Changes to the Ticket to Work Regulations in 2008 Attracted Providers and Participants, but Impacts on Work and Benefits Are Unclear

The Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs, administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA), provide income support to individuals who have long-lasting medical impairments and are unable to work at a substantial level. In August 2015, around 13 million working-age adults received benefits from one or both of these programs (SSA 2015). This article presents new statistics on the extent to which beneficiaries have given up their benefits to return to work since the introduction of the Ticket to Work (TTW) program in 2002, particularly in the period before and after July 2008, when SSA significantly changed the program's regulations to spur participation among both beneficiaries and employment service providers.