Benefits of Becoming an EN

Expand Your Support to Social Security Disability Beneficiaries

If you already provide employment services and supports to individuals with disabilities, your organization is an excellent candidate to become an EN. The Ticket Program supports career development for people ages 18 through 64 who receive Social Security Disability Insurance benefits and/or Supplemental Security Income payments and want to work. It is likely that some of your existing clients are eligible to participate in the Ticket Program.

Increase Your Organization's Unrestricted Funding

The Ticket Program is an outcome-based program offering participating ENs financial compensation for successfully assisting disability beneficiaries (Ticketholders) to enter, maintain and advance in employment. As an EN, when your clients work and achieve earnings at certain levels, the revenue your organization earns is unrestricted. You may use it for an unlimited range of purposes based on the needs of your organization.

If your organization decides to become an EN, you can start earning EN payments as soon as a Ticketholder assigns their Ticket to you and achieves earnings at Trial Work Level. A Ticketholder must assign their Ticket, achieve designated milestones and outcomes related to work and earnings, and move towards self-supporting employment.

In some situations, your organization will be able to generate more than $7,000 when a Ticketholder works for nine months with earnings that meet certain levels. And, if you help the Ticketholder maintain employment and increase their earnings after disability benefits end, your organization can potentially earn more than $30,000 for successfully serving that one person.

Develop a Business Model that Matches Your Organizational Goals

ENs can be for-profit or nonprofit entities, state and local government agencies, or a group of organizations working together as a single EN. ENs can incorporate Ticket Program services alongside their current offerings, identifying a business model that allows them to expand their reach and impact. To sustain their operations and help meet their longer-term organizational goals, ENs should plan to comply with the required EN processes, procedures and expectations

Develop Relationships with Key Stakeholders

The Ticket Program can be beneficial for organizations seeking to enhance relationships with key stakeholders, including State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies. VR agencies have been serving Social Security disability beneficiaries for years and are familiar with the Ticket Program. By becoming an EN, your organization can collaborate with VR agencies to provide employment-related services to individuals with disabilities via Partnership Plus or a more informal relationship. This is an opportunity for an EN to provide ongoing support after VR closes a case, ensuring sustained success for Ticketholders.

Further, by becoming an EN, you are joining a group of service providers that often collaborate individually and through associations to learn from each other and support their program growth. Successful collaboration with State VR agencies, disability employment organizations or local business groups involves understanding their needs, aligning services, and leveraging the flexibility provided by the Ticket Program.