You Can Work While Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits 

>> Now you don't have to stay linked to your desktop or laptop.  Take VoiceAmerica on the go and listen anywhere.  Get our mobile app for iPhone, BlackBerry, or Android at the Apple iTunes app store, BlackBerry App World or Android Market.
>> The following program is being brought to you on the VoiceAmerica Business Channel.  For more information about our network, and to check our additional show hosts and topics of interests, please visit voiceamericabusiness.com.  The VoiceAmerica Talk Radio Network is the worldwide leader in live internet talk radio.  Visit voiceamerica.com.  The views and ideas expressed on the following program are strictly those of the host or guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and ideas held by the VoiceAmerica Talk Radio Network, its staff, and management.
>> Welcome to Disabilities at Work radio, where every week we explore issues, ideas, initiatives and innovations involving the employment of people with disabilities.  We feature employers that go beyond compliance in supporting people with disabilities, in the workplace and elsewhere.  We bring you prominent members of the business community, service providers, government officials, researchers, educators and people who successfully manage their disability and careers.  Join us now for Disabilities at Work.

>> RAY ZARDETTO:  Hi.  I'm Ray Zardetto and welcome to Disabilities at Work here on the VoiceAmerica Business Network.  Our program today is sponsored by the Kessler Foundation and the New Jersey Division of Disability Services.  You know, when you think about everyone out there currently looking for a job, some people are overqualified, some may be under qualified, umm, some have been out of the work force for years, and others may have a disability of one kind or another.  And, according to my first guest, everyone looking for a job has challenges.  It's just a matter of degree.  
And so if you want to be successful, you recognize and focus on your strengths, you understand and accommodate your weaknesses.  That's the premise of the book written by my guest today, Paula Vieillet, who is a nationally certified vocational evaluator, and she's also the president of Employment Options, and in fact, she has a book coincidently entitled Employment Options:  The Ultimate Resource for Job Seekers with Disabilities and other Challenges.  And the book is available from Bartleby Press.  So, welcome, Paula, to the show. 
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Hi, Ray.  Nice to be here.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Thanks for joining us.  I know your Employment Options Company is very interesting.  I do want to talk about that, but it's part of the  of the Ticket to Work Program, which is a national program.  If you would, I'd like you to start by explaining that first.
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Well, the Ticket to Work Program is a program that came into effect in the year of 2002, and it started about 13 states and finally made it out nationwide by about ‘05, and it's not a very well known program, and it's really the best government program I've ever worked with.  Basically, the Ticket to Work Program helps people who are currently receiving SSI or SSDI, the ability to try to go back to work without losing their disability benefits.   
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  And, take it a little further for me there.  This is a good program, because  because of that kind of information that it bestows to people about the benefit provisions?
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Right.  Okay.  So this is the way it works.  Let's say you're wanting to try to go back to work, but you're not really sure if you're going to be able to be successful, if you're going to get sick once you start working, and what this program does, it gives you a trial work period.  You are on Social Security Disability Income, that's SSDI, you automatically receive a 9month trial work period, which means that you can work as many hours and make as much money as you want without any loss of cash benefits from the social  from your Social Security Administration.  
And you also will not lose your medical benefits.  The Medicare benefits are  can be retained for a period of 8 1/2 years from the time that you've finished your trial work period, so that's actually a period of 9 1/2 years.  Now, if you're on SSI, the rules are different.  If you're on SSI, it's a little complicated, but basically for every $2 you earn, they take away $1, but we work individually with clients so that they understand exactly how their SSI checks are going to be affected.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  And when you say "we," you mean Employment Options?
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Yes, Employment Options.  I have someone on staff and that's what she does, is she helps people track trial work periods, answers benefit questions.  It can be quite confusing sometimes, and we deal with it every day, so we're pretty clear on how it works.  Now, what happens after that nine month trial work period, if a person is on Social Security disability, because I said they could work as much as they could for nine months, but after that, there's what we call a three-month window where they will still keep sending you your checks but you need to be prepared for  at the 13th month that you started working, that your check will no longer be arriving.  
However, at that point, if you decide, well, I just can't work full time, I need to reduce my hours, if you make less than $1,000 per month, then you will still retain your cash benefits.  So a person could be making $950 a month and let's say their cash benefits from SSDI are 764, well, they'd be having $1,574 a month in income as opposed to just that  that 874.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Uhhuh.  And do you find that in your dealings in employment benefits, is the  is the issue or the concern about benefits the biggest thing that  that you deal with, with your clients?
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Well, benefits are scary.  Many of the clients that we  we service might have had to apply for Social Security and then be turned down.  They may be turned down again.  They may be turned down again.  The Social Security Administration has had a huge back load in disability determinations, and so many of the people who call us, say, well, it took me five years to get my disability.  And I say, well, I understand that.  And what's good about this program is that it protects you.  So, if you assign your ticket to an employment network like, like Employment Options, the first protection you get from that is that you will be exempt from medical reviews.  
Normally, a person who is on SSDI has medical reviews about every three years, or maybe earlier, depending upon their actual disability.  Now, if your ticket is not assigned to an employment network and you are working and you have a disability review, it's most likely that you  you'll lose your  your disability determinations.  I had a nurse in Hawaii and that happened to her.  She had been sent a letter prior to enrolling with Employment Options, the letter stating that she had to go see a medical examiner, and unfortunately, she never received that letter because she had moved, and once, uh, she went in for a medical review, she had a psychiatric disability.  They said, well, looks like you're stable, you're working, and they cut her off.  
So it's really important for people to understand that they are protected, if they're working with someone like us, an employment network.  But if they're working on their own and just trying to hide it, well, the Social Security Administration does have access to records, to work records, to unemployment records, so it might take a year and a half or two years for them to catch up with you, but when they do, then people end up in payback status, and that's no fun.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  You mentioned or you used the phrase a couple of times “employment network” when you refer to what you do, and I think also Employment Options.  Explain the concept for us what an employment network is.
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Okay.  Well, the way the Ticket to Work Program was designed, conceived, conceptualized, was that people who have a disability prior to the Ticket to Work Program could only receive employment related services through their Department of Vocational Rehabilitation.  So, the Department Of Vocational Rehabilitation might  might have subcontracted out some employment services to another agency, but you always had to go through the Department of Vocational Rehabilitations.  
And in an effort to bring more choice to consumers, to clients with disabilities, they started this Ticket to Work Program, and if you go to the website, yourtickettowork.com, that's yourtickettowork.com, that is the official Maximus website who manages the Ticket to Work Program for the Social Security Administration, and there you can find a whole list of employment networks all throughout the United States.  Some of the employment networks are locally based, meaning that they'll only work with people who live in Chicago.  Others are nationally based or regionally based, and so there's all different types of providers.  Employment Options is just one of them.  And it gives people who previously had no determination, couldn't decide who helped them, now, if you have a Ticket to Work, you can choose who helps you.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  And your company, Employment Options, is located where?
>> MS. VIEILLET:  We're in outer space.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Is there a zip code?
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Right.  The main office is in St. Petersburg, Florida, and the zip is 33741. But we are a virtual company.  We're entirely virtual.  We don't meet with our clients.  We only talk with people over the phone.  And I'll tell you one thing about that.  I used to always meet with my clients in person, and I don't discriminate now.  There's always a potential for bias whenever you have a counselor and a client, uh, just because we're human.  But we're on the phone; I don't know what a person looks like.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Right.
>> MS. VIEILLET:  I don't have a clue.  And most of the time I'm wrong when I try to figure out what a person looks like.  So, we really evaluate people and coach people based upon their skills and abilities.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  And so, take us through what kind of things happen at Employment Options on a typical day, what you guys do.
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Well, let's say you're a potential client, and you 
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Start right there.  If I were a potential client, who would I be?  Would I be a person with a particular kind of disability or any kind of disability?
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Any job seeker with a disability who is currently receiving SSI or SSDI.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Okay.
>> MS. VIEILLET:  So, uh, what we would do is, you would call us or email us and express your interest, and you would email sjones@atmyemploymentoptions.  Now  and maybe say what  what it is that you're looking for.  If you're looking for work at home, then you should put that in an email.  We will then call you and talk to you and find out about your computer specs and what type of job you're wanting to find, and is it part time or is it full time, and you know, what state you're in, and just get the basic information about you we want.
 If you're going to do work at home, customer service, we want to know how fast you type, so we'll send you a typing test.  And then once we get the typing test, and we get a copy of your work history, or résumé, then we're going to look at that résumé, we're going to look at your computer specs, or if you're outside community work, we'll look at what your job goals are, and we'll determine whether or not we will be a good match for you.  You know, one of the benefits of this ticket program is that there's all sorts of employment networks out there, and 
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Right.
>> MS. VIEILLET:   because of that, we  we don't take everybody who calls us.  Everyone who calls us is not appropriate for the type of services we provide.  We don't do very well with people who have learning disabilities that are more severe, where they may need a job coach, uh, or they're going to need extended training time.  Most of the time, someone with a learning disability that way would need somebody on site to help them, so we don't want to try to help somebody when we're not the best match.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Okay.  All right.  Good.  It's interesting that you mentioned a few minutes ago about only being able to listen to a voice and not being able to judge somebody, because I'm looking through your book, I think one of the areas you emphasize very strongly, one of the areas that seem to have a lot of passion in it, was the area about job hiring discrimination and on the job discrimination.  I want to discuss that a little bit with you, but first we have to take our first break.  So stay with us.  I'm Ray Zardetto and this is Disabilities at Work Radio.

>> Be sure to friend us on Facebook.  You can do it right now.  Visit facebook.com/voiceamerica, or search for us at keyword VoiceAmerica.
>> Disabilities at Work encourages people with disabilities, their families, and their supporters to patronize businesses that have earned the right to display the Disabilities at Work logo on wall plaques, window decals or websites.  By some estimates, people with disabilities control hundreds of millions of dollars in disposable income.  They can use that spending power to send a message to corporate America.  Become a Disabilities at Work business, or a registered agency with the power to endorse supportive businesses at the Disabilities at Work website, www.disabilitiesatwork.org.
>>  Technology is changing the way we live our lives and how we do business.  On CIO Talk Radio, we talk about the benefits of technology and the great things it allows us to do as well as its risks.  Heard every Wednesday at 9 a.m. Central, 7 a.m. Pacific, Sanjog Aul interviews business leaders and other experts that are shaping the way we use technology.  To learn more about the show, visit www.ciotalkradio.com.  Keep up with the changing world of technology and listen to CIO Talk Radio with Sanjog Aul.  Listen in every Wednesday at 9 a.m. Central, 7 a.m. Pacific, right here on VoiceAmerica Business.
>> Stocks, bonds, investment opportunities, financial news and talk, we can help.  Call us now toll free, (866)4725790.  (866)4725790.  VoiceAmerica Business Network.
>> You are listening to Disabilities at Work Radio.  We welcome questions and comments from our listening audience, which you can send to us on Twitter at DisabilitiesAt, or on our Facebook site, Disabilities at Work.  Also visit disabilitiesatwork.org.  Welcome back.

>> MR. ZARDETTO:  And welcome back to Disabilities at Work Radio here on the VoiceAmerica Business Network.  One of our program sponsors today is the Kessler Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of the disabled through the rehabilitation research done by the Kessler Foundation Research Center and through the work of the Kessler Program Center, which helps prepare the disabled for the demands of the work place.  And I'm speaking today with Paula Vieillet.  And by the way, we should spell that for people just so they know, Paula, or they don't get confused about it.  Although you pronounce it Vieillet, how do you spell your last name?
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Well, it's a French name.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Sure is.  
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Half of the alphabet.  It's V, like Victor, IEILLET, like Tom.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Right.  And Paula is the president of Employment Options and the author of the book Employment Options, available from Bartleby Press.  And by the way, I would just say this about the book, having read much of it and looked through it; it really is a useful book.  It's not a lot of strategy and theory.  It's  it's very much based in reality.  It posts a series of possible scenarios, realistic scenarios, and it gives you a very practical list of things to consider and actions to take in response to that scenario, so I thought it was very good in that regard.  
Um, in one of the areas in the book, I think that came through in terms of some of the passion that you seem to have in this area, was about job discrimination.  There are multiple times in the book where you talk about or urge people to stand up for their rights and describe for them how to do so.  And so, from the standpoint of people with disabilities, despite the Americans with Disabilities Act and the many amendments and changes there, training, communications, all the programs meant to attack or eliminate the discourage of discrimination, if you want to call it, it's still out there, isn't it?
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Oh, it's still out there.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  How widespread is it, do you think?
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Well, discrimination is human nature.  We all discriminate, whether we think we do or not.  Uh, and, uh, one of the examples I give is that  well, I think I need to tell you a little bit about the ADA and how it affects job hunters, because what I found back in 1993 when I wrote my first book, that job hunters don't know their rights, what's legal, what's illegal in a job interview, how to handle illegal questions, and so the first thing that I feel strongly about is that people should know their rights.  
People should know that it's illegal for an employer to just ask your age, race, sexual orientation, race, national origin, or disability.  It's illegal for them to ask those questions.  Not saying that they don't, like you said.  So one  so I cover real clearly how to address the concern and not the question.  So, for example, if I'm a little older and an employer asks me, how old are you?  And usually the stereotype for an older worker, for example, is someone who is slow, possibly, or not many work years remaining or maybe not up with technology, so my response, what I'm going to say is something like, well, I plan to be with my next employer for five years.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Uhhuh.
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Or I'm really computer savvy, I've got a Facebook, I'm on LinkedIn, and I have  I'm a very dependable worker.  One of the other stereotypes for seniors is that they're very dependable, so might as well put in the good stereotype as well.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Right.
>> MS. VIEILLET:  So I didn't answer the question, like, I didn't say, well, I'm 61 years old, but I did answer the question, because I addressed the employer's concerns, not the question.  So with disability, it's the same thing.  Some of the employer’s concerns are, number one, that they'll increase the workload on other people.  Another stereotype is they'll be too sick to go to work, or it's going to up the cost of health insurance.  
So these are the issues that, if they are issues, that I make sure that the applicant knows how to answer, and one of the things you could say is, if they're worried about you putting workload on someone else, well, I might need a little help with emptying the trash cans, but other than that, I can do everything in the job, and I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to work for you.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Right.  It seems as though that  you know, to get to the point to where you can make those kinds of responses effectively, takes us back to what I mentioned in the show opening about knowing your strengths and acknowledging your, you know, your weaker areas.  How does somebody go about doing that honestly?  Nobody sees themselves the way other people see them.  So how do you go about making a very honest assessment of your strengths and weaknesses?
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Well, I created this Employment Options:  The Ultimate Resource for Job Seekers with Disabilities and Other Challenges in a really easy, interactive format that actually, I think, does a pretty good job of helping a person if they're working, you know, on their own to come up with a job goal and set their strengths and abilities.  There's checkpoints, there's questions that are designed to make you think.  And I  I felt that this  I wrote this book because I felt that a lot of people needed this information, and I felt a responsibility, actually, to write this book and get the information out there, because there are so many people with disabilities, and I've helped so many people with disabilities that they didn't  they didn't realize they were sabotaging themselves.  
They just didn't realize they were sabotaging themselves in the interviews, and a lot of times they hadn't really thought about what it is they could do or what time they wanted to work.  It's silly  silly sort of simple type of questions, but once you've formulated, you know, these are my strengths, I'm patient, I'm good with people, then  then you're able to maybe create job goals that might be more appropriate for you since you've been on disability.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Yep.  Isn't that kind of a more difficult or more challenging process though, for somebody with a disability who has an apparent disability, because, you know, as you said earlier, you know, we're all human, we have that kind of human response, and someone with a disability may do that very honest assessment and come up with, you know, six or seven very strong points they think they would bring into a work place, but when they get there, of course, the first thing that's going to be noticed is what?  The fact they have this disability.  So don't they have an extra hurdle they have to be concerned about in that regard?
>> MS. VIEILLET:  I usually tell people who have a visible disability, if they're concerned about their ability to  to get into the building, to find out if they have a wheelchair ramp, that sort of will tip off the employer that this person may be coming in a wheelchair.  I think as long as the person really stresses their skills and abilities and sticks to it 
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Uhhuh.
>> MS. VIEILLET:   then they're going to be considered for their skills and abilities.  Once you start talking about your disability and how you became disabled and all of that, they're not allowed to ask you, how did you get in a wheelchair?  The employers are not allowed to ask you that, but what I find is a lot of clients feel like they need to explain that, and one of the examples I always give to my clients is that discrimination is human nature.  
Let's say you have a body cast on, and you need to go to the doctor.  And you're really only comfortable in your car because you've got reclining seats, so you ask a friend to help you to drive you to the airport  to the doctor, and one friend had an automobile accident six months ago.  It wasn't his fault.  And then you had another friend who never had an auto accident.  Who would you pick?
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Uhhuh.
>> MS. VIEILLET:  You'd pick the one who had never had an accident.  So that's just discrimination is human nature.  So, yes, a person in a wheelchair who goes into an office might have a little bit additional of a jump, has to really focus on your strengths and keep that  keep that interview, or just focus on what you can do for the company.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Okay.  And one more area I'd like to cover, and then we have another guest I want to bring on the show to get another perspective on  on some of this.  But let me just ask you one other thing, because we talked about the apparent disabilities, but what about when someone has, you know, a hidden disability or not so apparent disability?  You know, obviously what the disability is and who the employer is is going to be, you know, part of the way in deciding what and how to handle that.  But, as a rule of thumb, what do you tell people who have a  you know, an apparent disability?  You know, do they disclose it in the workplace to their employer?  Do they not?  What's your rule of thumb on that?
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Absolutely not.  There's no benefits to disclosing it, unless you're already working and there's a reason why you have to disclose it.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Uhhuh.
>> MS. VIEILLET:  You know, they say you have protection under the ADA if you tell them, but it's not  not what I'm seeing in  and what happens in the Supreme Court, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.  I  I  the way we avoid people with not apparent disabilities being unsuccessful in the workplace is to really look at job goals first, to look at, is this something that you're going to be able to handle emotionally or physically?  
And be honest with yourself.  Would you hire somebody who had your emotional or physical or mental disability to do this job?  And if you can't be honest with yourself and say yes, then we need to change job goals.  We can't expect the employer to change too much.  You know, you may be able to accommodate if it's just something that's not an essential function of the job.  The employer may be able to accommodate it, but there's really no benefit to telling an employer that you have a disability in a job interview.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  And when you are talking about such things as helping, you know, evaluate, you know, your own strengths and weaknesses as we talked about before.  Is that something that Employment Options and other entities in the employment network do as well?
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Well, I can't speak for all the employment networks.  There are a lot of different models out there.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Yeah.
>> MS. VIEILLET:  But the first thing that we do when somebody assigns our ticket to us is we send them out a book, and every one of my clients gets one of my workbooks, the workbook Disabilities/Different Abilities:  A New Perspective for Job Hunters, and we go through this book.  It's 74 pages.  It's quick.  It's fast.  It talks  asks you what your strengths are.  It talks about your workplace values, your goals, and when you  when you assess yourself that way, it's  it's a lot easier to know what type of job to go for.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Okay.  Good.  That's a good place to take a break, and I think that's what we'll do right now.  Um, and then when we come back, Paula and I are going to be joined by one of Paula's colleagues who has some inside perspective on using Employment Options and also having gone through Ticket to Work, so we'll continue the conversation and get some new perspectives on it.  
Before we take the break, though, let me first take a moment to thank Karasch & Associates and ASL Interpreter Referral Services.  Their generosity is making Disabilities at Work accessible to those with hearing loss.  Thanks to them, transcripts of our program are available on our website one week following each episode.  And speaking of our website, which is disabilitiesatwork.org, I invite you to check out our website and read our new newsletter, which is now debuted on the site.  Disabilities at Work newsletter is posted on the website and it's free.  
It provides additional information about many of the topics we discuss on our radio program here, and it's also a great source of information about the issues surrounding the employment of people with disabilities.  So again, check it out at disabilitiesatwork.org, and don't forget to follow us on Twitter at DisabilitiesAt, and join the thousands of people worldwide who are now connected with us on Facebook.  So a lot of stuff going on in the electronic and social media fronts with our show.  We appreciate everybody for their interest, and we appreciate their involvement in the show as well.  We'll be back to talk with Paula, talk more about Ticket to Work and Employment Options, but first, this break.  I'm Ray Zardetto, and this is Disabilities at Work Radio. 

>> Stay connected.  Sign up for our newsletter.  Go beyond your favorite VoiceAmerica shows.  Visit iradioblog.com.  
>> Disabilities at Work encourages people with disabilities, their families, and their supporters to patronize businesses that have earned the right to display the Disabilities at Work logo on wall plaques, window decals, or websites.  By some estimates, people with disabilities control hundreds of millions of dollars in disposable income.  They can use that spending power to send a message to corporate America.  Become a Disabilities at Work business or a registered agency with the power to endorse supportive businesses at the Disabilities at Work website, www.disabilitiesatwork.org.
>> What would you do if you knew that you could not fail?  The Dr. Pat Show with Dr. Pat Baccili is a radio forum for some of the world's most influential people in the fields of health, wellness, and human potential.  Dr. Pat brings together and introduces visionary scientists and futurists, environmentalists, educators, business leaders, inventors, filmmakers, authors, artists, mystics and healers who inspire and support individual and collective growth and positive cultural shifts.  This award winning radio show empowers the listening community to be the change they want to see in the world.  Tune in every Thursday at 8 a.m. Pacific for the Dr. Pat Show with Dr. Pat Baccili, radio to thrive by.
>> Whether the market’s up or down, or if you're looking to improve your portfolio, our experts are ready to talk to you.  Call now.  Toll free, (866)4725790.  That's (866)4725790.  VoiceAmerica Business Network.
>> You are listening to Disabilities At Work radio.  We welcome questions and comments from our listening audience, which you can send to us on Twitter at DisabilitiesAt or on our Facebook site, Disabilities at Work.  Also visit disabilitiesatwork.org.  Welcome back. 
 
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  And we're back on VoiceAmerica Business Network.  This is Disabilities at Work Radio, and I'm Ray Zardetto.  Today's show is sponsored by the New Jersey Division of Disability Services, which, of course, is part of the state of New Jersey's Division of Human Services, and the Division of Disability Services focuses on helping people who become disabled as adults so they can live their lives more independently in their communities.  And I'm speaking with Paula Vieillet, author of Employment Options, and as we have mentioned earlier, is president of a company, not coincidently called Employment Options as well.  Paula, was that an accident, or 
>> MS. VIEILLET:  No.  I really feel that people need to know what their employment options are, and I feel that the type of work I provide is to help people determine their employment options, and so I  I liked the title.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  I also want to introduce now, bring someone on the show to talk a little bit about her experiences at Employment Options and the Ticket to Work Program, so let me introduce Lori Adler.  Lori, welcome to the program.
>> MS. ADLER:  Hi, Ray.  Thanks for having me.  Glad to be here.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Thank you.  Appreciate having you on.  You work at Employment Options now, is that correct?
>> MS. ADLER:  Yes.  I'm in public relations and marketing and responsible for a lot of social media and getting the word out about what we do.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Okay.  Why don't you start back with how you got involved first with the Ticket to Work Program and then how you got involved with Employment Options.
>> MS. ADLER:  Sure.  I'm actually kind of able to explain Ticket to Work from both sides.  I not only worked for Paula in marketing for Employment Options, but I myself, um, am on SSDI, and I have been for about six years, so, umm, with the rising cost of food and fuel and everything, my cash benefits from Social Security just wasn't enough to, you know, cover my monthly expenses and my family's expenses.  At first I sought employment on my own, as Paula talked about, I wasn't aware of the Ticket to Work Program at first.  When I handled it on my own, um, it was stressful because I really wasn't sure if my earnings were too much, if I was turning things in correctly to Social Security, so I saw on the internet different, um, forums and websites, and I came across Paula on a work from home forum, and I contacted them, probably about  probably going on two years, that I first made contact with them.  And I actually assigned my ticket to Paula and her group, and they helped me find a job last year working from home part time  or full time, actually, last year in pharmaceuticals.  
So, um, when I was trying to find work myself, it was very frustrating.  There's a lot of scams, a lot of promises for jobs, and then you fill out all the applications, and you know, maybe 20 of them a day, and no one calls you back, and then I get involved with Ticket to Work, assigned my ticket, and within a few weeks, I had a fulltime job from home.  And Paula not only helped me find the job, but they helped me with interview skills.  I had gaps in employment, which often is an issue for a lot of people for whatever reason.  I had some gaps because of my illness.  She helped me handle that and my interview questions, and then in the past couple months, she offered me a position with  for marketing and social media, but also I feel I can offer my own example to clients, that I understand not just the rules of Ticket to Work, I'm living the Ticket to Work, and it's just been an awesome benefit for me.  I can't stress enough of how it's helped change my world for sure.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Well, I'd like to explore a few more detailed steps how you went through the Ticket to Work Program.  But let me, let me talk first with you about the benefits.  Paula and I touched on those earlier in the show as well.  There's always been a concern, and a number of the guests we've had on previous shows have expressed that concern or express the fact that people have the concern, that if they go back to work that they're going to lose their benefits in one form or another.  So, um, if you could address that from your point of view and your experience, I think that might be of interest for listeners.
>> MS. ADLER:  Right.  When I was seeking work prior to hiring Paula  as a ticket  or employment network, there are lots of forums, there's lots of talk about people on disabilities, but sadly, there's a lot of misconceptions, and I was misinformed without realizing it and, you know, thought that if I started to work and made any amount of money, I would lose my benefits, so that then created more stress, and I wasn't able to, you know, focus on the job itself.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  And not to interrupt you, but just out of curiosity, how were you misinformed?  You know, was there some source of information that you went to that provided the information incorrectly? 
>> MS. ADLER:  There's just different forums out there, even just work from home forums.  And a lot of times there will be people on disability who start a separate, you know, thread or group, and people thought they understood the rules, and they would say, you know, you don't want to go back to work, if you make any money they're going to reduce your benefits, you can't get it back, you're going to lose your insurance.  
You know, and I'm  I was newly on SSDI, so I assumed, you know, these people knew what they were talking about, and it's not that they, you know, did it on purpose.  They were just misinformed, and when I saw Employment Options and then I realized what Ticket to Work can do, Paula has  like she said, has a specific person that handles my benefits, how much I'm making, turns everything in, so I don't have to have that stress of, oh, my gosh, you know, what did I make this month?  Oh, gosh, did I go over?  I already have all that taken care of, and it just really allows you to focus on your job and not worry about that part of it.  Do you know what I mean?
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Yes.  So it's not a given that if you go back to work and you start to collect income that you're going to lose your benefits.  That's not the case at all.  It's oversight.
>> MS. ADLER:  Absolutely not.  And that's the wonderful thing about the program.  When you're in the program, you have the safety nets that Paula talked about, and a lot of people aren't aware of those safety nets, such as the nine month trial work period where you can make as much as you want.  I mean, that's really awesome.  You can try to work.  You don't have to worry about anything.  Just do what you can.  And then go from there.  And I haven't used all my nine months yet, so I'm actually still in the, uh, nine month part of it.  But it's just nice to know I have someone, you know, even before I was hired here to be able to go to, and it's, like, okay, I made this much this month, you know, I'm okay, right?  And they know exactly where you stand, and it just takes that stress off.  You know exactly you're doing the right thing, and you can focus on the job, which is, you know, really how it should be.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Right.  And Paula, just out of curiosity, I mean, do you have any sense  where does this information start up?  You know, where do people get this notion that, you know, your benefits are automatically suspended or canceled if you start earning an income?
>> MS. VIEILLET:  There is a lot of misinformation out there, and unfortunately, the Social Security Administration themselves, many of the counselors in the offices don't really understand the Ticket to Work Program, so it's no surprise that people are getting different, you know, just different answers when they ask people about it.  You know, that's  it's a tough thing.  I don't know what to tell people, except to call us if you're not sure, and at least we could direct you to the right place if we can't help you ourselves.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Right.
>> MS. VIEILLET:  But it -- people are just so afraid of losing their benefits.  Now, I didn't mention that there are other benefits, once you finish that nine month trial work period. What happens then, you've got a good job, you're making 30,000 a year, and so you're willing to go off your cash benefits.  So you're working full time.  And now all of the sudden, you get sick again two years later.  What happens then?  Well, all you have to do is call your Social Security rep back up and let them know that you're no longer working, and you don't have  it doesn't have to be because you're ill.  It could be because you had a baby or because you just don't want to work anymore.  And for 36 months after that nine month trial work period, your cash benefits will start right back up just with a phone call.  Now that part works pretty well.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Yeah.  So you don't have to go through the entire process of applying again.
>> MS. VIEILLET:  No, you don't have to go through the process at all.  It's pretty  you call them up and the next month or  one or two months later, your cash benefits will start coming right back, and that's from the time that you stopped work.  Now, for the three years after that period, then you have what they call the expedited reinstatement period of the Ticket to Work Program, so let's say now it's been five years since you started working, and I've had this happen to my clients, and they relapse, their cancer came back.  
And so the  the process is a little bit different because you do have to reapply for Social Security, but it's called expedited reinstatement, and what that means is the Social Security rep can start cash benefits right up while you're waiting for it to be reviewed again, and your case goes in front of all the other cases for review.  So I've had that happen to my clients.  Some people who do get sick afterwards and they're back on cash benefits, so for ticket holders, really, you just don't have very much risk.  We take more risk than you do.  We only get paid if we're successful.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Okay.  And so, Lori  I'm sorry.  Did you have thought?  Go ahead.
>> MS. VIEILLET:  And so what that means is, we want to make sure, one, that we can help you, and you can be pretty sure that we're going to make as much effort as we can to help you because that's how we get paid, if you go back to work.  So it's kind of an interesting program.  It's  it's different from other placement type  and government programs.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Okay.  Let's go on the inside of that program again for a couple of minutes.  Lori, when you said you  you got involved with the Ticket to Work Program, um, tell us the first couple of steps you had to go through in that program.
>> MS. ADLER:  Um, what had happened, as I had  as I said, had been researching on the internet and I came across My Employment Options on a work from home forum, because I was looking for specifically work from home, not work outside the home.  And all I did was, um, I think I emailed in.  I think their email address was on there, and within a day, I got a call from, umm, Sheeka.  She's the intake specialist.  She took down my information.  I sent her some information as well, and within no time, they, you know, explained to me that I was qualified, and after that, umm, I just  they sent me different jobs.  
You know, I helped  they helped me interview and different  you know, kind of helped me prepare.  It's not like they just say, here, here's these jobs, you know, good luck.  They specifically helped me with the interview process, the résumé.  Paula helped me improve my résumé more to make it look more appealing to employers.  Once I was hired last year, umm, by the pharmaceutical company I mentioned, all I had to do was send my pay stubs to her  Paula's staff member, Theresa.  She handles all of that, and she sent everything to Social Security, and all I had to do was just focus on my work and, um, focus on the job, and everything behind the scenes was taken care of.  And if they needed me to fill out paperwork, they would just call me or email me, you know, ever so often when they needed that, and it's just been  it's just been great.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Wow.  All right.  Good.  Well, good time to take another break, which unfortunately we have to do one more in our program here.  Got to pay some bills.  Umm, and after  after this final break, we'll come back on.  I want to talk a little bit about some of the changes in legislation and regulation related to the ADA and some other  and some other, uh, laws, because I think there's some new amendments to ADA that are just going into effect or have just gone into effect.  I'm wondering if, uh, you have some perspectives on that, but let's take this break first, and we'll be right back.  This is Ray Zardetto, and this is Disabilities at Work Radio.

>> The future of online TV is here.  View exclusive content from your favorite talk radio hosts and new programs that you can't see anywhere else.  Visit voiceamerica.tv today.
>> Disabilities at Work encourages people with disabilities, their families, and their supporters to patronize businesses that have earned the right to display the Disabilities at Work logo on wall plaques, window decals, or websites.  By some estimates, people with disabilities control hundreds of millions of dollars in disposable income.  They can use that spending power to send a message to corporate America.  Become a Disabilities at Work business, or a registered agency with the power to endorse supportive businesses at the Disabilities at Work website, www.disabilitiesatwork.org.
>> Whether the market's up or down, or if you're looking to improve your portfolio, our experts are ready to talk to you.  Call now, toll free, (866)4725790.  That's (866)4725790.  VoiceAmerica Business Network.
>> You are listening to Disabilities at Work radio.  We welcome questions and comments from our listening audience which you can send to us on Twitter at DisabilitiesAt or on our Facebook site, Disabilities at Work.  Also visit disabilitiesatwork.org.  Welcome back.  

>> MR. ZARDETTO:  And welcome back to Disabilities at Work radio.  My guests today, Paula Vieillet and Lori Adler.  We're talking about Ticket to Work Program and the company they're both heavily engaged with, Employment Options.  And as we mentioned earlier, Employment Options is not only the name of the company but the name of Paula's new book, Employment Options:  The Ultimate Resource for Job Seekers with Disabilities and Other Challenges, available from Bartleby Press.  And Paula, people interested in getting that book, how can they do that?  
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Well, uh, you can go to Amazon.  It's on Amazon.  You can come to our website, myemploymentoptions.com, or you can go to your library and request it.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  There you go.  Okay, um, in the last segment here I did want to talk in a little in general, or at a higher view, about the current playing field for people with disabilities as regard to  as regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act and some other things.  But let's finish up one other item with Lori, because I know you said in working the Ticket to Work Program, you were looking for work at home jobs, especially, right?
>> MS. ADLER:  Yes.  For myself.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Yeah.  And I think that's probably an interesting point to talk on in a larger sense, because I think, for people with disabilities, that kind of  that kind of a work option is probably very attractive.
>> MS. ADLER:  Absolutely.  I think the internet and just technology, I think the next few years and going forward are going to change  change the world, because people with disabilities before, their only options were to work outside the home.  And now with the internet and the work from home companies, it's just  it just makes good sense that  that we have these options.  
Employment Options, we help people get jobs either from home or in their own community or in their own city.  I, with my, um, disability, preferred to work from home, just works better.  And we have a huge, um, list of employers who are wanting to hire us or hire people to work from home.  It helps the company save money, helps them get tax credits.  It's just a good thing all around for the client as well as the employer.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  And so to be clear, when you were looking for the job that you got with the pharmaceutical last year, you specified that you wanted to work at home or did you say 
>> MS. ADLER:  Absolutely.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Okay.  So it wasn't one of those you take it or leave it either way.  But you specified you did want to work at home.
>> MS. ADLER:  No, no.  As Paula mentioned before, when Sheeka, or one of the ladies does the intake for the first part of the process, they find out what your goals are, what your interests are.  Some people can work outside the home.  Some people would prefer that.  Others, with their disability or their situation, would rather be at home, so I just made it clear, for now, you know, I wanted to try to work from home.  I had done a little work from home on my own before that, so I had some experience, and they, you know, went right into that, and we have different counselors for work at home, and we have the counselors that deal with outside the home.  So everyone is well versed in their area.
>> MS. VIEILLET:  I wanted to talk a little bit about these employment opportunities for people who work out of their homes.  This is just the most amazing thing I've seen in my whole career of helping people find work, and I've been doing this since 1988.  And for the very first time ever, people with disabilities are the best match for work at home jobs.  At the beginning, when all these  the work at home companies were coming out, they thought it would be the moms who are at home and they've got kids, so it would give them the opportunity to be with their kids.  
Well, what they found out is, the moms wanted to be with their kids, and if there was a soccer game, they would be missing work.  Now, with people with disabilities, often it is the only option that a person can do in order to get back to work, and so they tend to be very, very loyal employees.  Now, why do employers want to work with Employment Options?  That's because I have very highly trained and qualified staff.  I have three work at home recruiters, and all of them have at least 20 years of HR background.  
One of my specialists was HR for Wal-Mart for 20 years.  Another one did HR for Pizza Hut and CBS and also has an advanced degree in counseling.  And then Pam has been with Employment Options for about 12 years, and she has a ton of experience in assessments and in  and she also has 16 years of HR background at Montgomery Ward.  So  so I mean, we have incredible staff, and I tell my staff, don't refer them to an employer unless you would be interviewing them for that position if you were HR.  And of course, they understand that without me even having to say that.  
So what we do with our employers is, a lot of these employers, they have  they literally have hundreds of job openings, and so we screen them for these employers.  We make sure they have the correct computer, that they have enough RAM on their computer, that they have a big enough hard drive.  We make sure that they've got the right work background, that they have enough experience in whatever they're looking for.  We make sure that they have a pleasant phone voice if it's going to involve speaking, and most of our jobs do at this point.  It  typing skills, we test typing skills.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  I'm sorry.  I was going to say, for all those, I'm just curious, what -- how prevalent is the request to work at home, such as Lori described?  What percentage of people would prefer to do that versus going into an office?
>> MS. VIEILLET:  It's about 50/50, from what we're getting.  But  and some people want to work from home and then we talk with them and we find that it's just not going to work for them.  They don't  their computer skills aren't good enough, they don't have the right equipment, and we do help with some of the equipment cost, but we typically don't buy computers for people.  That would be something they'd need to do  go to their vocational rehabilitation for that.  So it's, uh  but we do have quite a few work at home employers that are  we don't get paid if  if the person is not an employee of the company.  Very difficult for me to get paid from somebody who becomes self-employed.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Right.
>> MS. VIEILLET:  And most of the scams out there are self-employment scams.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Right.
>> MS. VIEILLET:  So we have, at any time, four, 500 jobs that we're trying to fill.  We just got a new job order from a new company for 20 for a class that's starting in May.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Right.
>> MS. VIEILLET:  So  and they love  they love to get my list.  These employers are saying, well, we interview your clients first.  One, because they know they've been prescreened and they know we take it seriously, and two, they get tax credits, they get  they can get up to $2,400 in work opportunity tax credits, and three, our  our clientele, our population, has proved to be the  the kind of people that seem to stay the longest on the job.  And since we follow up with everybody who goes  who comes on with Employment Options for usually about six years, we're also providing a great deal of retention support and career planning support if a person wants to move ahead in their career.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Right.  Given all that and given what Lori was describing before and we had the ADA on the books now for over 20 years and everything, where are the gaps still in terms of what other, you know  and we only have about a minute left in the program.  I'm just wondering, where do you think the gaps are in terms of what either should be legislated by a local or national  you know, the national legislature, or you know, what businesses should consider and everything?  Where are the gaps at this point?
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Well, I think the biggest gaps are try to identify if a person is truly disabled under the law.  I think some of the judgments of  have been kind of un  just not real clear sometimes as how  why a person wasn't declared disabled under the law, and just the enforcement of the ADA has not proven to be very effective.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Uhhuh.
>> MS. VIEILLET:  So, you know, we can only count on the government to help so much with our problems, and that's why I really believe in self advocacy and teaching people their rights so that they don't get discriminated against unnecessarily.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  Okay.  Good.  Umm, you gave us some information about how to get your book, Paula.  What about for anybody who is interested in contacting Employment Options?
>> MS. VIEILLET:  Well, we'd love to talk with you.  The best way to do it is to email Sheeka, sjones@myemploymentoptions.com, or you're certainly welcome to email Lori, if you have any specific questions you'd like to ask her.  Her email is ladler  ADLER  @myemploymentoptions.com, or call us on our toll free number, 1(800)4413114, and just press extension 754 or zero for the operator.
>> MR. ZARDETTO:  All right.  Well, we're going to leave it right there.  I think that's a good place to stop.  Let me first thank my guests, Paula Vieillet and Lori Adler, for joining us today for the discussion on Employment Options and on the Ticket to Work Program.  Very interesting, I thought.  I also want to thank our sponsors, the Kessler Foundation and the New Jersey Division of Disability Services, and again also to thank Karasch & Associates and ASL Interpreter Referral Services for their generosity in making Disabilities at Work accessible for those with hearing loss.  Thanks to them, transcripts of our program are available on our website, disabilitiesatwork.org, one week following each episode.  I also want to thank everyone for listening in today for today's program.  We'll be on again next Wednesday at noon, Eastern Time, on VoiceAmerica Business Network.  I'm Ray Zardetto.  This is Disabilities at Work Radio.

>> Thanks for listening to Disabilities at Work.  Become part of our tweam on Twitter at Disabilities At, and friend us on Facebook at Disabilities at Work.  Check out our website at www.disabilitiesatwork.org, and join us next week on Wednesday, 9 a.m. Pacific, noon Eastern Time for the next Disabilities at Work radio show.