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September 03, 2002
Honorable E. Clay Shaw, Jr., Chairman
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Ways and Means
SubCommittee on Social Security
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Shaw:
I am writing on behalf of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel (the Panel) in response to the questions raised in your August 2, 2002 letter to the Panel. I want to thank you for inviting me to testify on behalf of the Panel at the July 11th hearing. We are ever mindful of the Subcommittee's interest in our work and appreciative of your continued support for the Panel's role in the implementation of the programs and projects under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act (the Act).
Attached you will find our initial response to the important disability policy questions posed by the Subcommittee. However, at this time the Panel would like to refrain from providing full answers to a few of the larger policy questions on the definition and offer to do a little more work on these issues. Over the next few months we plan to host public forums of experts and policy-makers to discuss some of these questions in the context of our work on the work incentives, the Ticket Program and other employment support programs currently operating at the Federal, State and local community level. As you know, these topics and systems are connected and intertwined both in terms of the policy implications and in the beneficiary's experience of the programs. Changes in any one program can greatly impact the benefit structure, operation and implementation of another. The Panel would like to conduct a more in-depth analysis on some of the larger issues and have an opportunity to look at the data from the other public and private-sector programs before attempting to answer some of the questions at hand. We will talk with experts and look at the recent experience of other countries, as well as other models in this country, such as workers' compensation and private insurance models.
Thank you for the opportunity to consider these important policy questions. The Panel shares your concern for the solvency and relevance of today's Social Security Disability Insurance program. Again, the Panel has not addressed many of your questions because of our focus on implementation of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act programs and projects. However, we look forward to our continued work with the Subcommittee and we hope to be of assistance to you in your efforts to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and long-term stability of this critical benefit program for Americans with disabilities and their families.
If you have any questions with regard to this letter or any other work of the Panel, please contact our Executive Director, Marie Strahan, at (202) 358-6430.
Sincerely,
Sarah Wiggins Mitchell, Chair
cc: -President George W. Bush
-The Honorable Charles Grassley
Committee on Finance
-The Honorable Max S. Baucus
Chairman, Committee on Finance
-The Honorable John Kyle
Social Security Subcommittee
-The Honorable John Breaux
Chairman, Social Security Subcommittee
-The Honorable Robert Matsui
Social Security Subcommittee
-The Honorable Charles Rangel
House Ways and Means
-Tommy Thompson, Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
-The Honorable Bill Thomas
Chairman, House Ways and Means
-JoAnne Barnhart
Commissioner of Social Security
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