Making Timely Progress
Your road to employment through the Ticket program is a two-way street: You receive free assistance from your service provider to prepare for, find and keep a job, while you work your way towards financial independence. In return, you pledge to Social Security that you will take specific steps – determined by the plan you developed with your service provider – within specific timeframes set by Social Security to:
- Work at a specified earnings level or,
- Complete certain educational or training requirements.
When you participate in the Ticket program, you are working with your EN or VR to reduce or eliminate your dependence on SSDI and/or SSI cash benefits.
Taking the agreed-upon steps toward employment within Social Security’s timeframes is called making “timely progress” towards:
- Receiving the education and training you need to succeed at work and your long-term career
- Becoming and staying employed
- Reducing your dependence on SSDI or SSI payments
- Earning your way off cash benefits, if possible
- For you, the return for making “timely progress” is that you succeed in achieving a more financially independent life.
Ordinarily Social Security reviews your medical condition from time to time to see whether you still have a disability through a process called the medical Continuing Disability Review, or CDR. If you assign your Ticket to an approved service provider before you receive a CDR notice and make “timely progress” following your employment plan, Social Security will not conduct a review of your medical condition. If you assign your Ticket after you receive a CDR notice, Social Security will continue with your scheduled medical review.
