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January 7, 2002
Jo Anne Barnhart
Commissioner of Social Security Administration
6401 Security Boulevard
Room 900
Baltimore, MD 21244
Dear Commissioner Barnhart:
I am writing on behalf of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel (the Panel) to encourage you to provide full funding for the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act's SSA grant programs. Specifically they are the Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach grant program and the Protection and Advocacy grant program. These two programs are authorized in the statute at $23 million and $7 million, respectively.
The panel is aware that the Senate Committee on Appropriations in Senate Report 107-84 encouraged the Agency to fund both of these grant programs at their authorized level for fiscal year 2002. It is the opinion of the Panel, and of the advocates and consumers that worked for the passage of the Ticket legislation, that the funding specified in the statute is the minimum needed for the initial implementation of these essential direct-service grant programs. It is expected that these amounts will increase as the Ticket, the Medicaid Buy- In and the Workforce Investment Act programs continue to roll out and expand.
It is our understanding that the Social Security Administration (the Agency) has funded the Protection and Advocacy grants program for FY2002 at $5 million, a 30% reduction from the authorized $7 million level. This is also 30% less than the State designated Protection and Advocacy agencies thought they would receive based on last year's mid-year funding. The new funding cycle should have begun on December 1, 2001 but grants were awarded effective January 2002, with no provision for funding the State P&A; agencies for the month of December 2001. Further, we are concerned that the Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach funding may also be cut in the next round of awards. The reduced amount of funding for the Protection and Advocacy programs, coupled with the uncertainty in funding for the Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach grantees, sends a message to beneficiaries, their families and advocates that the Agency may not be serious about the successful implementation of the Ticket Act programs.
These two programs were designed to provide long-needed and critical benefits planning and advocacy services directly to SSI recipients and SSDI beneficiaries. For many years beneficiaries with disabilities have expressed great fear and uncertainty about the loss of critical health care and use of the current work incentives with regard to employment and return to work attempts. Beneficiaries of the two programs have testified to Congress that they need accurate and timely information and advocacy services for several reasons. One, such assistance is needed so that beneficiaries might better manage and cope with a confusing and complicated array of Federal, State and local benefits programs, employment supports and health related services. And two, it will provide direct help to beneficiaries in working with the wide array of public and private rehabilitation providers in the new Ticket program. In fact, each State and locality will have a very different set of benefits, services, providers and systems, requiring local and client-specific advice, information and advocacy; advice, information and advocacy that these local and state grant programs are uniquely designed to deliver.
The Panel members recognize that this is a very difficult budget year for all Federal programs and we want to assure you that the Panel is supportive of the new spending needed for security and public safety. At the same time, we believe that the new Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act programs have the potential to greatly improve the quality and availability of rehabilitation, employment supports and health services for millions of Americans with disabilities. In keeping with this, Panel members view their advisory role very seriously and ask that you provide us with a formal response to this letter as soon as possible.
Marie Strahan, the Panel's Executive Director, or I, are available at (202) 358-6430, to address any questions or concerns that you may have. We look forward to a continued partnership with you and the Agency staff to ensure the successful implementation and operation of these important new programs.
Sincerely,
/s/
Sarah Wiggins Mitchell
cc:
The Honorable William M. Thomas
Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means
House of Representatives
Martin Gerry
Deputy Commissioner
Office of Disability and Income Security Programs
The Honorable Max S. Baucus
Chairman, Committee on Finance
United States Senate
Ken McGill
Associate Commissioner
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