where one and one is three because you're compounding things. Depression, the same way. Add stress on top of that. And then we have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and that is a serious illness that affects lots of people, lots of people based on very different circumstances. So if you notice what your own triggers are, what are your own signs of stress? Sleeplessness, lack of focus? You know, if you see those coming on can we then take steps to manage that stress so that the negative effects are sort of set aside or diminished a bit. We just need to figure out what our little triggers are. We all have buttons to push and they're all different.

Here comes, the work is more than a job. You know, I mean, it truly is. You know, I'm here to tell you that it helped yesterday that I had a job setting goals. You know you have a sense of purpose. Now you have to get up, you have to get out of bed, you have to get to work and you have certain things to do. So what about the goals that your employer sets for you as opposed to the goals you want to set for yourself? I mentioned, somebody earlier, that we got them a job but they didn't want to do that job, they wanted to do a bigger job and make this a career. Well you got to start someplace. So do the job but set your goals. A promotion should happen within two years. You know, what new skills can I develop to help me get that promotion? Yeah and this goal and clicking off every little step you take towards it is a great way not only to motivate yourself but to watch your self-esteem increase. And you got to feel good about yourself. You know, stress doesn't help that but you got to feel good. We all have the basic human right to feel good about ourselves and believe in ourselves. You know, working is a way of investing you, you, in your future.

While you're earning more income you're gaining more independence, you have more choice. You can do things you weren't able to do before because of the lack of money, you know. So there's a lot of good things and when I tell you if you're suffering from lack of focus and you go to work and you have a task to do, you know how to do it, and once you get your head wrapped around that task the stress is going to be pushed into the background for a while. That's a good thing. So we got two blogs for you, you know, to check out. Mental Health and Work, you know, Job Searching with the Mental Health Condition and how about Identifying a Mental Health Friendly Employer. tTey're linked in the Web Links pod as well.

So tips for managing stress. You know, I was actually glad I read these slides yesterday. If you're working, are you looking for, try this. Make a plan. I'm a big one to write a list for the day. What do I need to do? Yeah and checking it off as I go. And when i get overwhelmed, I look down, it's like two more to go, that's it, I can do this. Yeah, it does help you feel less overwhelmed. You're making progress and you're seeing it taking care of yourself.

I didn't do a good job of that last night either. I had ice cream for dinner, you know, because I was entitled. Be mindful of your nutrition. Make sure you're taking your medications on time regardless of what type they are. How about sleep schedules. You know, it's a good thing to go to bed at the same time every night. I know that sounds like I'm your parent right now but it does work you know and schedule things so that you know you're gonna feel your best at the other end. And ask for help. There's no sin in that we've all asked for help, we've asked for professional help, we've talked to friends. You know, I just need to talk, that's okay things don't always go as they're planned but asking friends, family or a professional for support can help you stay on track and adapt to changes. And we've been in a tough situation for the last two and a half years. You know it was stressful for everybody and somehow a lot of us adapted. You know, change is going to happen and now we're trying to adapt back, you know. So it's all stressful. Just take some steps and you probably have your own methods. You go into the other room and do some deep breathing, you know, that works. It takes about two minutes. Learn more at the blogs again in your Web Links pod: Mental Health Month, Managing Stress During Job Search.

Managing stress on the job. You know you have to stay organized. I think that organization is a little tool that regiments us all, puts our brain into that little mode where we're doing things. And it does help you when you work. You, like I said, you don't think about what's ailing you, you're too focused on the work. Create a dedicated workspace. You know, it could be a room in your house. It could be a corner. I know lots of people who just set up corner desks in their living room because they didn't have an extra room. One of them went so far as to put a curtain rod in the ceiling so that when she was finished with work she closed the curtain. You know, I think that's great. I happen to have a home office and when I walk out of this office to stop working I turn the lights off and shut the door. Yeah, make sure all of your important materials are organized and they are close where you need them. The last thing you need is to be focused and focused on focusing what did I do with that paper identifying your career goals? That's a good focus you know. I have been tagging clothes at Macy's for six months now and I really want to run the men's department. You know, what do I need to do because I like this job in this fashion place but I need to know how to get there. So stop thinking and focusing on that you gotta do the tagging to get there. Create a schedule. Absolutely, yeah, I mean I am one who has calendars on computers, on telephones, on paper. Yeah, and I like schedules and setting daily goals. That's your to-do list for the day at work, what do I need to do today.

Make sure it's reasonable to, make sure you get your lunch, make sure you get your breaks. How about doing a little research. You know, let's find some businesses that align with what you want to do, what are your goals. You know, if you want to run the men's department at a department store, Macy’s sounds like a good place. But there are others. Maybe you don't want to work at the big store in the mall you'd rather work in a smaller one, you'd rather work with a specific type of clothing. That's fine, just begin to do that.

Staying organized is always going to help with stress on the job because you got to get things done. That's what we all do. You know, we had to get today's session done, that was a goal for today and we're putting that goal

in steps, staying on track. Make a list of contacts you know. Who do you need to contact that first half hour in your office?

Shouldn't be work, it should be okay I am going to get this day organized so that I can complete the tasks that I need to do. You know, let's make some potential contacts for that new job. Who do I need to know in the men's department to get that promotion? Do I have to apply for that promotion? Is there a time of year they do this at Macy's or can I do it anytime? Once I've built up enough skills, is there somebody in that department who works with me? Maybe a supervisor who could mentor me? How do I get your job, Mr. Supervisor? Yeah, help me get the skills I need. You attract the jobs you apply for, you know, if you're looking for a job, you know. I mean today, in today's world, you could probably find one in a half an hour but in other times it may take a couple of weeks.

Track the jobs that you apply for, make a little chart. Macy's, did I get an interview? Yes. Have I heard back? Not yet. You know. Dillards. Did i get an interview? No, but you're still doing things. It's keeping you busy and you have accomplished a lot. You're still in that process.

Don't ever diminish going for an interview and not getting a job offer as doing nothing to become employed. That's a step you've accomplished, something. How about weekly and monthly goals?

That's a big part of my job. I have weekly, monthly and yearly goals, you know. And you're constantly on top of that. This week, what am I going to do? I know what I have to get finished this month. The end of the fiscal year? I know what I need to get done and what do I need to do for the year. I know that as well but if you take the little pieces of all kinds of work it all works easier. You know, take a week you have four of those you got the month, you know. Don't start looking at what do, I want two years from now. That's a little overwhelming. But you gotta think about it. How about consult with an Employment Network for additional support. You may have a job and if that promotion doesn't come around, talk to an EN, use that Ticket and work with somebody who knows where other businesses are who do the same type of thing and will allow you to potentially get a promotion or maybe enter that business at a higher level. You know all things that are putting so much focus on yourself and your betterment that that stress does really take a backseat. Here's some tips at work, too. Can you use a white noise machine or listen to music? You know my radio is off now. My radio is on all the time and I don't really think I'm listening to it until it's turned off, when I know it's not on and that helps. Yeah, I'm probably singing along with it while I'm doing my work and have no idea how about increased natural lighting. It may be easy enough just to you know take some curtains off of a window in your office because you'd rather have more light. What if you don't have a good size window? Are there any kind of light, I'm trying to think of what they were? I actually had them at one point, those seasonal affective disorder lamps, you know, um, that can mimic natural light. Yeah, how about just going out for your break and going for a walk? Go get a cup of coffee. Divide large assignments and tasks into tiny ones. you may have this lofty goal for this month but if you're focused on the end rather than getting to it you're going to be more overwhelmed than if you divide that up into tiny tasks. You know, let's, if it's a month goal, let's divide it into four. What do I need to get done this week to make sure I meet that goal at the end of the month?

You've got more accomplished, right, your list is getting checked off. Your to-do list. There's more being checked off, you know. So these are little tricks. Yeah, I'm, I'm a trickster. I am using these little tricks. So reducing stress at work, the Job Accommodation Network, or JAN, is a really great place, good resource for everybody who's listening. You know, modifications sometimes are called reasonable accommodations. That's okay, that's okay. You can find more information and confidential guidance on accommodations from the Job Accommodation Network, JAN. That's also in your Web Links pod, um, and don't, don't hesitate to call them, They are really, really great people and very, very helpful. Yeah, and like I said, reach out, get some help. All right, the good part about these sessions is we always have success stories. I always, I like our success stories. They're great. So our first one today is Hazel and after experiencing some mood swings and some difficulty with, you know, controlling her emotions she was diagnosed with multiple conditions: borderline personality, depression, general anxiety, a substance abuse, and an alcohol abuse disorder. You know, she entered drug and alcohol treatment and started receiving SSDI while focusing on her health.

Hazel began to volunteer but had concerns about how her disabilities would interfere with work after her earnings put a stop to her SSDI in Medicare. All real great questions. And notice she reached out, she got some help. She began volunteering, reached out and somebody talked to her about this stuff. When she was ready and motivated to work again, she contacted an Employment Network. You know, the Employment Network counselor helped her understand how working would impact her benefits, very important information, learn about the work incentives, more important information, and transition to full-time work. She transitioned to full-time work and she looks pretty happy to me. You can find more information about Hazel and Hazel's success story in the Web Links pod. And Jason has a great story, too. When he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a teenager and he looked for structure, productivity at the VR agency where he was introduced to the Ticket to Work Program. So his Ticket to Work provider helped him with career counseling education and training, writing those resumes, practicing those interviews and giving him job leads. And they developed an individual plan for employment. Notice it says individualized, it's all about Jason, not about us. In general, Jason was offered a job at five, right, region five services helping adults with developmental disabilities integrate into the community through Partnership Plus, Jason can continue accessing individualized employment services if he needs them. He finished with VR, now the ENs are waiting if he needs them. And what did he think about this? This is a great quote: I feel like I'm paying things forward. I had a support system that helped me and I like providing support for others. I guess you never know what your dream job is going to be until you find it and I really find, I really found mine. The Ticket to Work worked for me and if it can work for Jason, if it can work for Hazel, it most certainly can work for you. Now we got an inside, uh, and this is about a new program. How to get mental health help if you or somebody you know has a mental illness. There are ways to find help and visit Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, SAMSHA National Helpline, also on your Web pod, to find resources for individuals and families facing a mental illness or a substance abuse disorder now. That call helpline is 1-800-662-HELP

or 4357 or for TTY users 1-800-487-4889.

And we do have another announcement that I'm going to tell you about now and that's the new 988 number. There has, the Federal government's established uh a suicide prevention line for everybody's use and that can be reached by simply dialing 988 on your phone. Right now the states are protecting that 988 numbers, so that when this program rolls out on July 16 that number 988 anywhere in the country will get you to a suicide prevention line, uh. And if things get overwhelming please you know there is nothing wrong with reaching out for help. So we're hoping, we're not hoping people need that resource, but when you do that it is there again, It's going to roll out on the 16th of July.

And that gets us to the last questions, Derek.

Derek >> Excellent. Thank you. Ray went through a lot of great tips on managing stress during the job search and during work and I'm sure folks found those of use. And we have had some other questions come in that I'm going to ask now and I do encourage you to keep submitting your questions. Uh, we'll ask, uh, Ray a few of those and engage now and then move to wrap up. So, um, going back, um, to some earlier themes, I have a couple follow-on questions around VR again, Ray. So, first one is: Can I work with the VR to go to school or get professional training? Just want to comment on that one please? Ray >> Yeah, yeah, and the answer is easy. Absolutely, you can, you know, anything you want. You mentioned vocational training, which I think is very important but let's do education first. If you want an education, yes the VR agency can help set that up and potentially pay for it along with your books and transportation. That's pretty common, you know. Um, you know, the other the technical education, um, thing I think is so underutilized now, you know, getting a degree may not be the ticket to anything, you know, um, other than the need for more education. Yeah, but what if you want to become a plumber? What if you want to become an electrician? Yeah, I've been an attorney now for years 40 years and I cringe when an electrician or a plumber walks in the house.

These are good paying jobs and highly skilled professionals, you know. And if you want to do that and become a plumber, you know the drill, you have to go to school. So you're going to get that vocational training, you're going to be matched up with a plumber so that you get on the job training and you're being mentored by that plumber while you're learning how to actually plumb. And then you get your own master plumbing license at which point you can work for a big business or you can get your own truck and be “Ray the plumber.” You know, I don't want anybody to underestimate vocational school or those technical schools because you know we need plumbers. You know we need all of those people and you know as I said the degree may not be the right step for you. It may not be necessary. But just don't underestimate those technical schools and yeah you can do all of that. I'm sorry for the lecture.

Derek >> Well that's great and you know, to some of your other tips, before starting out with the goal and then the steps to achieve that goal. If it is working with VR to go to school or get that vocational training, like you said. So just wanted to reiterate that -- make the goal, write down your plan, and reach out to those providers that can help. So, as I mentioned right, then another question around VR is: Can you work with more than one service provider, such as a VR and an EN at the same time to help you start either on your path to work?

Ray >> That's a really good question, too, and the answer to that is no you can't work with both an EN and VR at the same time. And it's not anybody saying well no you can't do that, it's just I don't think you should either. You know, remember that VR agency is going to put together an Individualized Employment Plan, the Employment Network is going to put together an Individualized Plan for Employment. One of the other, you know there are two plans, yeah, and if you have two plans you likely have two goals and two different ways of getting to these places and I think when you put two plans together it's highly likely that you will not get one of the plans completed, you know. So that's part of experiential, you know, comment. Um, it's just not a good deal, you know, and we have that. Remember those transition age students? They have a plan too, you know, and if they're involved with three different people with three different plans, talk about stress. So no, you can't do that. You know the rules say you can't and I'm telling you it's a bad idea.

Derek >> Thanks for clarifying there, right. What about some of the other service providers you mentioned? You mentioned benefits counselors at the, the WIPAs, Protection and Advocacy at the PABSS, and the ENs. If I'm working within an EN, can I also contact a WIPA or a PABSS? Ray >> Absolutely, absolutely. Remember those five players, um, you know: the ENs, the PABSS, the WIPAs, the State VR, and the Workforce ENs are all available to you and you have to build the team that you need. Yeah, if life were perfect I would say, look, you get yourself an EN or a State VR agency and get yourself a benefits planner. You know, maybe you'll never need a PABSS person, that would be a good thing because you're not by facing legal barriers to work. Yeah, so they may all sit on your team at the beginning or you might work with an EN and a WIPA to get what you need now and if a barrier to work develops call in the PABSS. And so your team is truly your team getting the services that you need and then if there's a pothole in the road, call in another member that can provide you with something to fill in that pothole. You can customize this as much as you want.

Derek >> Thanks, Ray. That's really helpful. All right, here's another question. If I already have a job and want to change jobs can the Ticket Program help me? Ray >> Sure. You know it, that, this is another thing that they can do. The question is how can they do it? You know, if, if you're flipping burgers at Mcdonald's and you want to flip burgers at Wendy's, you know, maybe not, you know. If you have a job and you're looking for another job that either pays more or is a promotion that you're not getting the company you're with. We've been stuck on that promotion story. Yeah, that's a great thing to reach out to an Employment Network for, you know, because that Employment Network is gonna get that resume once again updated. It's a different kind of interview if you're going for a promotion in-house as opposed to going for a better job in another place. Yeah, and you know, you got a promotion, you're going to get a raise, more money that WIPA, you know, that benefits planner, has got to come back and get everything up so you know what's going to happen to all your benefits, Yeah, so yeah, that's very that's a very possible situation.

Derek >> Thanks for reviewing that, that's helpful. And, um, here's another one for you, Ray. Can you work with both a Ticket to Work service provider, I think we're talking about an Employment Network there, and an outside source like a temp agency to find a job? Ray >> yeah you know, I don't think that's going to be a problem, you know. I mean if you're looking for a temp agency to get you through this job search, yeah I mean I’d let everybody know what's going on most certainly you know it's always best when the EN and the temp service know you, know if you're comfortable sharing that information. But most certainly you know if you're beginning you, you just got out of State VR services, you're now engaging in Employment Network and you know we're going through the resume we're beginning to get the interview practice going. What do you need now to get ready to actually go to a work site? You know, do you need accommodations? Do you just need some new clothing? Something like that. Yeah, that's all infinitely doable, you know, um, and I've, I forgot what I was gonna say. Ah, yes, so you could be working with the temp agency during that month, two months, maybe three months, that you're building this relationship with your EN and getting things done with that EN to get that dream job. There's nothing wrong with that at all you know. And I think that, that's showing that you're really anxious to get out there and do stuff and start earning money, you know, and that, that's motivation as far as I can see.

Derek >> Excellent, Ray. Well, once again, we've gone through the content and we're running out of time today so I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you, Ray, for joining us and providing all the information that you've given us around the Ticket to Work Program, the service providers that are available to help, and, importantly, the guidance on managing stress during this process of both the job search but also on the job. It's been really helpful, but thank you, Ray.

Ray >> You're welcome. Thanks for having me.

Derek >> And folks, as a final reminder, Ray mentioned the new 988 number. This 988 number that becomes available on July 16th is the same national suicide prevention lifeline that we provided earlier, that number is 1-800-662-HELP.

or 66243 or via TTY at 1-800-487-4889

It's important to know that that lifeline is available for a variety of mental health crisis support that can include thoughts of suicide, mental health or substance use crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress. That lifeline will be available starting on July 16th nationally at 988.

I will now move to provide some important ways to stay connected with the Ticket Program and a few other closing comments. If you would like to know more about our monthly WISE webinars, we encourage you to subscribe to our email list and to receive our text messages to find out our topics each month to receive the links to register. To learn more about the Ticket Program employment service providers and other topics, please subscribe to the Choose Work blog to get our weekly updates sent directly to your email inbox. Both of these links can be found in the Web Links pod under WISE webinar subscription and Choose Work blog subscription.

We have learned a lot during today's webinar. So really, how should you get started on your path or continue to expand your search? As you've learned today, the Ticket to Work Program has a variety of service providers and other resources ready to help you get started. First, you can contact the Ticket to Work Helpline at 1-866-968-7842.

or for TTY at 1-866-833-2967,

that's available Monday to Friday 8 a.m to 8 p.m Eastern time. Second, you can also visit the Ticket to Work website at any time at choosework.ssa.gov.

You will find more details regarding the topics as covered in today's webinar and we'll discover the find and EN tool that was described earlier as well. You can also find us on social media or subscribe to the blog or email updates by visiting choosework.ssa.gov

forward slash contact forward slash index.html. This link will also be in your Web Links pod under the Ticket to Work contact information. You can choose how to connect with us and the important part is to make that connection in one or more of the ways that have been described.

Next, to get advice and encouragement and read stories about people who achieved financial independence with help from the Ticket to Work Program, you can opt in to receive text messages. If you're interested in receiving text messages from the Ticket Program, please text “ticket” t-i-c-k-e-t to 474747, standard messaging rates may apply. Again, please text “ticket” to 474747, standard messaging rates may apply.

Important to note, if you need to contact Social Security's Ticket to Work Program managed by the Social Security Administration's Office of Employment Support, we ask that you do so electronically instead of by postal mail. Our email address is support at choosework.ssa.gov.

Please remember, do not include Personally Identifiable Information in your email. You may also contact the Ticket to Work Helpline at 1-866 or

1-866-833-2967 for TTY, Monday through Friday 8 a.m to 8 p.m. Again, if you're sending an email or electronic transmission, transmission, please do not include Personally Identifiable Information, such as your Social Security Number, date of birth, or home address.

And, last, please join us for our next WISE webinar which will be held on Wednesday, July 27, 2022 from 3:00 to 4:30 pm Eastern time. The topic for this WISE webinar will be Reasonable Accommodations on the Path to Employment. Registration will be available soon at choosework.ssa.gov forward slash wise or please call 1-866-9688

or for TTY 1-866-833-2967.

We are also pleased to share information on the Affordable Connectivity Program, an effort to help more households get access to broadband. The Affordable Connectivity Program is a Federal Communications Commission benefit program that helps ensure that households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare and more. The program provides eligible households with a discount on broadband service and connected devices. It also provides a discount of up to thirty dollars per month through the Internet for eligible households and up to seventy five dollars per month for homes on qualifying Tribal lands. To find out if you are eligible for the program and discover how to apply, please go to fcc.gov forward slash acp.

And finally, your feedback is very important to us in planning for future webinars. Please provide your feedback and tell us what you think by taking our survey. To take the survey, you can follow the link that will pop up after the webinar or you can find the survey link in the Web Links pod or by visiting the website at choosework.ssa dot gov forward slash surveys forward slash wise. Thank you for attending today to learn about the Ticket to Work Program in support on your journey to employment along with tips for managing stress during the job search and work. Please know there are supports and people ready to help and we encourage you to reach out to begin your journey. This concludes today's webinar.