Information as Empowerment:
The Experiences of the First 50,000 Individuals Participating in the National BPAO Initiative
March 31, 2003

Preliminary Draft - Subject to Further Verification

This national BPAO reporting effort is being used to gather information that documents the degree to which the BPAO Program is achieving the outcomes intended by Congress when it established the Program as a key component of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act. The Program continues to expand rapidly, providing an array of services to SSDI and SSI beneficiaries that will ultimately enable an increasingly diverse population of people with disabilities to fulfill their goals of returning to work and achieving self-sufficiency.

• Introduction

• Beneficiary Experiences: Information and Referral Versus Intensive Benefits Support

• Beneficiary Experiences: Intensive Benefit Support Recipients Grouped by SSA Benefit Status

• Beneficiary Experiences: Role of BPAO Program and the Ticket to Work

• Beneficiary Experiences: Individuals Under the Age of 22

• Beneficiary Experiences: Persons with Psychiatric Disabilities

• Limitations/Future Research Needs

• Conclusions

Benefits Assistance Resource Center
Virginia Commonwealth University
March 31, 2003

Presented By: John Kregel, Ed.D.