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Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel
Quarterly Public Meeting
Doubletree Hotel
Rockville, MD
November 16-18, 2004
Tuesday, November 16, 2004 – Day One
Carol Brenner, Designated Federal Official, called the meeting to order at approximately 10:38 AM and turned the meeting over to Chair, Berthy De La Rosa-Aponte.
Presiding: Berthy De La Rosa-Aponte, Chair
Welcome, Introductions and Review of the Agenda
Attendees
Advisory Panel Members
Berthy De La Rosa-Aponte, Chair, Cheryl Bates-Harris, Libby Child, Thomas Golden, Andy Imparato, David Miller, Stephen Start, Frances Gracechild (by phone), Dorothy Watson, and Torrey Westrom.
Advisory Panel Staff
Jim Leatherman, Acting Executive Director, Lisa Ekman, Delores Braver, Kristen Breland and Jim Wiegel.
Designated Federal Officer
Carol Brenner
Presenters
Martin Gerry, Pam Mazerski, and Sue Sutter, Social Security Administration; Mary Satterfield, Maximus; Beverlee Stafford, Rehabilitation Services Administration; Maria Flynn, Department of Labor; Burt Barnow, Johns Hopkins University(by phone); Pamela Holcomb, The Urban Institute; Carey Appold, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and Gina Livermore and Nanette Goodman, Cornell University.
Members of the Public
Randall Bosin, Regina Bowden, Kevin Connelly, Judi Drew, John Dyer, Nanette Goodman, Susan Goodman, Andrea Harles, Ryan Hess, Mark Hill, Jill Houghton, Edna Johnson, Kathy Kelly, John Kregel, Carrie Liken, Gina Livermore, Laura Mancini, Marilyn McPherson, Jean Murphy, Cady Panetta, Annette Reichman, Sallie Rhodes, Jenn Rigger, Steven Sachs, Sara Salley, Nancy L. Sciabarrasi, Jim Troxell, and Brad Turner-Little.
Social Security Administration Updates
Presenter: Martin Gerry, Deputy Commissioner, Office of Disability and Income Security Programs
Topic: The Barriers/Obstacles to Returning to Work and Effectively Utilizing SSA and the TTW Program
Lunch
Social Security Administration Updates (cont'd)
Presenter: Sue Suter, Associate Commissioner, Office of Employment Support Programs
Topics: SSA National Roll-out Status; Local Town Hall Meetings; The Launch of Marketing Plans for the Ticket to Work and Incentives Program; SSA Updates
Presenter: Pam Mazerski, Associate Commissioner, Office of Program Development and Research
Topic: Ticket to Work Program Evaluation Report
Presenter: Mary Satterfield, Vice President, MAXIMUS & Project Director, SSA Ticket to Work
Topic: Ticket to Work Program Updates
Rehabilitation Services Administration
Presenter: Beverlee Stafford, Director, Program Administration Division
Topics: Status of the Information Memorandum; Review of Agreements between State VR Agencies and Employment Networks
Break
Public Comment
Presenter: Randall, Disability Beneficiary; Mariam, Disability Beneficiary
Topic: Experiences with the Ticket to Work Program
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 4:00 p.m.
Committees Meetings – Program and Legal Policy Committee, and Program Design, Implementation and Evaluation Committee
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Wednesday, November 17, 2004 – Day Two
The meeting reconvened at approximately 9:09 a.m. with Berthy De La Rosa-Aponte, Chair presiding.
Presenter: Maria Flynn, Administrator, Office of Policy Development and Research, Department of Labor
Topic: Incentives from the Department of Labor for Individuals with Disabilities
Suggestion: There was a recommendation from the Panel to suggest to the Department of Labor that they develop a management information system that will collect data on beneficiaries to determine who is a SSI or SSDI benefit recipients.
Break
Presenters: Burt Barnow, Johns Hopkins University (by phone); Pamela Holcomb, The Urban Institute
Topic: Serving People with disabilities through the Workforce Investment Act's One-Stop Career Centers; Overview of the Workforce Investment Act; Data on WIA Services and Outcomes to People with Disabilities; Challenges and Barriers to Serving People with Disabilities in WIA One-Stop Career Centers; Strategies for Improving WIA One-Stop Services to People with Disabilities; WIA and the Ticket to Work Program
Lunch
Presenters: Carey Appold, Technical Director , Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Topic: CMS project program update and progress
Presenters: Gina Livermore and Nanette Goodman Cornell University
Topics: The Effectiveness of the Medicaid Buy-In Programs in Promoting the Employment of People with Disabilities; A Review of the Existing Features of the Program and How those Features affect the Employment of People with Disabilities
Break
Business Meeting
August 2004 Meeting Minutes
Motion: The Panel passed a motion to accept the minutes as prepared for the August 17-19, 2004 meeting.
Committee Reports
Program and Legal Policy Committee (PLP)
Chair: David Miller
Topic: Updates and Progress Reports
Program Design, Implementation and Evaluation Committee (PDIE)
Chair: Steven Start
Topic: Updates and Progress Reports
2005 Meeting Dates
February 23-25, 2005 – New Orleans, LA
May 24-26, 2005 – Washington, DC
August 16-18, 2005 – Minneapolis, MN
November 16-18, 2005 – Washington, DC
February 1-3, 2006 – Puerto Rico (not confirmed)
May 17-19, 2006 – Washington, DC
August 15-17, 2006 – TBD (Alaska or Northwest, US)
Action: The Panel staff and PPO Committee should research the feasibility and background for meetings in Puerto Rico and Alaska. They should also review the language barriers and the need for additional interpreters and translators in Puerto Rico.
Agenda Topics for February 2005
Action: The Panel decided to table this discussion until Thursday, November 18, 2004.
Panel Discussions and Deliberations
Action: The Panel decided to table this discussion until Thursday, November 18, 2004.
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 5:27 p.m.
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Thursday, November 18, 2004 – Day Three
The meeting reconvened at approximately 9:15 a.m. with Berthy De La Rosa-Aponte, Chair presiding.
Public Comment
Presenters: William Ditto, New Jersey; Pat Cutis, Illinois; Andreas L. Harles, Associate Executive Director, Inter-National Association of Business, Industry and Rehabilitation; Jim Troxell, Employment Support Institute, School of Business, Virginia Commonwealth University; Celane McWhorter, APSE The Employment Network; Tim McKlusky; Chris Eikenberg, Pierce, CO, (written comment only)
Topics: Responses to the Medicaid Buy-In Program Report; Some of the Medicaid Buy-In Report Data Misrepresented State Medicaid Buy-in Programs; The Need for Additional Funding for the Benefits Planning Assistance and Outreach Program; The Need for Training on the Ticket to Work Program for BPAO Providers; Implementing a Complaint Process for Beneficiaries to Submit Comments on BPAO Providers; “ WorkWorld ” as a Tool for the Disability Community; The Diminished Training Skills and Quality of Personnel in State-run Ticket to Work Programs
Break
Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel – “Celebrating Where the Panel has been and Where the Panel is Going”
Presenter: Berthy De La Rosa-Aponte, TTW Panel Chair
Facilitator: Jim Wiegel
Topics: A Review of the Accomplishments and Goals of the Ticket to Work Advisory Panel and Future Projects; How can the Ticket to Work Advisory Panel Better Serve the Beneficiaries and Collaborate with Employers
Panel Discussions and Deliberations (continued)
Facilitator: Jim Wiegel
Topics: What are the Panel's Next Steps; Annual Report Topics; Discussion Points for the Congressional Debriefing
Suggestion: The Panel suggested that an ad-hoc committee meeting be scheduled to discuss developing an outline for the Panel's Annual Report to Congress. The participants at the meeting would be the Panel staff and members of the PPO Committee, Torrey Westrom, Dorothy Watson.
Motion: The Panel passed a motion to host the ad-hoc committee meeting on January 18, 2005 at 1:00 p.m.
Motion: The Panel passed a motion to send a recommendation to Congress to revise the SSA Beneficiary system so that it can accurately and appropriately track beneficiary data.
Discussion: Before a recommendation is made, the Panel should request additional information about SSA's progress on collecting indicators to track disability data.
Motion: The Panel passed a motion to withdraw the motion to send a recommendation to Congress to revise the SSA beneficiary system.
Motion: The Panel passed a motion to send a letter to the Department of Labor indicating the Panel's support of the revisions of the indicators used for collecting data on individuals with disabilities and requests ways that the Panel can assist DOL advance this initiative.
Discussion: To follow-up on the presentation by Carey Appold from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMMS), the Panel expressed the concern that CMMS has not made the subject of implementing well defined regulations for Medicaid beneficiaries a priority. It was expressed that there are no procedures in place that outline for States what will happen to an individual's Medicaid benefits when that person shows medical improvement, especially when that individual has obtained Medicaid because of his/her disability.
Motion: The Panel passed a motion to send a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMMS) indicating the Panel's support of stream-lined regulations for Medicaid beneficiary recipients. In the letter the Panel will also request that CMMS follow-up on the provisions of a regulation to effectively address the issue and close the legislative loop-hole.
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 1:17 p.m.
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