“Ticket to Work” Success Stories

Mom With HIVUses Ticket to Work

After years of both health andpersonal tragedies, Veronica J. of Chicago has put her life back on track again. In 1992,soon after the birth of her second child, events took a tragic turn. She and her new sonwere diagnosed as HIV positive, and they began getting Supplemental Security Incomedisability benefits. The baby died the following year, and in the years that followed,Veronica says she became a shell of the person she once had been.

As time passed, she missed working andthe sense of accomplishment that it brought. So the timing was perfect when she receivedher “Ticket to Work” in the mail from Social Security. She used her ticket andnow works 30 hours a week at a large retirement community as the administrative assistantto the human resources director. “Getting back in the workforce has improved myeconomic situation, as well as my outlook on life,” Veronica said.

For more information on Ticket toWork, check out Social Security’s “Work Site” at .

A DREAM COME TRUE

For Michelle Patton, 36, life hasalways been difficult. She was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare bone disorder. Asimple turn of the body while sitting in a chair can result in a broken bone – she hasexperienced 87 bone fractures to date. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) helped her makeends meet, but her broken dreams of working for a living seemed impossible to mend.”I was caught in a terrible situation,” Michelle said. “I wasn’t living. Iwas barely surviving. The depression was terrible.”

In November 2002, Michelle receivedher “Ticket to Work” from Social Security. By using her Ticket, and with thehelp of a local agency that works with Social Security to help people trying to findemployment, Michelle was able to get a temporary job with the University of Phoenix in December, making $10 an hour. Today,Michelle continues to provide technical support to students taking online University of Phoenix courses. In fact, her employer was soimpressed with her work, she was hired full-time and given a raise to $12 an hour. “Ican’t remember ever being this happy in my life,” Michelle said. “People withdisabilities should never give up. If I can turn my life around, anyone can!”

For more information on Ticket toWork, check out Social Security’s “Work Site” at .