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TICKET TO WORKTICKET TO WORKPreventing and Managing Overpayments:

A Webinar for Social Security Disability BeneficiariesPreventing and Managing Overpayments:

A Webinar for Social Security Disability Beneficiaries

Work Incentives Seminar Event (WISE)

Date: Wednesday, March 28, 2012Time: 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. EST

Adjusting Audio Mode

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Audio and Questions Panels

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Webinar Accessibility

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Toll-Free number:1-877-739-5903

Access code: 180-106-670

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Closed captioning:www.captionedtext.com/client/event.aspx?Custo

merID=834&EventID=1897483

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Webinar PowerPoint, accessible PDF, and text are located at the URL link you received in your WISE confirmation and access message.

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Webinar presentation, transcript, and audio recording will be available in approximately two weeks at:

www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/m-wise-

webinars.cfm

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Webinar question & answers

–During the webinar, submit your questions on the webinar “chat”

or to [email protected]

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Anytime after the webinar day, email your questions to [email protected]

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Agenda

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Welcome and IntroductionRay Cebula, Employment & Disability Institute, Cornell University

Ticket to Work and Work IncentivesEd Wrona, Area Work Incentives Coordinator

What is an Overpayment and what does it mean to me?

Crystal Ors, Area Work Incentives Coordinator

Tips for Avoiding Overpayment SituationsCyrstal

Ors, Area Work Incentives Coordinator

SSI Telephone Wage ReportingEric Skidmore, Office of Income Support Programs

Other ResourcesRay Cebula

Questions and AnswersRay Cebula

& Presentation Team

What Can You Expect From This Presentation?

Information on the Ticket to Work program & Work Incentives

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Information on the Ticket to Work program and Work Incentives

Answers to frequently asked questions

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Where to find more information

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Answers to frequently asked questionsWhere to find more information

Success Stories from People who Used Their Ticket to Work

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Where to find more informationSuccess Stories from People who

Used Their Ticket to Work

Information on what to do in an overpayment situation and how to avoid them

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Why Choose Work?

Earn more income

Gain independence

Learn new skills

Meet new people

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A Real Ticket to Work Success Story!

Meet Megan

In 2008, Megan had a major depressive episode and turned to disability benefits to keep her afloat financially.

Ticket to Work helped her achieve a fulfilling life; Megan enjoys working and has even been able to return to competitive ballroom dancing.

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Ticket to Work and Work Incentives

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When You’re Ready To Work

Gathering information and resources is key to planning your journey toward employment.

Ticket to Work and Work Incentives can help make your journey a smooth one.

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Building your Employment Team is the best way to begin. You have many options to help you get started:

Connect with an expert at our Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 (Voice) or 1-

866-833-2967 (TTY/TDD).

Learn more about Ticket to Work, read our blog, and watch success story videos at www.choosework.net.

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Building your Employment Team is the best way to begin. You have many options to help you get started:

Find an Employment Network (EN) or State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agency that suits your needs.

Stay connected to your Employment Team as you explore your work options.

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Ticket to Work and Work Incentives

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The Ticket to Work Program


Ticket to Work Program


If You:Ticket to Work & Work

Incentives Can:

Are ready to earn more money!

Help you improve your earning potential

Need the personal fulfillment that comes from working…

Provide the assurance and stability you need to feel confident while you pursue employment

Want to be able to get benefits back if your job does not work out because of your disability…

Put you on the fast track back to receiving benefits

Are overwhelmed and do not know where to turn…

Connect you with the people, resources and services you need to develop a work plan

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The Ticket to Work program goal is to help you:

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Go to work

• Earn a living

• Become self sufficient

The Ticket program is FREE and VOLUNTARY.

SSDI and SSI disability beneficiaries ages 18 through 64 are eligible to participate in the Ticket program.

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Work Incentives are special considerations that allow you to keep some of your cash benefits and your Medicaid or Medicare while you work toward successful, gainful employment.

Your Employment Team can help you understand which Work Incentives apply to you based on which disability benefits you receive (SSDI and/or SSI).

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Anyone ages 18 through 64 who receives Social Security disability benefits is eligible to use Work Incentives.

Ticket to Work provides additional benefits while you plan your employment:

•You choose the Employment Team that best suits you.

•Social Security postpones your Continuing Disability Reviews (CDRs)

after you assign your Ticket and make timely progress toward your work goals.

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Preventing and Managing Overpayments

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What is an Overpayment? When you receive more money for a

month than the amount you should have been paid by Social Security.

The amount of your overpayment is the difference between the amount you received and the amount due.

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Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

SSDI benefits are paid to you and sometimes certain members of your family.

If you are overpaid SSDI benefits because of your work activity, it is also possible for your family members to be overpaid, too.

To help avoid overpayments, make sure you report when you start and stop working and if you change your hours or rate of pay.

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Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

SSI benefits are paid based on financial need. Generally, the more income you have, the less your SSI payments will be.

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Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

To avoid overpayments, make sure you report to Social Security:Changes to your incomeChanges to resources such as

bank accounts or vehiclesWhen you start and stop working,

and if you change your hours or rate of pay

At the beginning of each month, the exact amount of your earnings for the previous month

Changes to your living arrangements

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How Can Work Cause an Overpayment?

Your earnings are more than you estimated when you reported your work to Social Security.

You do not report your work and Social Security later discovers that you worked.

Social Security does not take action on your reported changes until after the wrong payment amounts have already been paid.

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What Else Can Cause an Overpayment?

Your income is more than you thought.

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Your income is more than you thought. Your living situation changes.

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Your income is more than you estimated for SSI or SSDI.

Your living situation changes. You have more resources than the

allowable limit. •

Resources are cash and things you own and can turn into cash. Examples are bank accounts, vehicles, property, stocks and bonds.

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Your marital status changes.

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Your marital status changes. You are no longer disabled and

continue to receive benefits.

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continue to receive benefits. You do not report a change to Social

Security (on time or at all) as required.

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Security (on time or at all) as required. The information that Social Security

uses to figure your benefits is incorrect or incomplete.

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Security (on time or at all) as required. The information that Social Security

uses to figure your benefits is incorrect or incomplete.

You report a change in a timely manner, but Social Security does not process your report in time to adjust your benefit amount.

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Notice of Overpayment

Social Security will send you a letter explaining the overpayment and asking for a full refund within 30

days.

Read the letter carefully! If you do not understand the letter, contact Social Security for an explanation.

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Notice of Overpayment Continued

If you are currently getting checksand do not pay the full amount backto Social Security, the notice will:Advise you that the overpayment will

start being withheld from your Social Security check each month until Social Security is paid back

Tell you the month you will start paying Social Security back

Explain your appeal rightsAdvise how you can ask Social Security

to have the overpayment reviewed and waived, so you may not have to pay it back; and

Explain how you can appeal Social Security’s decision

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What You Should Do If You Get an Overpayment Notice

Immediately

contact Social Security to

begin:1.An AppealIf you believe you were not

overpaid or that the amount you were overpaid is different than the one in the letter, you may request an appeal.

If you ask for an appeal, Social Security will not start collection action until they make a decision.

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Immediately

contact Social Security to

begin:1.An Appeal –or 2.A Waiver If

you

believe

that

you

may have been

overpaid,

but that you were not at fault in causing the overpayment and that you cannot afford to repay it; you can ask for a waiver.

Social Security may request more information to make a determination.

No action will be taken to collect the overpayment until a decision is complete.

If the overpayment is waived, no one is required to repay it. It is forgiven.

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Immediately

contact Social Security to begin:

1.An Appeal -or2.A Waiver -or3.A Repayment AgreementSocial Security will automatically start

withholding money out of current payments, but you could ask for a repayment amount that is more affordable for you.

Social Security may ask for more information to approve your repayment amount.

Even if payments have stopped, Social Security can withhold federal money, like tax refunds, if the amount is not being repaid.

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What You Should Do If You Do Not Know What Caused Your Overpayment

If you are not sure what caused the overpayment, you may ask for an explanation.You may ask to see your file to see

the information Social Security used in figuring the overpayment.

You may have Social Security explain the reason for the overpayment while you are examining your file.

Social Security will stop actions to collect the overpayment until the explanation is complete.

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Questions about an Overpayment? Call Social Security’s national number at

1-800-772-1213. If they are not able to answer your questions, they can help youschedule an appointment with your local Social Security Office.

Or you can visit https://secure.ssa.gov/apps6z/FOLO/fo001. jsp to find your local Social Security office and schedule an appointment.

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AWIC

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Tips for Avoiding Overpayments

Learn about work incentives that apply to you!

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Keep in touch with Social Security!

Report all events that could affect your benefits!

Every benefit that Social Security pays has a specific list of events that the beneficiary is required to report.

If you do not have a list for the benefit that you receive or that one of your family member’s receive, contact Social Security and request your “reporting responsibilities.”

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Ask Social Security!

Find out how often you should report your wages.

Report wages in writing and ask for a receipt.

Keep your original pay stubs and your Social Security receipts in a safe place.

Keep all official notices from Social Security about your benefits and changes in monthly benefit amounts in a safe place so you can find them if needed.

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SSI Telephone Wage Reporting(SSITWR)Eric Skidmore

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FACT Unreported wages are the second leading cause of SSI overpayments.

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Whose wages may be reported using SSITWR?

Beneficiaries who receive only Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

Beneficiaries who receive both SSI and

Social Security Disability.

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Who can report the wages for a beneficiary?

The beneficiary (if not a child) The beneficiary’s representative payee The living-with spouse of the

beneficiary The mother or father of a beneficiary

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How do I prepare to report using SSITWR?

If you contact your Social Security Field Office about wages, a representative will offer to train you to use SSITWR.

You will receive:

Participant Training PackageSSITWR Training CD-ROM

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What wages should I report?

SSITWR accepts reports of gross wage amounts for the prior month only.

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When do I report?Wages for September Days to Report in

October

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What information do I need?

The social security number of the person who is reporting wages (the caller)

The social security number of the person who earned the wages

The TOTAL amount of gross wages for the person who earned the wages. Gross wages are the amount of pay before taxes and other deductions.

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How do I know SSITWR is safe?

First and last nameSSN

Date of birth

Success!!

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How do I know if I was successful?

The Supplemental Security Income Telephone Wage Reporting system automatically issues a receipt that is mailed to the beneficiary after each successful report.

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What if I forget to report?

You should report wages by other means if you are unable to report using the automated system. Remember to keep your paystubs!

•.

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FACT If you do not successfully report your wages in a month, you can still use SSITWR in the future.

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How do I find out more?

Contact your local Social Security field office

Contact Social Security’s toll-free service center at 1-800-772-1213

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Other ResourcesRay Cebula

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Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS)

PABSS services are: Located throughout the States and all U. S. territories Designed to help SSI and SSDI beneficiaries with disabilities go to work FREE to everyone that receives a Social Security benefit or Medicare/Medicaid based on disability Available even if you do not have a Ticket or your Ticket is not assigned

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Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS)

PABSS assists beneficiaries by: Advocating for workplace accommodations Advocating for vocational services from Employment Networks or state Vocational Rehabilitation agencies Providing information, referrals, and advocacy around benefits Assisting beneficiaries to remove barriers to work Addressing overpayment issues

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Where to Get More Information

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Visit:

www.socialsecurity.gov/work

to find your

local WIPA, Employment Network, and other Ticket to Work and Work Incentives information.

Call:

Ticket to Work Help Line:

•1-866-968-7842 (Voice)

•1-866-833-2967 (TTY/TDD)

#

You Are Invited to a Twitter Chat!

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A Twitter Chat is a set time on Twitter when people discuss a particular topic using a hashtag

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On March 30 at 1:30 PM, @chooseworkssa will be facilitating a Twitter Chat on “Career Help for People with Developmental Disabilities”

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Follow the hashtag #DEchat and @chooseworkssa to participate!

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Find out more at http://choosework.net/blog/jsp/blog.j

sp?post_id=65

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Questions?

Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/choosework

Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/chooseworkssa

Ticket to Work Help Line: 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY/TDD)

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