Social Security established the Ticket to Work, and other similar programs as an incentive for disability recipients to go back to work, but the The Washington Free Beacon recently reported these programs are mainly failing because only 3 percent of beneficiaries have signed-up, and there is no evidence the program is finding job for the beneficiaries who have.
The inspector general for Social Security released an audit asking Congress to evaluate the viability of the program, which Social Security has spent $3 billion on.
“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 audit report said. “However, these programs and demonstration project enticed a small percentage of disabled individuals to return to work.”
Social Security disability is not a permanent disability program. Many times, after a person is found disabled and entitled to benefits, an Administrative Law Judge or Social Security will recommend a review of the medical evidence in a few years to determine if the claimant has improved enough to return to work. The Ticket to Work program can help some people return to work, but many times people who are found disabled remain disabled and are unable to return to work.
Continuing to spend billions of dollars on these types of program in an effort to get people off disability benefits is, and will continue to be counterproductive. It is time for Congress to make changes.
