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Alternate Participants (AP)

An Alternate Participant is any public or private agency, organization, institution or individual except a participating State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agency with whom SSA has contracted to provide VR services. The enactment of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act affected Alternate Participants who were under contract with SSA to provide rehabilitation services to people with disabilities.

Beginning January 1, 2001, the Alternate Participant program, including referrals from the SSA VR Referral Bulletin Board, ended in the initial 13 Ticket to Work Program States.

Alternate Participants in these States could not accept new referrals after January 1, 2001 under the terms of the existing VR Reimbursement Program. Alternate Participants in these States may continue working with beneficiaries with whom they signed an employment plan prior to January 1, 2001. These Alternate Participants could be reimbursed for the costs of services provided to beneficiaries prior to January 1, 2004 if the services resulted in the individual's return to work at the substantial gainful activity level for a specified period of time.

The initial 13 ticket States were Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

Effective November 1, 2002, the alternate participant program including referrals from the bulletin board ended in Phase Two ticket States. Alternate participants in Phase Two States could not accept new referrals after November 1, 2002 under the terms of the VR Reimbursement Program. Alternate participants in these States could be reimbursed for the costs of services provided prior to January 1, 2004, if they signed an employment plan with a beneficiary prior to November 1, 2002, and met all other requirements for reimbursement.

The Phase Two States were Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Effective November 1, 2003, the alternate participant program including referrals from the bulleting board ended in the remaining States with Phase Three of the Ticket program implementation. Alternate participants in these States could not accept new referrals after November 1, 2003 under the terms of the VR Reimbursement Program. Alternate participants in these States can be reimbursed for the costs of services provided prior to January 1, 2004, if they signed an employment plan with a beneficiary prior to November 1, 2002, and met all other requirements for reimbursement.

The Phase Three States are Alabama, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming, and the U.S. Territories: American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Previous Alternate Participants in Ticket States have the opportunity to become Employment Networks under the Ticket to Work Program by completing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Employment Networks.

Alternate participants with questions about the Ticket to Work program including its effect on alternate participants and how to become an employment network should call Maximus, Inc., the organization selected by SSA to administer the Ticket to Work program and the phase out of the alternate participant program. Maximus may be contacted at toll-free at 1-866-968-7842 (1-866-YOURTICKET). TTDY users should call 1-866-833-2967 (1-866- TDD2WORK). Internet users can visit Maximus' website at:
http://www.yourtickettowork.com

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