Ticket to Work Arkansas: Free Employment Support for SSI and SSDI Recipients

What the Ticket to Work Program Is

Ticket to Work is a free federal program run by the Social Security Administration that helps SSI and SSDI recipients find and maintain employment. The program provides vocational services — job training, career counseling, job placement, and ongoing employment support — at no cost to the participant.

Every eligible individual receives a "ticket" they can assign to an approved Employment Network (EN) or to their state vocational rehabilitation agency. In Arkansas, that agency is Arkansas Rehabilitation Services (ARS).

The program's most important feature for families: while someone is actively using their Ticket, the SSA will not initiate a medical Continuing Disability Review. That protection — called the "using ticket" status — removes one of the biggest anxieties families face when a young adult with a disability starts working.

Who Is Eligible in Arkansas

Eligibility is straightforward. An individual qualifies if they:

• Are age 18 to 64
• Currently receive SSI or SSDI (or both)
• Want to work

There is no income test beyond existing SSI/SSDI eligibility, no application fee, and no required minimum number of work hours.

WIPA: Work Incentives Planning and Assistance

One of the most valuable resources connected to Ticket to Work is the WIPA program. WIPA counselors — formally called Community Work Incentives Coordinators — provide free, individualized benefits counseling.

In Arkansas, the WIPA project is operated by SOURCES for Community Independent Living. A WIPA counselor helps families understand:

• How much the individual can earn before SSI starts reducing
• How the $20 general and $65 earned income exclusions and the $1-for-$2 reduction formula work in practice
• When the Substantial Gainful Activity limit ($1,690/month in 2026 for non-blind individuals) applies
• How Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE) can shield earnings from being counted
• How employment interacts with Medicaid, the CES waiver, and PASSE-coordinated services

WIPA counseling sessions are free and confidential. The challenge is availability — WIPA projects are federally funded with limited staffing, so there can be scheduling delays. Families should request a counselor as soon as employment becomes a realistic possibility, not after the first paycheck arrives.

How Work Incentives Protect Benefits

The fear of losing SSI or Medicaid by earning "too much" keeps many young adults with disabilities out of the workforce entirely. Work incentives exist specifically to prevent that outcome.

Key protections include:

• Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE): Students under 22 who are regularly attending school can exclude up to $2,410/month (2026) from countable income
• Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS): A formal plan approved by the SSA that shelters income and resources dedicated to a specific work goal
• Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE): Costs directly related to the disability that enable the person to work — medications, specialized transportation, assistive devices — are deducted from countable earnings
• Section 1619(b) Medicaid protection: Individuals whose earnings exceed the SSI threshold can continue receiving Medicaid if they meet certain conditions and live in a state where Medicaid is needed for ongoing medical treatment

A WIPA counselor can model the exact dollar impact of different earning levels before the individual starts working, so there are no surprises.

The Arkansas SSI at 18 & Adult Disability Benefits Guide includes a monthly wage reporting log and a benefit comparison worksheet for running these calculations across SSI, Medicaid, ABLE accounts, and CES waiver services.

See more Arkansas guides →