Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 113 Part 3.djvu/345

 PUBLIC LAW 106-170—DEC, 17, 1999 113 STAT. 1863 Insurance and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries leave the disability rolls and return to work. (9) In addition to the fear of loss of health care coverage, beneficiaries cite financial disincentives to work and earn income and lack of adequate employment training and placement services as barriers to employment. (10) Eliminating such barriers to work by creating financial incentives to work and by providing individuals with disabilities real choice in obtaining the services and technology they need to find, enter, and maintain employment can greatly improve their short and long-term financial independence and personal well-being. (11) In addition to the enormous advantages such changes promise for individuals with disabilities, redesigning government programs to help individuals with disabilities return to work may result in significant savings and extend the life of the Social Security Disability Insurance Trust Fund. (12) If only an additional one-half of one percent of the current Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income recipients were to c€;ase receiving benefits as a result of employment, the savings to the Social Security Trust Funds and to the Treasury in cash assistance would total $3,500,000,000 over the worklife of such individuals, far exceeding the cost of providing incentives and services needed to assist them in entering work and achieving financial independence to the best of their abilities. (b) PURPOSES. —The purposes of this Act are as follows: (1) To provide health care and employment preparation and placement services to individuals with disabilities that will enable those individuals to reduce their dependency on cash benefit programs. (2) To encourage States to adopt the option of allowing individuals with disabilities to purchase medicaid coverage that is necessary to enable such individuals to maintain employ- ment. (3) To provide individuals with disabilities the option of maintaining medicare coverage while working. (4) To establish a return to work ticket program that will allow individuals with disabilities to seek the services necessary to obtain and retain employment and reduce their dependency on cash benefit programs. TITLE I—TICKET TO WORK AND SELF- SUFFICIENCY AND REI.ATED PROVI- SIONS Subtitle A—Ticket to Work and Self- Sufficiency SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE TICKET TO WORK AND SELF-SUFFI- CIENCY PROGRAM. (a) IN GENERAL. — Part A of title XI of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

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