Ticket to Work Program Evaluation
Objective
As required by the Ticket to Work (TTW) and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (Ticket Act, P.L. 106-170), SSA conducts evaluations of the Ticket to Work programs to examine the extent to which they are achieving their legislative intent. This current evaluation began in 2023. The topics we are examining in this evaluation include, but are not limited to:
- Program Effectiveness and Efficiency
- Ticketholder characteristics and service needs
- Types of services provided and methods of service provision
Status
SSA awarded a contract to Mathematica to evaluate the TTW programs in September 2023.
In 2026, Mathematica will conduct a survey of all Ticket Act service providers, including: Employment Networks (ENs), Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agencies, Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) projects, and Protection and Advocacy Agencies providing services to beneficiaries under the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) program.
Mathematica will also conduct interviews with SSA disability recipients to learn about their experiences with the programs.
SSA will publish the final results of the evaluation in 2027.
In late 2023 and early 2024, Mathematica held virtual listening sessions with beneficiaries, service providers, and other stakeholders to help inform the design of this evaluation.
In 2025, Mathematica analyzed SSA’s existing data and developed new survey and interview data collection instruments to provide additional insight on participants’ and providers’ experiences with the Ticket Act programs.
In 2026, Mathematica will conduct surveys and interviews of program providers and participants, respectively, continue to analyze SSA’s data, and begin reporting the findings of the evaluation.
In 2027, Mathematica will complete their evaluation with the publication of their findings. These reports will describe the extent to which the programs are achieving their legislative intent and will provide suggestions for SSA to consider about how to improve program outcomes.
SSA will post additional updates and reports on this page as they become available.
Not applicable at this time.
SSA expects to publish reports beginning in early 2027.
Not applicable at this time.