Letter of Agreement Regarding the Social Security Administration Ticket to Work Program

 

Between

 

The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation

 

And

 

The Department of Employment and Training

 

July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2002

 

Purpose

 

This Cooperative Agreement is entered into by the Vermont Department of Aging and Disabilities, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (hereinafter called DVR) and the Department of Employment and Training's (hereinafter called DET) One-Stop Career Resource Center System regarding the Social Security Administration Ticket to Work Program.  The purpose of this agreement is to develop a Joint Employment Network Partnership Agreement between DVR and DET under the SSA Ticket to Work Program.  The goals of this agreement are as follows:

 

·        To build on and strengthen the existing partnership between DVR and DET around the provision of vocational and related employment services for joint consumers.

 

·        To ensure best practices and ethical standards are maintained and that the consumer's rights and meaningful choices are respected.

 

·        To maximize appropriate outcome and reimbursement payments to the Joint Employment Network Partnership available under the Ticket to Work Program.

 

·        To minimize the administrative burden associated with the Ticket to Work Program.

 

·        To expand resources for vocational and employment services for joint DVR and DET consumers.

 

This agreement was developed by the DET/DVR Ticket to Work designated representatives.  The designated representatives from DET and DVR will meet periodically during the term of this agreement to review progress and problem solve around issues or barriers that may emerge.

Roles and Responsibilities

 

DVR

 

DVR will take on the role of administrative agent for the Joint Employment Network Partnership.  As such DVR will be the Employment Network of record for all DET consumers who choose to assign their ticket to the Joint Employment Network Partnership.  DVR will perform the administrative functions associated with the Ticket Program including enrollment, reporting and billing functions.  These will include the following:

 

[1] DVR will activate the Tickets of all Joint Employment Network consumers with the Program Manager Maximus (unless otherwise directed by the local DVR counselor or DET/One-Stop staff person).[1]

 

[2] DVR and DET will determine the system of payment (reimbursement or outcome) to be selected for each consumer.

 

[3] DVR will maintain individual vocational plans on all consumers who assign their Tickets with the Joint Employment Network Partnership.[2]

 

[4] DVR will provide all the required reporting for the Joint Employment Network to the Program Manager.

 

[5] DVR will bill SSA for all appropriate outcome or reimbursement payments for the Joint Employment Network Partnership.

 

DET

 

DET will join with DVR in a Joint Employment Network Partnership for the SSA Ticket to Work Program.  As such DVR will be the Employment Network of record for all Joint Employment Network consumers.  As part of the Joint Employment Network, DET will do the following:

 

[1] DET will identify a staff person or persons to be the Ticket liaison for the agency.  This will include a key contact in the One-Stops.

[2] DET staff will identify DET/One-Stop consumers who are Ticket holders who are currently working or planning to go to work.  DET staff will review the consumer's options under the Ticket Program including the following:

 

a.       To assign the Ticket to the Joint Employment Network.

b.      To assign the Ticket to another available Employment Network.

c.       To choose not to participate in the Ticket program.

 

[3] DET staff will complete and forward Ticket Assignment forms to the local DVR staff for all consumers who choose to assign their Ticket to the Joint Employment Network.  This will include consumers who are not currently open DVR cases.

 

[4] For consumers who are not open DVR cases, DET will develop and submit a vocational plan with the Ticket Assignment form.

 

Joint DVR and DET Responsibilities

 

[1] DVR and DET will work to ensure all joint consumers are informed of their rights and choices under the Ticket Program.  This will include their option not to participate in the Ticket to Work program or assign their Ticket to other available employment networks.

 

[2] DVR and DET will ensure consumers have access to information on the impact of employment on their federal and state benefits and healthcare coverage and when appropriate refer consumers to available benefits counseling services.

 

[3] Outcome and reimbursement payments available under the Ticket to Work program depend on accurate reporting of consumer wages and benefits status.  DVR and DET will work together to determine the most efficient mechanism for tracking this data for Ticket Program participants over the long term.

 

Payment

 

[1] DVR and DET will review all outcome or outcome/milestone payments for Joint Employment Network Partnership consumers on a case by case basis.

 

[2] DVR and DET will divide cost reimbursement payments on a case by case basis based on actual expenditures.[3]  Upon completion of this initial six months agreement, the payment provisions will be reviewed and changes will be made if deemed necessary.

Evaluation

 

It is recognized that the SSA Ticket to Work Program is a pilot and that all the complications of the program cannot be predicted.  In addition, the regulations for the Ticket program have not been finalized and may be changed during the term of this agreement.  Therefore, DVR and DET and the Ticket to Work Group will evaluate the effectiveness of the Joint Employment Network Partnership at the six-month point.  Specifically, the parties will evaluate the following:

 

a.       The administrative burden associated with the Ticket Program

b.      Patterns or trends of Ticket Assignment

c.       The equity and appropriateness of the payment provisions

d.      If consumer rights and choices are being respected under this agreement

 

This agreement is a good faith effort between DVR and DET to plan for the implementation of the Ticket to Work Program.  As stated, this is a new program operating under proposed regulations and neither DVR nor DET knows all the potential implications.  Therefore, it is understood this agreement does not set precedent for any future agreements regarding the Ticket to Work Program.

 

Exit Clause

 

Either party can terminate this agreement by providing the other party thirty (30) days Written notice of termination of the agreement.

 

Signed

 

 

 

 

______________________________            ______________________________

Director                                                            Commissioner

Division of Vocational Rehabilitation             Department of Employment and Training


[1] The consumer may choose to save the CDR protection under the program until they are closer to achieving their vocational goal.

[2] In most cases the existing DVR Individual Plan for Employment will be sufficient.  If the consumer is not an open DVR case DET staff will be required to develop a vocational plan for the Ticket Program.

[3] In some rare cases DVR spends a substantial amount of case service funds on a single individual.  It is essential that DVR is able to recoup these expenditures to allow the agency to continue to fund, high cost employment plans.