The following article is from the Air Force Retiree Newsletter:


SS announces initiatives to promote job
opportunities for people with disabilities

Several new initiatives to assist people with disabilities who want to go to
work have been announced by Jo Anne Barnhart, commissioner of Social
Security.

The initiatives, announced at the New Freedom Initiative Celebration of
National Disability Employment Awareness Month, include the Disability
Program Navigator, a new position formed jointly with the Department of
Labor, and "Ticket to Hire," a specialized referral network linking
employers to job-seekers with disabilities. Also announced at the
celebration was a new website -- www.disabilityinfo.gov -- an online
resource for Americans with disabilities.

"Under President Bush's New Freedom Initiative, the Social Security
Administration is providing greater opportunities for people with
disabilities to stay connected to the workforce," said Commissioner
Barnhart. "SSA is committed to making positive changes in the lives of
millions of Americans."

The Navigators will link people with disabilities who visit the Department
of Labor's One-Stop Career Centers with employers and benefit planning
assistance and outreach organizations. The Navigators, who will work in the
One-Stops, also will provide information on Social Security's work
incentives, employment networks and the Ticket to Work program.

The Ticket to Work program, currently available in 13 states, will be
available in 20 additional states starting in November. The Ticket program
provides Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries with
more choices and expanded opportunities to help them go to work.

Upon receiving a Ticket from Social Security, individuals may give it to an
employment network to obtain free vocational rehabilitation, job training,
and other support services. The Ticket program, launched in February 2002,
will be available nationwide by January of 2004.

As an offshoot of Ticket to Work, a new service has been developed with the
Department of Labor to help employers locate and recruit skilled employment
candidates with disabilities. The service, "Ticket to Hire," is a free,
national referral service for employers to recruit workers from the Ticket
to Work program. "Ticket to Hire" specialists, available at 1-866-TTW-HIRE
(1-866-889-4473), will answer questions about the Ticket to Work program.
Visit the website at http://www.ssa.gov for more information about Social
Security's new disability initiatives, the Ticket to Work program and more.


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