>> Thomas Golden: Good afternoon. My name is Thomas Golden I'm the Associate Director here at the Employment and Disability Institute at Cornell University. I want to welcome you to our webinar today helping you so you can succeed tomorrow. Today's program, "The Ticket to Work, Hiring People with Disabilities: The Employers Point of View" is a work incentive seminar even that's being sponsored by the Social Security Administration Ticket to Work Program and we want to thank you. Throughout the course of today's event you'll be hearing from several different presenters. They'll be lots of different opportunities for you to ask questions you might have as we're going through the content. But, to get us started what I'd like to do is to review a little bit about the platform itself that we are going to be using today. As you can see from your broadcast box you're able to connect to today's webinar via the phone by clicking the use telephone radio button or to use a microphone and speakers. Your microphone and speakers are internal to your, to your computer and you should be able to hear the program from that process. In addition during today's webinar you are going to be able to provide and ask questions throughout the broadcast as a whole by simply going to the question box in your web control and simply typing in your question, hitting send. That will be going to the web studio and we'll be able to take those questions as they come in. We'll be stopping at three points during today's broadcast to field those questions and that Q&A session will be facilitated by Jamie a little bit later this morning. [ Silence ] >> Jaime I just would like to ask you a question. I believe that you are muted. If you could come back online, are you able to see me progressing through the slides? >> Jaime: We are not actually. >> Thomas Golden: Thank you for that. >> Jaime: [Inaudible] >> Thomas Golden: Yes. And so I'm going to need to have some technical assistance down here in my office because my computer appears to have frozen unfortunately. And I'm not for sure what that technical glitch is. So, for just a moment we are going to pause until we can get the visual link active again. And what we might need to do is revert the control back up to our web office so they can project the PowerPoint. For some reason-- my apologies to our audience today, it does not appear-- is it progressing now? >> Jaime: It is. >> Thomas Golden: Well, it's just a loose nut behind the control mechanism here in my office. My apologies everyone, I'm-- I continue to click on the wrong screen and I have two screens setup here, so my apologies. We are back in business. But, as you can see here as I had spoken about earlier you can connect to the audio mode using your telephone or using your mic speakers simply by clicking these radio buttons. If you use the telephone it will bring up the dialing information along with the access code and audio PIN that you're going to use for the event. In the case that you have a question at any time during today's broadcast you're able to simply click on the question log. What you can do is type your question in, in this area here, hit send and your question will come to us and we'll take those in the order that they are received. I do want to talk a little bit before we get started just about some of the webinar accessibility features that we have available for you today. For individuals that require that support there is a toll free number that's available. That is 1-877-739-5903 and the access code is 180106670. Close captioning is also available at a link as you can see here in the PowerPoint slide. That is also going to be chatted out to you in the webinar so that you can see that link. That is www.ilr.cornell.edu/captions.cfm?activity_id=3820. Again, that is being chatted out to you so you can click on that link in the chat box. The webinar PowerPoint and accessible PDF and text are also located at the URL link you received in your WISE confirmation and access letter in preparation for today's event. Our webinar presentation, transcript and audio recording will also be available in approximately two weeks at www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/m-wise-webinars.cfm. Again, that has been chatted out to you in the chat box for those of you that want that link. Webinar question and answer period, during the webinar again you can submit your questions on the webinar chat feature that I showed you or simply email those to chooseworkquestions@gmail.com, again that's chooseworkquestions@gmail.com. Any time after the webinar today you can email your questions to support@chooseworkttw.net. If you're anything like me it usually takes you a day or two to actually be able to process some of the information that we're going to be covering today. So, we want to assure you that there is follow up support available after today's webinar. I want to encourage you to email any questions you might have to that email address, support@chooseworkttw, standing for ticket to work .net. I'd like to start now by just taking a moment to review a little bit of the agenda that we're hoping to cover today. As I told you I'm Thomas Golden with the Employment and Disability Institute here at Cornell University. We're going to be starting with some basic overview and introduction to our topic today and then that's going to be followed by my colleague Jim Arndt with the Paralyzed Veterans of America and I'll be introducing him a little bit later in today's broadcast to you. He's going to be talking about job search tips, resume and cover letter tips, interviewing tips and then he's going to be turning it back to me. And I'm going to talk to you a little about the Ticket to Work program, what Employment Networks Services are as well as link you up to some additional resources that we think might be helpful to you as you're considering taking the road to work. Then at the end before we leave again we'll have a time for question and answers with the presentation team from today's event. What we'd like to do is start our broadcast today with a video, but before we get there we have a few poll questions that we would like to have you respond to. These allow us to know a little bit more about the audience that we're working with and a little bit more about your interests and why you have joined us today. And so going to ask my colleague, Mike Ward in our web studio if he could post those polling questions for us right now. [ Inaudible whispering ] [ Clicking sounds ] [ Silence ] [ Clicking sounds ] [ Silence ] >> Mike Ward: Okay, the second question is what do you hope to learn from the National WISE webinar? [ Silence ] >> Mike Ward: Our third question is what is your gender? [ Silence ] >> Mike Ward: Okay and the next question is what is your age? [ Silence ] [ Shuffling items ] >> Mike Ward: Alright and our final question is how many other people are participating in the WISE webinar with you? Do not include yourself. [ Silence ] [ Banging sounds ] >> Mike Ward: Okay and-- >> Thomas Golden: Michael thank you for that polling support. [ Silence ] [ Music ] >> Bob Williams: Hello and welcome to today's webinar. My name is Bob Williams and I am the [Inaudible] Commissioner for Employment Support at the Social Security Administration. We wrote the Ticket to Work and Self Sufficiency programs which admit ages 18 through 64 on SSD or SSI who want to improve their life and future by becoming employed. By viewing this webinar you will learn how you can receive training, become employed, increase your earnings, reduce your reliance on disability benefits and eventually earn a better living by becoming fully self supporting whenever possible. The ticket program is not for everyone. This is why the choice of whether to take advantage of it is yours and yours alone. I know firsthand that people with significant disabilities face many barriers to becoming [Inaudible] employed. This is especially true in today's economy. The major reason you are receiving disability benefits is that Social Security determined that you were not able to work enough to support yourself. But, I also want you to know that having a significant disability no longer has to mean a lifetime of undue employment and greater financial security. The ticket can offer you the choices, training, opportunities and support you need to go to work and gain financial independence. I hope today's webinar begins your journey to a greater self sufficiency. Your life and future can be better. Thank you for joining us. [ Silence ] [ Music ] [ Clicking sounds ] >> Thomas Golden: So, let me take you through what you can expect from today's presentation. As I discussed just a moment ago we're going to be covering tips for your job search process, how to write a resume and a cover letter. We're going to provide you some critical interviewing tips, talk about the Ticket to Work and Self Sufficiency program and the types of employment services and support that you can expect to receive under that program as well as cover other resources and additional resources that we think might be able to assist you as you consider a path to employment. So, why choose work? Why is work important to us? Well, I think probably the, the first and more-- most obvious reason why people work is to earn more income, that ability to, to really have disposable income that you're able to utilize for the different things that, that are important to you in your life, but at the same time to also be able to gain financial independence and greater independence. And when we talk about independence, independence really happens on a lot of different fronts. You know I remember starting in my path toward the world of work many years ago. I didn't have those resources to be able to live independently on my own and after college and actually lived with my parents for a while. But, interestingly as I earned more income and I had more resources available I was actually able to move out, live on my own. And at the same time, you know, we've got natural progression of having more income came less reliance on others for support and financial resources that they had contributed to me. At the same time though we choose work to learn new skills, to actually build the skills that we currently have, but as well as to acquire the skills that are important to us and that really advance the quality of our life. Now, those skills could be technical, they could be trade skills, they could be communication skills, interpersonal skills, whatever the case may be. A major reason why people choose to go to work is to be able to grow and to engage in life long learning. And then finally, but not least important is the opportunity to meet new people, so many of us in our lives intersect with hundreds if not thousands of people as a result of the work that we do. And you know I was reminded of the importance of relationships that we create at work when I was speaking with Jaime, one of the organizers of this event, who shared with me that she knew of me because she shares an office down in the D.C. area with a colleague that used to have an office next to me here at Cornell University. And so, we meet new people it reminds us actually of how small the world really is as we build these social connections and these social networks that are so important to the quality of our life and enrich our life. I want to also focus a little bit with you on sharing a bit of a success story that we are really excited about. Robert is going to be joining us a little bit later today and sharing from his personal experiences, his story. But, Robert was a veteran who spent seven years serving in the U.S. Army and after a surgery mishap in 2000 he actually sustained a spinal cord injury that left him with limited mobility. But, the Ticket to Work was a great resource for Robert. It really helped him discover his passion for helping other veterans navigate the difficult transition back into civilian life, especially veterans with disabilities that are also having to adjust to the experience of disability just not for themselves, but for their family and the valued roles that they played in their community. And so we are looking forward to hearing from Michael personally in just a little bit, but want to share a little bit of his story through video with you right now. [ Silence ] [ Shuffling sounds ] [ Music ] [ Silence ] [ Music ] >> Robert Statam: Coming straight out of high school from Chicago I had a strong interest for the military. I joined the service and I went into the Army. And my job that I went in the service for was communications and I was a communication specialist. I spent two tours in Europe in Germany and I spent over about seven years total in the military. Once I completed my time in the service I continued to work for the government as a United States Postal carrier. And after thirteen years of this, this work it began to take a toll on me health wise. And it led to some medical issues that I started to have. I became disabled from a surgery, kind of a mishap where a disc ruptured and it paralyzed me. The Ticket to Work program was introduced to me throughout my rehabilitation time periods. The VA was assisting me. They even offered me the ideas about if I ever thought about going, going back to work. So, they introduced me to a representative from the Social Security Board who told me about this Ticket to Work program. Well, as the representative explained the program it was obvious that there were some safety nets there. Some of the things that I was worried about I really didn't have-- it was no worry at all. Now, it wasn't until the voc rehab representative for the Paralyzed Veterans who again introduced me to the Ticket to Work program and I told him I had heard of it and I was aware of it. But, at this time as, as years had went by I felt a little bit more stronger about actually accepting it this time, because I knew that I was at a level health wise and I felt it was time for me to make some serious decisions and not be living on a fixed income when I had such a desire to want to do much more. The program had told me all the things like, well if it don't work out it was still enough of a security net there to say that you don't have to worry about that. They even gave me a year even while I was working that I was still covered under Social Security. They make sure that they are there to assist you and help you in all types of ways, not only to put you back in the workforce or give you skills that you need to get there, but to follow you once you're there. After being part of this Ticket to Work program I started looking again into the availabilities of positions for a National Service Officer. At that time there just happened to be some available positions. >> He put in the ticket, the position that he had to apply for the position normally. That position came up and he-- shortly thereafter he, he was selected as a candidate to be a National Service Officer at the Chicago office. >> Robert Statam: After the interview they immediately told me that I was very much qualified and I could prepare to begin to come to work. I became a National Service Officer for the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Paralyzed Veterans of America of course is a service organization dedicated to helping those veterans with spinal cord injuries, spinal cord disease as we assist all veterans with VA benefits and we advocate for veterans health care. Robert Statam. >> Okay. >> Robert: I'm a National Service Officer with the Paralyzed Veterans of America. I greet and meet with especially the new veterans or a new patient that has just come in for the first time. Coming back to work has probably built up independency, the self pride and you know, I'm an achiever again. You know I've got something to offer society. And you know it's almost like you, you know, regaining a good portion of dignity back. Prior to even coming back to work I was highly interested in-- got interested in some of the disability sporting events. The Wheelchair Games, I used to participate in that every year and it was a big event for me. The Ticket to Work program it, it helped open up the door and put me back to where, you know, it's almost like it put my life back on track. [ Music ] [ Silence ] >> Thomas Golden: As I mentioned before we're going to be hearing from Robert and his employer a little bit later on in today's broadcast. As you heard from Robert's scenario when you're ready to go to work sometimes that can feel a bit daunting. Not knowing how your benefits are going to be impacted by earnings, where you can get the assistance and the support that you need to be able to support your journey back towards work. But, when you're ready to work Social Security's Ticket to Work and Work Incentives program can really help make your journey a smooth one, assisting you in getting access to the information that you need to have as well as putting you in touch with the resources that can really support you in achieving your work and employment goals. When you're ready to work building your employment team is really the best way to begin. And I really like to think of that employment team as your circle of support. These are the people that you are going to kind of pull close to you. They're going to support you in one, identifying what those goals are going to be, but two then developing some short term steps to help you get there. And you have a lot of options to help get you started. I think probably one of the most important ones you can do is speak with an expert at our Ticket to Work helpline. And you can access that helpline at 1-866-968-7842, that's voice or for those of you that are using a TTY or TDD you reach that helpline at 1-866-833-2967. Individuals that are staffing that line are there to provide you with support and to help you get connected to the information and resources that you're going to need to have. You can also learn more about the Ticket to Work program in general, read our blog, watch some of the real success stories like Robert's that you just saw at www.socialsecurity.gov/work. Again that's www.socialsecurity.gov/work and we are chatting that out to you in the chat box right now for those of you that want to click an easy link. Now, to find an employment network you heard Robert talk about that. Employment networks are those provider networks that are out there, but their purpose is to assist you in developing your path to employment but also connecting you with employers that are looking for qualified candidates like yourself. And those employment networks are there to meet your needs and or to work with your state location and rehabilitation agency. And again, you know by accessing our expert helpline there we're going to be able to find an employment network that can get best meet your needs. It's also important for you to stay connected to your employment team and that employment team really is comprised of your employment network and the other critical support providers that they kind of pull on to your team as you're exploring your work options. So, it's important once you're starting down that path to really keep yourself connected to those people that are providing you with important supports. Now, what I want to do is take a little bit of time just to familiarize you with the Social Security benefit programs that are out there. You know I do a lot of training for individuals with disabilities who receive different public entitlements and probably one of the most common questions I get or they say well, I don't know what kind of disability benefit I'm getting. They're not for sure if they're Supplemental Security Income or if it's Social Security Disability Insurance. So, I will talk to you just a little bit about the differences in those programs. Social Security Disability Insurance or SSDI is a federal insurance program that helps workers who become totally disabled and cannot work for a year or more. The program as you know is administered by the Social Security Administration and the SSDI program is funded through payroll taxes. SSDI recipients, people that get an SSI-- an SSDI benefit are considered insured because basically they worked for a certain number of years and have a specific amount of contributions to the Social Security Trust Fund in the form of their FICA Social Security taxes that were taken out of their paychecks. SSDI candidates must be younger than 65 and have earned that certain number of work credits that I had talked about. And under the SSDI program an individual with a disability spouse and child dependants are also eligible to receive partial dependants' benefits called auxiliary benefits. However, only adults over the age of 18 can receive the actual SSDI disability benefit. Now, if up to this point you're saying hmm, I still don't know if that's what I have you have to think back to when you first got it because with SSDI there is a 5 month waiting period for benefits meaning that SSA wouldn't pay you for your benefits for the first 5 months after you became disabled. The amount of the monthly benefit after the waiting period really depends on your earnings record, what you contributed much like the Social Security retirement system. Now, the important thing to keep in mind about SSDI is it's not a means based or what we call a need based program. The benefits that you're going to get under SSDI are based on how long you've worked and how much you have earned in the Social Security covered jobs during your work years. And the return to work rules under Social Security disability insurance are what we would call time triggered as well as threshold triggered. And so what they are looking at are amount of income as well as what point you are in your return to work process. Now, the SSI program or Supplemental Security Income is vastly different from SSDI. SSI is a federal income supplement program that's funded by the general tax revenues. It's not funded through Social Security taxes. And it's designed to help people who are aged, blind and or disabled who have little or no income and it provides cash to them to meet basic needs for food, clothing and shelter. Now, the SSI program is strictly needs based or means tested. And according to income and assets it means that it really doesn't have anything to do with your work history. It's strictly based on your financial, on your financial need and to meet the SSI income requirements you must have less than 2000 dollars in assets or 3000 per couple and a very limited income. Disabled individuals who are eligible under the income requirements for SSI are also able to receive Medicaid in the state they reside in. And most people who qualify for SSI also potentially qualify for other benefits like foods stamps. And the amount of individual-- and the eligible person that receives is dependant on whether they live with another or their household and the amount of other regular monthly income that they have. SSI benefits begin on the first of the month when you first submit your application for benefits. And so SSI is means tested. If you typically get a benefit check that fluctuates because you have earnings more than likely it's SSI that you're receiving. Now, another option though is of course having both SSDI and SSI. And we refer to those individuals as getting concurrent benefits. So, in those cases the person might get a very, very small Social Security disability insurance check that doesn't bring them up to a minimum income threshold. And what would happen is SSI would then be also an entitlement that brings that person up to a minimum level of income. So, keep in mind it's important to understand as you're thinking about going to work which of these disability benefit programs you're entitled to, engaged in and receiving benefits from because Return to Work under both SSDI and SSI is very different. Well, the Ticket to Work program applies to both of them. The different work incentives under those individual programs are very different. Now, as I talk to individuals about benefits and we talk about the impact of those over time as individuals go back to work and build their careers and advance in their careers. You know I often hear individuals talk to me about reasons why they just don't even want to start down that path. And you know they're kind of based on what, what I would consider to be urban myths. And so, I want to talk a little bit about those this afternoon because I, I think they're common. We hear them very, very frequently and they're things that I think are important for us to put to rest. Myth number one is that if I try to go to work I will automatically loose my Medicare or my Medicaid and that's just not true. I think that there's a lot of people out there that rumble and say that's, that's the case, but Social Security Administration under the direction of Congress actually has implemented several work incentive provisions that ensure that individuals who go back to work are going to have continued access to their healthcare coverage. Under the SSDI program individuals who receive Medicare and decide to go to work actually are entitled to extended Medicare coverage. And while this isn't a work incentive training program and we're not go real in depth into what those are, you can learn more about those on SSA's website, socialsecurity.gov. For those of you that are on SSI there are a couple opportunities that allow you to continue receiving your Medicaid. Under the SSI program the 1619B provision allows an individual whose earnings may exceed the, the thresholds allowed to continue receiving the cash benefit. But, up to a certain state threshold individuals can keep that Medicaid entitlement. Also many states in the country have what is called the Medicaid buy in program so that either if you're receiving Medicare or Medicaid and as a result of work and earnings you're no longer entitled to those after these various work incentives that I just talked about there is an option in many states for individuals to actually buy into the Medicaid program. So, if you try to go to work you're not going to automatically loose your Medicaid or Medicare. There are provisions that have been made by Social Security and Congress that allow you to retain those for certain periods of time. Now, another common myth that we hear is folks that say they're afraid that if they use their ticket to go back to work that Social Security is going to perform a medical review on them and they're going to loose their benefits, because they heard from their cousin Sally that when she went to work SSA, it triggered a, a continuing disability review and they were find-- found to no longer be able to work. The great thing about the Ticket to Work program is it actually has built into it a provision that actually does not allow SSA to conduct a continuing disability review on you just as a result of you using your ticket. There's more information available on our website about that, but it's important to know that there is safety nets, critical safety nets that Social Security and Congress have put into place to ensure that once you start down this path to work we're not going to engage or I should say Social Security is not going to engage in decisions that potentially are going to harm you. And in fact, these continuing disability reviews are actually excluded under the law for individuals that are making timely progress under the Ticket to Work program. Now, a third myth is that folks are worried that if they go to work and then have to stop working they're going to have to reapply for their benefits all over again. And often times I hear individuals say to me, you know, Thomas it took me forever to finally get my benefits and I had to get a lawyer and it was a two to three year process and I just can't afford to take the risk of having to wait that long again should I not be able to continue working. And so, it's just easier for me to just not even try my hand at work. Well again, when Congress passed the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act they built a very important new work incentive into that piece of legislation called expedited reinstatement of benefits or EXR as we affectionately call it. Expedited reinstatement of benefits basically allows an individual who has gone to work and because of their disability alone can no longer work at those levels to be able to have their benefit check automatically reinstated for a provisional period of six months while SSA makes the determination whether or not you're no longer able to work because of your disability. It's a huge incentive, provides a huge safety net for these individuals specifically who are really worried that if I go back to work I-- and I can no longer work because of my disability I, I'm not going to have anything. The reality is, is SSA and Congress, Congress recognize that some disabilities are cyclical in nature or over time get worse. And so this safety net is an important tool for you to have in your tool belt as you're thinking about going back to work because it provides piece of mind in regard to what would happen, the what ifs that occur in our lives that we're trying to control for and minimize the risk associated with. Now, at this point what I'd like to do is I'm going to turn it over to my colleague James Arndt and James is a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor with Paralyzed Veterans Association. And he is with Operation PAVE, an important program there. Jim is coming to us-- he has a Masters in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling. He is a certified rehabilitation counselor and a licensed professional counselor. And so James I want to welcome you to our webinar and look forward to you sharing with us today this next section on job tips and resume and interviewing tips. Welcome James. >> James Arndt: Thanks for having me on the webinar. It's really a privilege too be part of this. Could you switch the slide? [ Silence ] >> James Arndt: I'm going to be covering a few of the different areas in-- they're going to be kind of snippets about it. But, I want to just go through some of the areas and some of the things that have really helped, helped me with finding, finding and locating career opportunities and what the person themselves can actually be doing to become really a professional job seeker. A lot of the people just will-- figure that they just need to look for work as long as it takes, but sometimes with this economy it's really slowed us down. And you have to be really, really good at what you're doing. First of all it's a matter of really starting and building your own network. The network should tell any way that you might be able to find, find a position or you hear of an opening that may be coming up. The first, you know would be through your friends and family and places of worship is also a good place. Here-- just to let people know that you're looking, what you're looking for. You never know where these contacts or these friends might know or they have the inside information on a position that isn't even posted. So, they tend to be really the strongest connections because you have someone introducing you directly to the person and those are just really fabulous ways of going about it. You'd be surprised once you start sending the message that you're looking who can actually help you. So, always be on-- have the ear open and eyes open. And that's something that too that once you find an employment situation you can be able to help when people ask you. This goes into some of the ways where you can find some other tips other than the friends and family. There's a lot of really good social networks that are out there that can be really helpful. Facebook you're able to get your message across of what you're looking for if you're looking for work and what types of work. You-- and again you never know who might have contact with an industry or a company that you may be really interested in wanting to get into. And just by making sure that you've let them know that you're, you're looking for work that's the-- really the start. It's really hard to get an answer for a question such as I'm looking for work if you don't ask the question. I find too it got listed Linkedin. Linkedin is a really interesting site that you want to put in. It's a free startup to put your profile in. Your profile can include your resume. It includes your work experience. It can include areas where you'd want to be able to show people that you're looking for different places of work. The other really neat thing about it is, is it can open the doors to making the contacts. And some of the contacts that you can find on Linkedin are something that you really can't find off of company websites, which in my mind can be the black hole of a lot of things. When you respond to a company's resume-- for an application for a job you may not hear anything. But, here you can do the research on who's possibly working in the HR departments with these companies, finding those names so that you can find them through the websites by doing a little research or even some of the search engines by going into the companies or how they might be affiliated. You could find out the names of the HR people in the different departments and then go into Linkedin and see if they're listed there and see if you can link up with them or it gives you the possibility of sending a message. These are really the important things of getting through to some of the companies to get noticed because when you're competing for a position say with a local company, there could be two or three hundred people you're competing with and you need to find some ways to get yourself ahead of that game. That's where it kind of goes into the actual websites like Monster, Indeed, those type of websites. They can be a nice place to start. They can get rather frustrating though at times because again, there is a lot of people viewing these sites. So, what you want to be able to do is use it for more than just the jobs that are being listed on there. If there's a company that has three or four types of companies that do the same type of thing like a pharmaceutical company or insurance company and you can see what jobs they're listing for that looks really interesting, you can take that piece of information and explore the other companies to see what kind of leads they have and possibly get past a website like Monster or Careerbuilder that would have a lot of people hitting on it for those jobs where you might be able to get an inside track on a job that might have just been listed or something that could open some doors. A lot of the background research that you pull out of these sites can be so helpful. And this kind of builds into doing the appropriate research in your area where you're looking. And there's a lot of different sources that you can find of who are the biggest companies, who are the biggest employers. What companies are hiring for the positions you're looking for? Its-- so, it's really a work in progress with this, but just don't get too frustrated with, you know, the end line of the specific jobs listed. But, use it as a door to open up your research and become a better searcher on the internet. And that comes into the local newspaper ads and even newspapers. It's really tending to die out a little bit as the main source. But, on some of the local newspapers you're going to some want ads that might just give you an inside track on a job that may not be posted on a lot of sites, giving you really a better chance to come in there. A lot of the time with those types of companies you may have some familiarity with them or you may know someone that had worked there. So, they're good ways of just starting this network. As far as, you know, with the network as you're building it, it's really good to keep logs on who you're contacting, how far you get. Even if you've made contact to date it and too be able to use it for follow up at a later time. It's-- as far as attending job fairs they can be extremely interesting. They can also be frustrating too. You want to go into a job fair-- first of all, you can do some research on who's going to be attending that job fair so you can strategize a list of the employers you want to be able to talk with. Some of the fairs they can get very crowded and you may not have time to just walk in there and pick the ones. But, if you know the employers that you're really interested you can target those and go in and talk to them. And what you want to be able to do is get right to the point on how can I get my resume in front of your HR people to be considered. A lot of the time they will be steering you towards websites, but a lot of these you can get that face to face contact. You can ask them for business cards on how to get a hold of them and just really accept that one on one personal thing that's going on. In this too, you know, the last point is just searching the neighborhood. Keep your eyes open and that's where your friends and family can come in. Switch, go ahead, switch again, thanks. Now, the resume-- and again there are many, many different approaches with putting together your resume. And I like the way that this, you know, that the presentation's showing. There's really-- there are some basic standards to follow, but they're not all written in stone. The resume really should be a tool for you to be able to show your experience, your education and volunteer experience, quite a few different areas of accomplishments that you've made. But, you want to make sure that you're using your resume as a tool to get an interview. So, they're tools that work towards a goal of finding work and getting work. And again, this is back to securing the job interview. With the resume itself and the resume this is where you really want to watch out what your first impressions are, to be able to set up, to be able to prepare yourself for what's going on. Did you switch? [ Silence ] >> Switch slides. Thanks. [ Silence ] >> Alright thanks. See, but I'm still on that same slide here. Alright, going to the slide with parts of your resume. Let me know if that switched over. The basic parts of your resume, the first parts are really the heading and the objective. The heading is really giving your basic information to contact you. You want to make sure that your name is clearly put out. You want to make sure your address is there, phone numbers. It's good if you've got a cell phone and a home number to provide as many numbers as-- that you can put in for contact just depending upon the situation. Email addresses are extremely important too. What you want to also consider with your email address, and I've run across this a few times, is you may want to consider how your email address is listed. And make sure that you stay as professional as possible and as concisely as possible too. Some people put nicknames into their email addresses and those are things that you probably want to consider switching just to make sure that you stay on a very professional basis. Let's leap into the objective. The objective can be kind of an interesting place too. These days we're looking at possibly having three or four different areas that we may be looking for jobs. So, what you want to be able to do is have a resume that you can have some fluency with stating your objective. So, if you have two or three objectives you may want to have three versions or just to be able to switch the objective that most closely matches the position that you're applying for or you're sending a resume to. And they don't-- they can be very short and concise. They don't have to go into great detail, but just to kind of an extra boost on-- someone, first of all picking up this resume and seeing that and knowing how to direct it right away. And this can simply-- you can put some of the simple highlights on that part. Switch. Other parts of the resume you want to be able to include your work related history. And a lot of the time you're going to go in a chronological order, but sometimes that can be a little different if you've got a really good job experience. I really look at three types of resumes and I'll get those into a second, but in those listings you want to list what your job title is. You want to identify the organization or the company name that you have worked at. And you would-- you want to put dates. You don't have to be as specific as the specific date, but months and years are probably the minimum. That can be really important with some companies that run computer searches on resume searches. And even with federal government they look at the time-- the dates of service for counting-- scoring days for your experience to be able to score to get to a place where they can set up an interview. And this also includes, you know, in a nice simplistic form. A lot of times I'll use bullet points, but you can use concise statements really talking about your work responsibilities, highlighting the skills that you learned and really putting some of the accomplishments. There have been times where, you know, if you work-- say you're working a sales job and you had three or four just huge contracts you brought in, you want to be able to identify some of those things. That's, it's-- a lot of people for the first run will kind of lower what-- how they explain themselves. I think maybe that's just how we all kind of naturally are. But, here's the chance to be able to exploit, not exploit, but explain what you've done as a person and really put it up front for a point of discussion. Switch. Now, when it comes into the experience too, some people may not have the longest work history and there might be some-- we'll be getting into the gap part. Back to the three types of basic resumes I use. If someone has a great deal of experience I would just go right into the, and again, this is my opinion. There's a lot of theories on this. The way I would work it is to list an experience by a chronological experience of what the person has done and be able to go through those experiences because most of the work history will speak for itself and that's where that can go. The second one would be someone coming fresh out of college that may not have a lot of experience. They can lead that off with their college education or where they're coming from if they've got a great GPA. And that can really start leading into some of the entry level places to get in with the companies. The third one that I use quite a bit too is if some of the experience isn't quite as much as we'd like there's a use of a skills list to start the resume. The skills list is an easy simple way. I usually do it in bullet points where you can explain I've got good computer skills, good customer service skills. And this kind of works into being able to highlight these points that the employers might be looking for, for the positions they're looking at hiring. >> Thomas Golden: Jim, Jim its Thomas. I wonder if maybe you could introduce Robert and have him talk a little bit about his volunteer work? >> James Arndt: Oh sure. I'd love to-- I want to introduce a colleague of mine. I've had the privilege of working with him for almost three years now from when we first met when he was volunteering with PVA through his start as a National Service Officer with PVA and now it's my privilege to introduce Robert as one of my coworkers with Paralyzed Veterans of America. >> Robert Statam: Thank you Jim. It's an honor and it's a pleasure to be here participating in this webinar. Jim was saying-- Jim has been wonderful in assisting me throughout this program and helping me to achieve the goals where I am today in my job as National Service Officer. Throughout this journey I started out as a volunteer and what got me to that point was during my rehabilitation I thought it was time for me to kind of give something back. And my days were just kind of filled with just going to voc rehab, going to rehabilitation for my physical needs. And I just wanted to do something else to kind of occupy that space, that void. So, I began to volunteer at the Hines VA Medical facility. The volunteer work gave me a chance to actually work with veterans like myself and made me feel a sense of pride. They trained me on becoming a peer counselor and I would sit and talk with a lot of the veterans that were new to the spinal cord injury center and be able to give them some feedback on how I was doing with being in the same situation. Also that volunteer time I worked with the Paralyzed Veterans of America VON Chapter, PVA, held a number of positions as the Volunteer Coordinator, Membership Officer and just one of their Board of Directors in general for several years. And all of this was really a wonderful time for me to kind of breakout, network, meet a lot of new people and really kind of get my head together on where I wanted to be-- where I was headed and where I was going in life. The volunteer work just continued on and on that it led me right back to where-- put me on track to where I needed to be as far as going back to school, learning new trades and preparing myself to build up to prepare myself to be ready to take on the job force again. And today here I am from that volunteer work. I'm glad to be here and I'm just so glad to get the assistance that I needed throughout that journey. Also there's some more information on using volunteer work as a bridge for employment. You can join us on October 31st for the Ticket to Work and the National Service to Employment webinar, which will be held on that date. I am going to turn this back over to Jim I believe. >> James Arndt: Okay, thanks Robert. It's-- again it's been a privilege to be-- to work with you. Back to the resume, sorry if I'm jumping around a little bit. I'll try to keep more-- the gaps in employment can be of concern because they-- the companies will be looking to see if there-- if the jobs are falling in place and if there are gaps and they're going to really want to know why some of the gaps are there. It usually will-- it's a matter of thinking through of what's been happening. A lot of the time if someone's been an at home parent that is a great thing to put on there that you can-- that I've been at home with my family. There have been situations too, with some of the disabilities people are dealing with that they're out of work, but there are things that they've been volunteering for such as volunteering at PVA, at your place of worship, with the community. Those are things that you want to put in parts to try to fill those gaps. In the-- you know a really good place for that is on your cover letter just to explain that you have been out of the employment situation. I've been getting myself prepared. This is what I've got to offer now. And it's always a matter of just putting it into a positive light, to be able to explain that. Even though I wasn't working or many great things that I was doing and to be able to just get that explanation that there were things that were going on and this is my reason for coming into the job market. And if you're sincere about that and positive about that, that will just part of how you want to explain those gaps. When it comes to any schooling that you've got you want to for sure list where you went to school, the years that you went to school, what degrees you got. If you had a GPA of 3.0, it's good to put that in place. The college degree does say quite a bit about what-- where you're at with your education and your ability to learn. Those are always factor that come into play and this is you know, this goes into kind of what the two resumes that we were talking about before, if you've got more than five years of experience just let your experience do your talking. If you're a recent grad just make sure that you are showing that you are-- you just graduated and you're looking entry level or just to get in the ground floor with the area you're looking at. With the resume too, it is really, really important to be concise wit what you're putting. If you get into the explaining the details, I really do like the bullet points. If you are putting it out sentence wise, make sure your sentences are short and they're concise and they're easily read because a lot of the time if the person that is reviewing the resume can't read it or they get bored or it's a kind of format that isn't something that they can easily just tract through, they're going to put it aside. This comes into the proofreading part too. You want to make sure there are no mistakes in there. Make sure you've gone over it for typos, for punctuation, for run on sentences. It's good to get some other eyes on it too, because even the best editors and miss points. So, have friends or family look over it too and sometimes they can get some good points to add that can strengthen that. So, at that point you've got a resume that you're covered. Because, it's-- it can be some of the worst things to do is send out a resume that has typos on it. It just really should never happen and just take the steps to do that. And you know there's different ways of sending your resume in and this is-- this goes into the cover letter too. With some of these sights they're going to want a full application and you can add your resume, but cover letters are so important too. You don't need to have-- to write a book with it and you really don't want to repeat what your resume is saying. You want to keep it to one page. You really want to get to the point where you're customizing each letter for each job you're applying for. And you can have some general formats that were in place and be able to use some of the statements and you know it's really important on these I think to make your first pitch to the companies. I think the real important part is showing enthusiasm for the job and the company. I've really found that companies now are looking for that loyalty factor. And there is a funny story with a co-worker that I had. We were both at one company but we were both looking to go to a different company doing-- we were in the insurance business. And I was kind of shocked when I saw her cover letter because we were working together. But her cover letter started out, and I'm not necessarily suggesting that you write it this way. This job is the greatest thing I've heard and it's my lifelong task to be able to work for you. For me, I would never write a letter that way. I would temper it more to saying that I'd be you know very interested in what you're offering. Your company has been great with a great reputation and the funny thing about it, she got a hit on it. And mine I started putting back in place-- I started, you need to put that enthusiasm into the letter itself. Again, things that you want to make sure what you've got in there, you want to make sure that the job you're applying for, the job title if there's a job number you want that really clear so they can be able to track back and make those comparisons. Where you learned about the job can be very important. Reasons why you should get the job, I mean those can be put very shortly and concisely, but I've got the experience. I've got the education. I've got the experience. I've done this work and I think I could be a great employee for you. Again, its back to the other point, be creative and try to get the employer's attention. You're going to have to gear up with what you're going to feel okay with doing. And after this it's just really a matter of making sure that you're letting them know how to contact you, when to contact you and then put the close in, just a formal greeting and formal ending to it. You want it to be Dear and Sincerely or other ones that are pretty close. You want it to be a formal letter. For interview-- we'll get into some of the interview tips. I know we're starting to slow down on time here. The interview, the first part, preparation is really key. And this goes into the researching of the company too. You want to be able to go in first of all knowing what job you're applying for, going through their list of requirements that are on the website or wherever you found the job listing. Make sure that you first of all know what they're looking for and know how to make a direct comparison for what you've educationally and work experience. Research, this is going to be so important, the more familiar you are with what they're looking for and what you've done the better you're going to come across and the shorter the sweeter with that too. And you're going to still be more comfortable with it. This also goes into practicing and some of the interview questions can be-- you can almost plan on. First of all, you want to know what position and how to explain yourself. Again the short ways of explaining yourself are great, but you don't want to sell yourself short here. If you've got some great experience that really lines up for what this job is doing make sure you let them know and make sure you show enough enthusiasm about it. This is something I've done. This is something I'd love to do and make sure that's coming across. And there could be some tougher questions that could pop up that you may not ready for or it may be a part of your career that has some tougher explanation. On those you want to keep your answers really short and you want to start moving on to the next question. And that-- so answer as quick as you can and move on. Those are the things you do not want to get into long narratives about. Where, on the other side of explaining your good points, you want to be able to take the time. A lot the time they'll ask you questions, what are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Prepare to have at least two or three strengths to be able to go into and on the weakness side take one of your strengths and kind of switch it over. Well, this area I've been really working at getting better at. So, making what they might include a weakness as a strength that this is what I'm doing to get this point across. There are things to practice and you probably would want to write them out and it also helps to have people ask you these questions and then verbally do it rather than just-- throughout the rest just go through your head with the questions. To be able to actually talk the answers out can be really helpful. With the-- how you dress you want to make sure that you're coming across as a professional. That means that you want to dress a little bit more than what you think you might. I would rather go into an interview overdressed than underdressed. Some of them you're going to have to really look at the company and how they respond with things too. If it's a company that's doing manufacture work you can make sure that you wear business casual that may not include a tie. For some of these professional jobs you want for a man a suit and a tie and for a woman a suit or something appropriate with that. Make sure you bring copies of your resume too. Make sure you bring notes for you to ask questions too. If you can come up after researching the question-- the company and finding out what they do, how long they've done it? That could give you some questions to ask. Don't let them ask you the question, what do you know about our company and you say I don't know anything about it. Make sure you have an answer for that. And when this is over and I know there's a lot of information and I'm trying to cover it shortly here, but it's so important after your interview to be able to follow up with them with a thank you letter. This letter can be written out. It can be a lot easier if you get the email address and be able to email it within, I would say within an hour if possible just to make sure that you're thanking for their time and again, kind of making the same points from your cover letter that this would be a great fit. This is why I want to work here along with the thank you letter. Before you leave the interview you want to be able to get contact information, emails, phone numbers to be able to get a hold of this person when you need to. And this goes hand in hand with asking them, what are your timelines for the interview process? What are your time lines for hiring? Be specific. Ask them specifically how they want to proceed, if it's a week, if its two weeks and then put together a process; at that point can I contact you? And just make sure that you've got ways of getting a hold of them, because if they said they're going to make a decision after a week and its been a week and a half, it's probably too late. And at that week mark when you set those follow-ups, make sure you do follow up with that. Again, this is kind of a review a little bit on some of the potential interview questions. Again, be precise and direct. Make sure that you're working on eye contact too, and that takes a little bit of practice. And that you can work with friends and family. Be honest. I mean that's really a common sense thing. I mean if you stick with what you know, what you've done and what you've accomplished. It's going to come across sincerely and honestly, which is-- it's just-- you just want to make that one on one connection and those are really good ways of being able to set that rapport. Examples and stories can be really good too. I had a-- when I interviewed with Paralyzed Veterans of America they sent me-- they gave me a doozey of a question. I won't get necessarily into that question, but it was a trap. They set a trap for me and I kind of fell into it. And I got myself out of it by telling a story that really put it into place. It was about you know-- it was about how I would deal with a certain disability that just seemed out of place for what this person might be looking for. The story turned the whole interview around and it was a personal story that I was ready to tell. So, those are things too that are really interesting. Again I think we covered these. Be prepared to tell the interviewers about your experience. Don't provide negative information and you want to stay positive with what you're saying. The top question, make sure you answer it and move it on and this always goes into place with you know being prepared to ask the interviewer questions when we cover that too, about time lines, responsibilities. This next section, I'll get just a little bit into it because the next slide gives information on getting more on this disclosure of disability. The common concern is the issue of whether or not to tell the interviewer about one's disability and if so, how. You know this really is a highly personal decision and it really differs from job to job and case to case here. And how you decide to handle the issue there could be good things that happen with it or not so good things with it. And really the rule of thumb that I take, I talked extensively with an employer that was talking about this very issue. They will ask a question and explain the duties of the job that they're looking for and they will ask the question, can you fulfill these duties? And even with the disability or not if you're able to do the duties you can say yes. Now, as far as getting deeper into the interview, when you're getting into second interviews, when you're getting into the place where they're ready to offer the job to you then you're probably going to want to disclose some of the issues that are going on and the possible accommodations that are needed. And its-- I always follow on the common sense on those types of things that once they know that you can fulfill what they're looking for and that you've got great qualifications all the other things come into play. So, again just you know-- you know have a plan at first-- for the first contacts you don't necessarily have to go into that. Now and this really comes to some of the other things. Employers really want workers who they can rely on who have the skills and backgrounds and the abilities to get the job done, which this is saying. And then it really comes into a trust issue of being able to have your situation lined up. With some of the people I work with in chairs it's really a matter of getting their routines down so they can be able to get to work on time, to be able to fulfill those needs, to be able to have things listed out to the employers of what might come up and how situations could be handled. If it's done in a great way and if the report is there, those things can be handled. My philosophy is if it starts out small it needs to be taken care of small. When some of the issues get really big and out of control, that's when decisions start happening that can really change how your on the job or keeping the job too. So, small things and good communication can really go a long way. And this really goes back into you know making that good match; these are my abilities. These are my skills. I am a good asset and it does take practice but it's really quite interesting. For more information on disclosure and job accommodations please view the archive webinar support for people with disabilities; Ticket to Work, Job Accommodations and You on the website listed there. [ Webinar controls ] >> James Arndt: I want to turn it back over to my good friend, Robert Statam for succeeding at work. >> Robert Statam: Ah yes, thank you Jim. You know succeeding at work brings me back to my-- just thinking back when I was taking the first steps of coming back to work and coming to work here, working for the Paralyzed Veterans of America I did kind of worry about and wonder about the challenges and the ability to just be able to do the job in general. With those thoughts though, I-- it kind of took me back from all the volunteer work that I did, the preparation and it kind of let me know that I was prepared. As I took on this job, getting through the training was a lengthy training, but I did have support along the way. That support even came from even the Ticket to Work program, the assistance from Jim keeping in touch with me, asking me about how things were going, how I was coming along with my training and different things, if there was any additional aids or tools that I needed to complete the training. It was all there for me and really kind of took some of that pressure away. My desire to achieve and getting back to where I want to be now that I was there, I got a whole lot of self pride from just knowing that the job was going allow me to be able to help somebody else and the self preservation that you get from that in general was just more than enough. So, I took all of that and you know I took those challenges and it just got a lot easier as time went on. And today I'm well grounded in my new position. I do feel myself as still learning and always will be learning on this job, but again it is a job that allows me to give so much back to be able to help others and working for the Paralyzed Veterans of America is just a unique opportunity to come from a standards from where I came from in achieving this. And I'm just thankful to be here today. I just would encourage any and everyone to take their challenges in the same way and just know that there's always support there for us. At this time I believe I am going to turn it back over to Thomas Golden at this time. >> Thomas Golden: Robert, thank you so much and James thank you so much for your contributions to today's webinar. I'm going to ask my colleague Jaime Pendergraf if again she could chat out that link for the webinar that James had mentioned. I know that one of the most frequently asked questions that we get is, is information from individuals with disabilities about how do I disclose that I have a disability? How do I begin that dialogue? How do I share information? And a lot of people convey that it's an emotional dialogue, so how do I contain my emotions when I'm having those discussions? And I'm confident that this archive webinar from July 25th can be a really interesting resource for those of you who are interested in following up with that. So, again James and Robert thank you so much. I want to kind of bring us home today talking about the Ticket to Work program and Employment Network Services just a little bit indepthly. The Ticket to Work is a free and voluntary program that is primarily aimed at assisting SSDI and SSI beneficiaries who have a disability and desire to go to work, enter the work for the first time or increase their current hours if they're already working. Most folks with disabilities that are between the ages of 18 to 64 who get either SSDI or SSI can benefit from as well as participate in the program. If you're sitting there going, hmm I got a ticket once but I have no idea where I put it, don't hesitate to call that toll free number we had up there at the beginning of the Webinar. I think we're going to put up again at the end to talk to an expert and they can assist you in securing an additional ticket if you cannot find the one that was already sent to you. Now, if you're somebody who is ready to earn more money then the Ticket to Work can help improve your earning capacity as well as your potential. If you're looking for that personal fulfillment that comes from working the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement program can provide the assurance and stability you need to feel confident while you're pursuing work. It's not just the Ticket to Work program. Remember the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act contains several of those other critical work incentives, protections and safety nets. They are going to give you that confidence to jump in to pursuing employment 100 percent. If you want to be able to get your benefits back, if your job doesn't work out because of your disability, remember I talked about that fast track, that expedited reinstatement agreement statement, that EXR that's going to be able to get those benefits reinstated for you. And if you're overwhelmed and don't know where to turn, Ticket to Work is going to be able to connect you with those people, the resources and services that you need to actually develop a plan. If you're anything like me I got to have a plan to know where it is that I'm going to go and those experts, accessing that toll free line and having you get in touch with an employment network is your first step in doing that. So, when you're ready to use your ticket, call that Ticket to Work helpline at 1-866-968-7842 or if you're using the TTY or TDD that's 1-866-833-2967 and you're going to be able to speak with one of our trained representatives and request a list of employment networks that are going to be able to help start you down this road to work. You could also, if you wanted, go online to www.socialsecurity.gov/work to access a list of employment networks that are nearest to you and in your local proximity. Now, as you're thinking about selecting an employment network I know that I was speaking with a beneficiary a little bit ago who got-- went online and got their list and there were a number of local employment networks that they would have to choose from. And they were like, I don't know where to begin and how do I start? Well, questions that you might want to begin to ask of those employment networks is to find out how many people have they helped through the Ticket to Work programs. What kinds of companies and employers do those employment networks work with and that they've done job placements with. Also, what are the average wages? What are the average hours and what do the typical benefits look like that the beneficiaries who receive SSI and SSDI that they're putting to work on the Ticket to Work program? What do their benefits portfolios look like? What kind of jobs might be available to you? And how often do they prefer to communicate? Those are just a couple off the top of our head questions that you might want to think about asking as you're thinking about what EN might be best for you. It's also helpful when you're thinking about those goals that you have in your life to really-- the more specific questions and directed questions you can ask that employment network the better off you're going to be to be able to assess and evaluate whether or not they're going to be best position to meet your unique needs. Now, when you call the Employment Network Office, remember these tips, one: That employment network should explain how the Ticket to program works and the services it provides. Today we've only touched the tip of the iceberg. There's so much more that you're going to want to learn. That employment network should explain those services to you. They should also discuss your work goals, your interests and your preferences and intentions about work with you and talk to you about any fears that you might have. That'll help them get an understanding of the types of support that might be most effective for you as you're thinking about going back to work. If you and the EN eventually agree to work together, that means that you're going to give that employment network your ticket to work. And then you and the EN are going to sit down and develop an individualized work plan and its going to include your employment goals and the services and support that that employment network is going to provide you to help you get there. Now, you're signature on that individualized work plan is what's going to assign your ticked to that employment network. And that ticket really is kind of a contract between the employment network and the Social Security Administration and as they help you in achieving your work goals, social security is going to pay them for those services and supports. Really what they're paying them for is helping you to achieve your goals. The EN may have some other routine forms that they're going to ask you to assign allowing them to work with you on your case with social security and possibly some other service providers on your behalf. So, don't be surprised if they have some standard forms they're going to need you to complete with them. And remember, the program is voluntary. That means that even once you've assigned your ticket, if at some point in the future you find that employment network is not meeting your needs and/or helping you make progress towards your goals, you can unassign your ticket anytime if you change your mind or decide the EN is just not a good match. Keep in mind that other safety net I talked about, your continuing disability reviews are postponed as long as you're making timely progress toward employment as you've specified it in your individualized work plan. Now, employment networks apply a whole array of services and so I always hesitate to even begin going down a path and talking about some of the things that they can do because this is in no way a finite list. The types of services and supports that they provide are really based on your unique needs that you have, but often we see employment networks helping beneficiaries out with developing their resumes, teaching them about interviewing skills and providing them tips for that, helping them set up for interviews and providing them with supports for that end, assisting them in navigating the job accommodation process, providing tax incentive information that might be available, providing some work incentives, planning and support to help you understand how your benefits are going to be impacted by going to work as well as initiating other referrals to other resources that might be in your community. They're also helping you get job leads, providing you information on employers who are hiring, if they're participating in job fairs, etc., providing access to resume development centers, computers, internet, email, phones, fax machines to really help you in your job search efforts. All kinds of employment networks will actually do the job development for you as well as refer you to other partner agencies if there are additional services or supports that you might need to have. Now, there are a couple of other important resources that I just want to point out. You know we heard from James and Robert, our valued partners there at Paralyzed Veterans of America and we encourage you to go if you're veteran that's sitting here on the Webinar today to learn more about what opportunities might be available there to go to www.pva.org. You also might want to think about visiting thinkbeyondthelabel.com an exceptional resource to actually provide you opportunity to connect up with employers that have opportunities. Finally for those of you who are still thinking about how do I ask for accommodation, what are some of the supports that can assist me with that, the job accommodation network is a valuable resource there at www.askjen.org. In addition, I want to encourage you if you've never been to socialsecurity.gov website its one of my favorite websites. They have an array of information on there just not about managing your benefits and requesting information but some real interesting history that you're going to want to check out. So, I encourage you to find your own local employment networks, other Ticket to Work and work incentives information. Go online to socialecurity.gov/work. Again, call that Ticket to Work helpline at 1-866-968-7842 or if you're using a TTY or TDD that's 1-866-833-2967. And I want to encourage you if you're listening in today, if we peaked your interest in some way and maybe you're thinking, man I didn't think about work being this viable an option for me, and after hearing about the incentives we've talked about the safety nets, I encourage you before the day is over pick up that phone and call that toll free helpline, even if its just to say you know I'm not for sure what I want to do, but I got your number and so talk to me about how you can help me think a little bit more about work. It's a valuable resource for you. Put it on a sticky note. Put it on the refrigerator if you don't have time today that 1-866-968-7842 is a critical lifeline to help you get started down the path to work. Now, Jaime I'm wondering whether or not, I know we only have-- we don't have any time left [Laughter] for questions. I don't believe we had questions coming in that were not able to be answered by Jaime. If some did come in we will reply to those, but I want to encourage you if you have further questions or questions unanswered today call that Ticket to Work helpline 1-866-968-7842. On behalf of our sponsor, the Social Security Administration's Ticket to Work program and our colleagues there at Booze, Allen & Hamilton, Jaime Pendergraf, Mike Greenberg and Donald Jones, we want to thank you for joining us today and come back online in about two weeks if you're interested in listening to the archive of this event. Have a great afternoon.