Policy Options for Improving SSI - Senate Finance Committee Hearing 9/21

[Mersky]

4. From a modern economics perspective, the Ticket to Work program is bizarrely bad

It isn’t a true system for incentivizing work, rather it is a trap for booting people off of SSI entirely. Game theory analysis and economic efficiency principles fly out the window if the goal is to encourage adults with disabilties to pursue earned income. Is just so arcane and difficult to navigate, docks pay once you start earning, can penalize workers for going over limits including removing of benefits or disqualification for getting SSI again in the future.

Basically, the work programs are non-starters.