If you’re disabled and you need to receive Social Security benefits in the southern California area, speak with an experienced Los Angeles Social Security disability attorney immediately. However, if you’re approved and begin receiving benefits, don’t try working “under the table.” If the Social Security Administration finds out, you could have to return a lot of money to the government; you could even be charged with fraud. But you can do some work while receiving Social Security disability benefits. If you enroll in the Ticket to Work program, you are matched up with vocational services, exempted from Continuing Disability Reviews, and if you ultimately earn enough while working that your monthly benefits stop, there is a fast-track method for reinstatement if you become unable to work in the future.
To be eligible for the Ticket to Work program, you must be between ages 18 and 64 and receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments. Participants in the Ticket to Work program may work through an approved Employment Network (EN) or receive services from the public vocational rehabilitation agency in the state where they reside. An “Employment Network” is a Social Security-approved organization or agency that has entered into an agreement with Social Security to provide employment services, vocational rehabilitation services, and other types of support to beneficiaries under the Ticket to Work program. Goodwill Industries, for example, is an EN, and a number of ENs operate in the Los Angeles area.
Many of the jobs available through ENs are part-time or work-from-home jobs that will not impact your eligibility to receive benefits. For those recovering from a temporary disability, ENs can provide job training and help transition you back into the work force. If you are disabled in southern California, don’t wait. Call an experienced Los Angeles Social Security disability attorney today for guidance and help with the disability application process.