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April 11, 2002 The Honorable Clay Shaw
Chairman, Social Security Subcommittee
House Ways and Means Committee
Room 316 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
Dear Chairman Shaw,
I am writing on behalf of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel to express our strong support for the reauthorization of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). The Panel also urges Congress to extend the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to employers who hire people with disabilities who have received vocational services through an Employment Network authorized by the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (TWWIIA).
The WOTC has been an important tool in helping people with disabilities and other people most in need of employment opportunities. Because people with disabilities often require an initial investment and training by employers, the WOTC is one way to encourage employers to make that investment. In tax year 2000, nearly 371,000 employers took advantage of the WOTC.
Expanding the WOTC to allow employers who hire individuals referred by an Employment Network under TWWIIA is necessary to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to join the workforce. TWWIIA was designed to increase the choices available to consumers when selecting providers of vocational services for people with disabilities. If employers cannot claim the WOTC for employees with disabilities who received services through Employment Networks, people using a ticket to obtain vocational services through the private sector rather than the public vocational rehabilitation system will be at a disadvantage when they look for a job. Extending the WOTC to cover people participating in the Ticket to Work Program will reinforce the principle of choice that is fundamental to this program.
The WOTC is an important tool in the effort to assist people with disabilities in becoming self-sufficient. We believe that reauthorizing and extending the WOTC to employers who hire people with disabilities who use a Ticket through the Ticket to Work Program to obtain vocational services will help many people with disabilities obtain employment.
Your consideration of these comments from the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel is appreciated.
Sincerely,
Sarah Wiggins Mitchell
Chair
cc: The Honorable Max s. Baucus
Chairman, Senate Finance Committee
Mr. William Mea
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy
Office of Disability Employment Policy
Department of Labor
Commissioner Joanne Barnhart
Social Security Administration |
