Baltimore Federal Executive Board’s 1 st Annual Interagency Human Capital Council EEO Diversity & Inclusion and Disability Awareness/Employment Training Symposium June 6, 2012 Keynote Speaker: Bob Williams Associate Commissioner Office of Employment Support Program 1

Five Major Take-Aways: 1.What Do SSA Employment Support Programs Do? 2. What Do We Know About Those Who Work And Earn Their Way Off Disability Benefits? 3. What Are Beneficiaries Looking for In an Employer, Job and Career? 4.Why Should Your Agency Aggressively Recruit, Employ and Promote Current and Former Beneficiaries? 5.An invitation to Learn More and Leverage Better Employment Results Together 2

Question 1 What Do SSA Employment Support Programs Do? 3

OESP’s Job One = Spurring Greater Opportunities for Employment Success and Prosperity For Working Americans with Disabilities ~ Ages 18 to 64 ~ who receive SSDI or SSI 4

OESP Only Pays for Real Results: We Pay Our Employment Support Providers Only When Someone Is:  Working part time at least 20 hours a week for: At least $9.37 a hour or $720 per month; No more than 9 months out of 18 months  Earning over $1,000 per month; or,  Fully employed and no longer in need of cash benefits 5

The Ticket to Work and Self Sufficiency Program Is:  Not for Everyone  Performance Driven  Enabling individuals to gain and sustain: Good Jobs Good Careers; and, Better, Fully Self Supporting Futures 6

OESP Partners with a National Network of:  75 State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies  1057 Employment Networks, including  138 State and Local Workforce Boards; and,  A Growing Number of Other State and Local Agencies 7

Our National Reach  Approximately, 300,000 Americans with disabilities currently use our employment support services.  These individuals: Attend college and other career training programs; Work at least part time; Get help on how to keep health coverage after earning their way off disability benefits; and, Get help with job prep as well as on going supports for job retention. 8

What Makes Us Unique  The Ticket is the only program that funds support for 3 to5 years after someone: starts working full time; and, leaves disability benefits  These ongoing supports can include: Help keeping Medicaid or Medicare after leaving benefits Help finding accommodations Career development advice Financial planning assistance Troubleshooting Someone to bounce ideas off of 9

Closer to Home ---- In the DC-MD-VA Area  We work with 4 State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies 63 Employment Networks, including 9 State and Local Workforce Boards; and, A Growing Number of Other State and Local Agencies 10

In DC, Maryland and Virginia:  19,893 beneficiaries are receiving SSA employment support services. Of this: Many are in college or other training programs; An estimated 605 are already employed; and, Many more are ready, willing and able to accept part time and full time positions today. 11

Executive Order The Bottom Line: Make the Federal Government a model employer Hire at least 100,000 new federal workers with disabilities by 2015 Take specific actions to employ those with “targeted”, i.e., significant disabilities 12

Q&A: Q: Who is accountable for achieving these bottom line results? A: You and I are accountable. THAT ’ S WHY … PARTNERING IS NOT AN OPTION... IT IS AN IMPERATIVE 13

Question 2 What Do We Know About Those Who Work And Earn Their Way Off Disability Benefits? Those on SSDI or SSI who work or want to work differ from others in several key ways: Of the 13 million Americans with disabilities on SSDI or SSI today: 14

Most Are Not Working for a Simple Reason ---- They Can’t … 15

Roughly 60% are not working due to multiple reasons:  Poor health, including terminal illness  Few skills for today’s economy  Near retirement  Many fear the loss of cash benefits and health coverage if they earn too much 16

Significant Numbers Work or Want to Work, However: In fact, 40% of disability beneficiaries:  Are working,  Actively pursuing a job, or  Say they want to work in the future These individuals also tend to be:  Younger  Healthier  Better educated Than most other social Security beneficiaries. 17

This is ESPECIALLY TRUE of those using Ticket services:  Nearly half are 39 or younger  Over one tenth are under 25  About 80% have at least finished HS  Nearly half have some college or training after HS  Many have their entire lives ahead of them. 18

Hence, for Many... Good Jobs and Good Careers In Federal Service Could = Better Self Supporting Futures 19

Question 3 What Do Ticket Participants Want In an Employer, Job and Career? They want:  Employers they believe will give them an equal chance  Employers they trust will not discriminate  Employers that are knowledgeable about reasonable accommodations and workplace flexibility 20

They want:  Part time work that leads to full time employment  Work that pays them what they are worth, not what they are willing to accept  Full time jobs that pay more than they would otherwise have by staying on benefits and working part time 21

They want:  Entry level and other positions that have career paths and a future  Good jobs in diverse fields that pay well and have good health and retirement benefits  Jobs and careers where they are making a difference 22

Is it any wonder... They want the same types of jobs and careers you and I have in the Federal government??? 23

Question 4 Why Should Your Agency Aggressively Recruit, Employ and Promote Current and Former Disability Beneficiaries? 24

 Simple Math: These individuals make up … The majority of unemployed and under employed people with disabilities in the U.S. A large percentage of those with targeted disabilities A huge pool of untapped talent and labor 25

 Common Sense and Simple Justice: If we are to be a model employer and an exemplar to others, we must seek out all not just some talented prospective federal workers with disabilities. Many current and former beneficiaries are ready, willing and able to fill many types of jobs today Failure to recruit such individuals is not good business 26

An invitation to Learn More and Leverage Better Results Together Join us July 27, 2012 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM For A Webinar To Explore How the Ticket Program Can Best Support Your Agency to Aggressively Recruit, Employ and Promote Current and Former Disability Beneficiaries Webinar Contact: Mildred Owens from OESP, Vice Chair EEO Diversity & Inclusion and Disability Awareness/Employment Committee Baltimore Federal Executive Board , 27