|
March 1, 2002
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
I am writing on behalf of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel (the Panel) to express our strong opposition to the deletion of specific funding for two employment programs for Americans with disabilities in your proposed 2003 Budget. Under the Department of Education's proposed budget for the programs and projects administered by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (ID code: 91-0301-0-10506), $38.2 million for Supported Employment (00.10) and $22.1 million for Projects with Industry (00.09) have been merged into the general funding for the traditional vocational rehabilitation program. This merger will likely result in the virtual elimination of these two major long-standing national programs, programs that have been successful in serving people with the most significant disabilities and thus the greatest need. We are particularly concerned because we believe many beneficiaries of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) will be denied employment services if these two programs are eliminated. These programs do not duplicate services provided by the basic state vocational rehabilitation program.
The timing of your budget proposal also is of great concern. This is the first year roll out of the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program (The Ticket Program). Additionally, we are in the early implementation stage of a variety of other programs and projects mandated by the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999, Public Law 106-170. The deletion from your budget of such vital programs as Supported Employment and Projects with Industry could very well undermine the return-to-work efforts of large numbers of Social Security beneficiaries and the successful implementation of these new programs.
The Ticket Program is predicated on SSI and SSDI beneficiaries having a choice of employment networks to go to for employment services. Over 182 public and private community-based Supported Employment and Projects with Industry (PWI) grantees across the country have demonstrated a credible track record of success with the very individuals the Ticket Program is designed to serve. Many have been successfully serving this population for over twenty (20) years. Eliminating these two important programs would severely diminish choice for all beneficiaries.
The elimination of dedicated funding for these programs will also negatively impact the Ticket Program's access to employers. A direct partnership with local businesses is an important aspect of the programs in question; a partnership designed to help employers meet their need for qualified, dependable employees. At the same time, these programs provide a vital service to employers by helping them to identify jobs that match the skills and qualifications of current and prospective employees with disabilities. Supported employment programs specifically address the needs of individuals with the most significant disabilities seeking to gain and maintain work. They provide essential on-site supports to the employee and the employer. People with disabilities who would not have been served effectively under a traditional vocational rehabilitation service system have been successfully served through supported employment programs. We understand that many state vocational rehabilitation agencies oppose the merger of this funding as well. They recognize the importance of targeted funding to assure appropriate services for persons with the most significant disabilities.
Targeted grant programs like Projects with Industry and Supported Employment should be preserved at the Federal level to help ensure that appropriate services continue to be available at the community level. This can only enhance the roll out of the Ticket Program because it will expand the number and variety of employment networks available to beneficiaries. We do not seek additional funding for these programs but ask that they be funded at 2002 levels. We urge you to reconsider your position on this matter and, in doing so, strengthen even more your efforts to return citizens with disabilities to the American workforce.
Sincerely,
Sarah Wiggins Mitchell, Chair
cc: Robert Pasternak, Assistant Secretary
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
Jo Anne Barnhart, Commissioner
Social Security Administration
House Ways and Means - Subcommittee on Social
Security
House Education and Workforce Committee
Senate Finance Committee
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Committee |
