Ticket to Work e-Training Update for ENs January 2005 Please disseminate to all your staff involved with Ticket to Work. "Training Resources for the Business of Ticket" In this issue: 1. Message from the Manager 2. 2005 Work Incentives Payment Rates Announced 3. Free EN Capitalization Training Coming to a City Near You 4. The Beneficiary Referral List 5. Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) Contact Hours Available for Ticket to Work Online Courses 6. Keep Your Contact Information Up-to-Date 7. Join the January 25th EN Teleconference Training 8. Meet the MAXIMUS Training Team Message from the Training Manager: The MAXIMUS Ticket to Work Training team wishes you and your organization a prosperous and Happy New Year! Many good things are on the horizon and we look forward to bringing you the news and updates throughout the year. The first announcement of the year is the new 2005 Payment Calculation Base and Outcome and Outcome-Milestone Payment Rates. We are eagerly awaiting the expected New Proposed Regulations for public comment and new guidance on fully implementing procedures allowing employers to claim the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) for Ticket-holders. Join us this year for our new EN Forum Teleconference Series and stay connected with MAXIMUS and other ENs. Terry Martin, Ed.D. Training Manager 2005 Work Incentives Payment Rates Announced The Social Security Administration has released the 2005 payment rates used in calculating Social Security Administration work incentives. Each December new calculations and payment rates are released for the Trial Work Period (TWP) Service Month Rate, Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA), the Federal Benefit Rate (FBR), and the Payment Calculation Base (PCB). The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Resource Limit was not changed this year. Figure 1. New 2005 dollar amounts ??TWP Service Month Rate = $590 ??Non-Blind SGA Rate = $830 ??Blind SGA Rate = $1,380 ??SSI Resource Limit -Individual = $2,000 (no change) ??SSI Resource Limit - Couple = $3,000 (no change) ??SSI Federal Benefit Rate - Indvidual = $579 ??SSI Federal Benefite Rate - Couple = $869 ??Title II PCB Rate = $868.20 ??Title XVI PCB Rate = $510.23 End Figure 1 Each of these numbers can have an impact on Ticket-holders and their benefits. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Ticket-holders will see an increase in the Trial Work Period Service Month Rate from $580 to $590. The Trial Work Period allows SSDI beneficiaries to continue to receive their cash benefits until they earn nine service months over a rolling 60-month period. During the Trial Work Period, ENs can receive Milestone payments if they have chosen the Outcome-Milestone payment method, but would not receive any Outcome payments since the Ticket-holder would still receive a cash benefit. The Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) has increased $20 for non-blind individuals and $30 dollars for individuals receiving benefits due to blindness. This means that a Ticket-holder will need to earn the new increased SGA levels in order for ENs to submit a claim for Milestone payments. The Federal Benefit Rate for SSI program individuals refers to the maximum amount of federal benefit available per month. This is the starting point for calculating the monthly benefit for an SSI beneficiary. The increase means that an individual would need to earn $30 dollars more, given all other circumstances had not changed, a month to get to a zero cash benefit. The Payment Calculation Base is used as part of the formula to determine the Outcome and Milestone payments for the Ticket to Work Program. Every year, the Social Security Administration adjusts the PCB based on last year's average payment to SSI beneficiaries and last year's average payment to SSDI beneficiaries. The Outcome and Milestone payments are therefore calculated on the national average disability payment and not on the Ticket-holder's specific benefit. Figure 2: New 2005 Outcome Payment Method dollar amounts ??SSI Outcome Payment dollar amount = $204 ??Total SSI Outcome Payments Available (60 payments) = $12,240 ??SSDI Outcome Payment dollar amount = $347 ??Total SSDI Outcome Payments Available (60 payments) = $20,820 End figure 2 The Social Security Administration rounds the payments to the nearest whole dollar and has established the payment amounts for 2005. Figure 2 provides the 2005 Outcome Payment Rates and Figure 3 provides the Outcome-Milestone Payment Rates. Figure 3: New 2005 Outcome-Milestone Payment Rates ???Milestone 1: SSI = $173 and SSDI = $295 ???Milestone 2: SSI = $347 and SSDI = $590 ??Milestone 3: SSI = $694 and SSDI = $1,181 ??Milestone 4: SSI = $867 and SSDI = $1,476 When SSA disability benefits and federal SSI cash benefits are not payable t othe individual because of earnings, up to 60 outcome payments at a reduced rate are available. The calculation for these payments are 34% of PCP minus 1/60th of the milestones already paid. For SSI the payments may range from $138 to $173 and for SSDI from $235 to $295. - Total SSI Available (4 Milestones plus 60 Outcome Payments) = $10,380 ??Total SSDI Available (4 Milestones plus 60 Outcome Payments) = $17,700 End Figure 3 The official posting of all new 2005 Social Security Administration benefit rates can be found by visiting the Social Security Administration's Web site at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/work/whatsnew.html. Upcoming EN Training Events: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Free EN Capitalization Training Coming to a City Near You! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Locations Dates . Las Vegas, NV January 21, 2005 New Orleans, LA February 17, 2005 Seattle, WA March 17, 2005 Participants will be instructed in the use of the EN Capitalization Resource Directory as a tool for seeking and securing funding. The seminar will focus on developing strategic fund-raising processes. Particular emphasis will be given to accessing funding from foundations, and hands-on exercises to develop skills in fund-raising. The seminar will be conducted in two identical three-hour sessions. The morning session will be conducted from 9:00 AM until 12:00 PM, and the afternoon session from 1:00 PM until 4:00 PM. Participants may choose the most convenient location and session. There is no registration fee, and Certified Rehabilitation Counselors will be awarded 2.75 contact hours. EN Capitalization & Ticket to Work Training Registration Form or call 1-866-968-7842 ext. 6662 The Beneficiary Referral List A benefit of being an approved Employment Network is a having access to information on Ticket-holders in your contracted service area. This information is available by subscribing to the Beneficiary Referral List and contacting the MAXIMUS Ticket to Work Help Line for Ticket assignability. The Beneficiary Referral List contains confidential information on Ticket beneficiaries and Employment Networks are contractually obligated to protect the privacy and confidentiality of beneficiary information received from MAXIMUS. Through the EN Request for Proposal (RFP) process, organizations formally acknowledge the applicability of the Privacy Act to federal government contractors and federal government contract employees and agree to explain the Privacy Act requirements to their employees. The Beneficiary Referral Lists is provided to active Employment Networks in the format of their choice - either CD-ROM, diskette, hardcopy, or through the secured, Web-based Bulletin Board Service (BBS). Most ENs choose to receive the referral list in the CD-ROM format. This allows an EN to sort the data fields and better target specific geographic areas. MAXIMUS will contact Employment Networks to discuss their preferred method for receiving referrals. The Beneficiary Referral List is updated monthly and includes new Ticket-holder accretions. The Beneficiary Referral List provides the Ticket-holder's name, address, phone number and legal guardian and/or representative payee, if applicable; and does not indicate the services they are seeking or their disability. Please note, the monthly referral files will be distributed only to active providers or those providers that specifically request to receive a monthly referral list. An effective way to utilize the list is to look at the current population you serve and match against the referral list. These are the individuals with whom a relationship has already been established. Employment Networks can use the referral list during the intake process to check potential candidates. After instituting these measures, Employment Networks may want to consider external marketing to Ticket-holders. Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) Contact Hours Available for Ticket to Work Online Courses CRC Contact Hours are available for successful completion of any Ticket to Work Online Courses. To receive CRC Contact Hours, contact Andrea Stapleton at andreastapleton@maximus.com for enrollment information. Type "CRC Enrollment" in the subject field and include your Employer Identification Number (EIN). Keep Your Contact Information Up-to-Date In order to keep you updated on the latest Ticket to Work news and information, we need you to keep us informed of any changes to your contact information. You can e-mail, fax, or write us with updates to this information, including the services you provide, groups served, and service area. EN Capitalization & Ticket to Work Training Registration Form To register for an upcoming EN Capitalization & Ticket to Work Training session, you may either access the registration form at www.yourtickettowork.com and click on EN Capitalization Resources, or call 1-866-968-7842 ext. 6662 CD-ROM Training Now Available 1.IWP Process 2.Payment Process ENs may request these CDs from the Training Team Join the January 25th EN Teleconference Training Date: January 25, 2005 Time: 1:00 -3:00 PM Eastern Time Host: Terry Martin, Ed.D. & Dan Betts Topic: Getting Your Ticket-Holders to Payment Earnings Levels Attend an interactive strategy planning session with MAXIMUS and other Employment Networks to develop assessment techniques for selecting Ticket beneficiaries with whom to work with, and to identify and implement support systems to increase Program success. Terry Martin, Ed.D. and Dan Betts of the MAXIMUS Training team will introduce strategies used by ENs around the country to attract Ticket-holders who are ready, willing, and able to achieve the goals of the Program and have a good chance at success. Since this is an interactive session, ENs will be invited to share their best practices and offer suggestions. The EN Teleconference Training is open to all ENs. ENs interested in participating may do so by calling or e-mailing Terry and Dan to request dial-in information. The Forum will be conducted simultaneously via conference call and through the Chat Room on the EN Forum. Instructions will be mailed to those invited and other ENs who register. Space will be limited to a fixed number of participants. Depending upon interest, additional sessions may be scheduled. Navigation instructions for the EN Forum can now be found on the Web site at www.yourtickettowork.com under "Training." If you are not currently enrolled in the EN Forum, please send an e-mail request to Andrea Stapleton at andreastapleton@maximus.com. Type "EN Forum Enrollment" in the subject field and include your Employer Identification Number (EIN). Enrollment information and navigation instructions will be e-mailed back to you. The EN Forum is accessible by approved ENs only. Meet the Training Team Terry Martin, Training Manager Ext. 6602 terrymartin@maximus.com Dan Betts, Marketing Supervisor Ext. 6717 danbetts@maximus.com Andrea Stapleton, Training Coordinator Ext. 6616 andreastapleton@maximus.com Wendy Brodhead, Training Coordinator Ext. 6619 jwendybrodhead@maximus.com Michelle Grande, Training Coordinator Ext. 6618 michellegrande@maximus.com Eric Midder, QA Coordinator Ext. 6687 ericmidder@maximus.com Damarie Rovnak, Training Coordinator Ext. 6707 damarierovnak@maximus.com For more information, please call us at the Ticket to Work toll-free number 1-866-YOURTICKET (1-866-968-7842); fax us at 703-683-0957; or visit us at our Web site www.yourtickettowork.com