By Pam Walker, NENA President
President, Alliance Professional Services, LLC

Another year is now behind us and we have lots of exciting opportunities ahead of us in 2020! We are sharing reminders and best practices to use now in preparation of what we believe will be a year of increased growth for the Ticket Program!

Daily Operations

Track and make required contacts. Guidelines require monthly contact with Ticketholders during the “Initial Services phase” (pre-employment) and contact at least quarterly during the “ongoing support phase” (while a Ticketholder is employed) to provide ongoing support and services. As we all know, often Ticketholders experience periods of work and non-work, so it is important to develop a method for easily tracking a Ticketholders’ status – working or not working – so you can determine and meet the contact requirement timeframes.

Maintain excellent case notes as well as documentation to support the case notes. Always provide detailed information related to the type of contact or attempted contact made including the contact method, the phone number called or the email or mailing address used, the date of contact, the time of the contact, the duration, a brief description of the contact, the type of services provided during the contact, or details about the attempted contact and any messages left. Remember, these notes will be needed to establish Proof of Relationship when requesting payments for Phase I, Milestones 1, 2, and 3, if earning statements/pay stubs are not available. Retain copies of emails, texts, or phone logs when possible as proof of contacts or attempts to contact. For more information on documentation, refer to the Ticket to Work Services and Supports resources at: https://yourtickettowork.ssa.gov/resources/forms.html

Monitor attempted contacts to determine when letters to Ticketholders are required due to unsuccessful contact. According to the email issued on May 15, 2018 by SSA, certified letters with a return receipt are preferred, but are not required due to the high cost of certified mail. First Class mail is acceptable as long as the letter sent is well documented by retaining a copy of the letter with the mailing date noted and maintained in the Ticketholder’s file. In lieu of certified mail, some ENs are using a “Certificate of Mailing” to show proof of mailing. For more information on Certificate of Mailing, see resources available at the NENA’s website under the Members’ Resource area or by visiting the USPS website at https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Certificate-of-Mailing-The-Basics.

Check email, including junk, clutter, and spam folders to ensure you do not miss important emails. We have found that some emails from SSA, NENA, and others who may send bulk emails, don’t always make it to the inbox and may be routed to one of the other folders listed above.

Monthly Tasks

Mark your Calendar! The Calendar Page at the Ticket to Work website includes a list of upcoming events, trainings, EN calls, VR Calls, and task due dates: (https://yourtickettowork.ssa.gov/training-and-events/calendar.html)

Sign up and watch for the NENA Newsletter and Calendar of Events for Members. If you are a member, join us for monthly events, trainings, and committee meetings. If you are not a member, sign up for our free newsletter at www.nenaticket.org , see what NENA has to offer, then become a member!

Quarterly Tasks

Confirm your organization’s information at the Choosework website is correct. One quick way to review is to sign into the Portal. From the main menu, select “About Your EN or SVR”, then select “View Directory Information about your EN or SVR”. If any information needs to be updated, fill out a “change form” (https://yourtickettowork.ssa.gov/Assets/yttw/docs/information-center/forms/Form-1374-122017.pdf) and notify ENService at ENService@ssa.gov

Audit your assignments and unassignments. All Ticket providers should compare their organization’s assignment and unassignment information to the information reflected in the Portal. The purpose of the review is to make sure the beneficiaries you believe are assigned to your organization are actually assigned and that those who have had Tickets terminated or who have been unassigned from your organization, are reflected as such in your records and in SSA’s records. Although this task should be completed at least quarterly.

Six Month Tasks

Check the System for Award Management (SAM) to determine your organization’s Award Management expiration date and/or ensure the update is made timely. SAM expiration dates for all federal contractors can be found by visiting www.sam.gov and performing a search by Entity name or DUNS Number. SAM must be updated annually, but may be updated more often as needed. If the SAM registration is not updated and processed prior to the expiration date, SSA will not be able to make payments to the organization until the SAM registration is brought current. The registration process now requires a notarized letter to complete the process, so it takes additional time for the registration to be completed. It is suggested that you begin your SAM registration update process at least 90 days prior to the expiration date. For this reason we suggest this be checked every six months.

Annual Tasks

Complete the Annual Performance Outcome Report (APOR) and Annual Security Awareness Training for all staff. Instructions are generally sent to via email and are also available at the Choosework website. Additional information is available at: https://yourtickettowork.ssa.gov/resources/resource-documents.html

If you need additional assistance or have any questions about the information above, please email us at admin@NENATicket.org and we will be happy to contact you. We wish you much success and Ticket growth in 2020!