The Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program is an employment program for people with disabilities who are interested in going to work. The goal of the Ticket Program is to increase opportunities and choices for Social Security disability beneficiaries to obtain employment, vocational rehabilitation (VR), and other support services from public and private providers, employers, and other organizations.

The Ticket to Work Program is an employment program that is available to most Social Security beneficiaries with disabilities who meet certain criteria. The Social Security Administration notifies those beneficiaries who are eligible to participate in the Ticket Program by issuing them a Ticket. Beneficiaries receiving a Ticket are referred to as Ticket-holders. More than 11 million Ticket-holders are eligible to participate in this nationwide Program and many are already working.

The Ticket Program is flexible and voluntary – Social Security Administration beneficiaries are not mandated to participate and in most cases, ENs can chose which services they want to provide, where, and to whom. Beneficiaries receiving Tickets can contact one or more ENs to discuss services and once an agreement between the beneficiary and EN is reached, the two work together to develop a work plan to assist the beneficiary in reaching his or her employment goal.

Any agency or instrumentality of a state (or political subdivision), or a private entity that takes responsibility for the actual delivery of services or the coordination/referral of services is eligible to apply to be an Employment Network (EN).

Employment Networks can be a single entity, a partnership or alliance of entities (public and/or private), or a consortium of organizations collaborating to combine resources to serve Ticket-holders.