RELEASE: November 29, 2000

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$625,000 Grant Will Help NJ Department . of Human Services Promote "Ticket to Work"

TRENTON - A one-year $625,000 grant will help the New Jersey Department of Human Services get the word out about a new federal program that allows certain low- and moderate-income people with disabilities to retain their Medicaid benefits even after they go to work.

The DHS’ Office of Disability Services will use most of the money to mount a public relations campaign that explains the program, which allows single people with disabilities to earn as much as $41,750 and still retain Medicaid benefits, to employers around the state. The balance of the money will be used to assist people who apply for the program.

The program, called "Ticket to Work" will be paid for through a combination of state, federal and Medicaid dollars. In New Jersey, Gov. Christie Whitman earmarked $750,000 for the program in this year’s budget. This amount will be matched by $750,000 in federal funds and $1.5 million from Medicaid.

"New Jersey has been very interested in programs that help individuals with disabilities be employed," said William Ditto, Executive Director of the Office of Disability Services. "We were in a good position to receive this grant because Governor Whitman had already provided $750,000 in this year’s budget to pay for New Jersey’s share of the Ticket to Work program."

The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help support the 1999 Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act, which created the Ticket to Work program. Congress passed the Act in order to encourage people with disabilities to work by providing them with a way to continue to receive their Medicare, Medicaid or similar health benefits.

The Act provides that through Ticket to Work, people with disabilities can retain their Medicaid eligibility even if their income rises as high as 250 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). Previously, people with disabilities lost Medicaid eligibility if their annual income exceeded 100 percent of the federal poverty level, or $8,350 a year for a single person and $11,250 for a working couple.

The Act also provides that half of an individual’s earnings can be disregarded in making an eligibility determination.

As a result, although 250 percent of the FPL for a single person is $20,875, an individual with a disability could still qualify for the program if his or her annual income was as high as $41,750. A working couple could qualify with an income up to $56,250.

For more information on Ticket to Work, call 1-888-285-3036.