The Social Security Administration has spent $3 billion on programs designed to incentivize disability recipients to go back to work over the past 16 years. So far, less than 3 percent of beneficiaries have signed up, with “no consistent evidence” the program has helped participants find a job.
The inspector general for the agency released an audit last week calling for Congress to evaluate the “viability” of the programs, including Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency (TTW) and Achieve Self-Support (PASS).
“SSA has spent about $3 billion administering two ongoing congressionally mandated return-to-work programs and a time-limited demonstration project designed to determine whether a policy change would help beneficiaries return to work,” the inspector general said. “However, these programs and demonstration project enticed a small percentage of disabled individuals to return to work.”
The Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency program provides tickets to disabled beneficiaries that they can use at partnering organizations for a job or vocational rehabilitation.
The audit found the program can save taxpayers money, though few have signed up, and the program lacks evidence that recipients are actually finding employment.
Since it began in 2000, the TTW program has cost $2.8 billion and enrolled 1.2 million disabled welfare recipients, a participation rate of only 2.6 percent. Those beneficiaries have saved the government approximately $5.9 billion. For each beneficiary served, the government spent $2,300 through the program, as opposed to the average $5,000 benefits forgone.
An independent analysis of the program found it had a “limited, but positive, effect on the employment of disabled individuals and motivated some beneficiaries to pursue employment.”
The analysis, however, “failed to identify strong evidence of the TTW program’s impact on employment outcome and found no consistent evidence that TTW affected employment and benefit receipt.” read more
When I was actively getting cancer treatment and unable to work, my compnay’s long-term disability carrier required that I signup for SS Disability. My claim was approved.
After I completed treatment and was physically recovered enough to return to work, I did. (The truth is I could not stand just sitting around the house, I was going batty.) With SSD + LTD I was getting about %65 of my pre-illness pay and having no real debt, was still ahead financially. But I could never be a leach. And a very bored leach at that.
I signed up for the “ticket to work” program, I really did not have a choice, and went back to work (my employer help my job open for me). This ended my long term diability, but, to my shock, not the SSD.
What the program did was it continued my disability benefit for 16 months AFTER I returned to work. So for 16 months I was receiving both Social Security disability (about 50% of my pay) AND my regular salary.
So I guess I am one of the 3%.
And people wonder why we have a $20 trillion deficit.
Just give the people a job on Mad Max’s campaign
Government will just throw more money at it to try to fix.
You want this program to actually work? Deport the estimated 22 to 30 million illegals your country has. The jobs that are emptied will be reshuffled with able-bodied workers quitting jobs that a disabled worker could do to go to now higher paying jobs the illegals used to smother and opening a job for the disabled worker (at a higher pay as well). Toward this end the government ought to try to enforce the law giving prison time to business owners employing illegals. Throw Noel White, President of Tyson Foods in prison for five year and see how fast the employment situation in the States changes. Sure, things will cost a little more but Medicare/Caid costs will drop and employment among legal minorities will skyrocket and crime will likely drop as well.