SUCCESS STORY
Resident: Buffalo, New York
Carol, 57, is a resident of New York state, and was working as a certified nursing assistant at a nursing home when she had to have a shoulder replacement. “I wasn’t able to do my normal job,” she said. “I fell behind on my bills.” Carol had to stop working for three years and applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits.
She was approved for SSDI. Then Allsup Employment Services, a Social Security-certified Employment Network, reached out to her. They provided information about using the Ticket to Work program, which provides support and free help to attempt to return to work.
“The Ticket to Work program helped me to be able to catch up,” she said. She said she earns less than $20,000 a year. “It was good because I was falling behind (financially).”
She now works as a personal care aide and visits clients’ homes. “It was a real simple process to start with Ticket to Work,” she said. “I just thank God for Allsup because I was able to keep my car, my car insurance, those kinds of things.”
Carol is one of tens of thousands of former workers who could see improved opportunity for employment if the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is extended past the Dec. 31, 2019, deadline and with SSDI recipients are added as a target population. The revenue impact of the adding SSDI beneficiaries is estimated at only $8.5 million a year. These steps mean more incentives for employers to hire individuals with disabilities who want to try to work again.
A Success Story from Secure Work Coalition
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