JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – “Ticket to Work Health Assurance 2024: What’s Changed” is a webinar on July 16th from 12 to 1 pm Central Time. Hosted by the Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council (MODCC), participants will learn about the impact Senate Bill 45 and Senate Bill 106 becoming law. Experts from the MO Department of Mental Health will discuss updates and myths about the Ticket to Work Health Assurance program, and working with a disability.
MODCC believes everyone who wants to work can and should be able to work. People with disabilities should be able to work, just like everyone else. However, many disabled Missourians fear that employment automatically means the loss of essential benefits, like Social Security and Medicaid, due to the amount of income that one makes. The MO Ticket to Work Health Assurance Program is one of the many programs that allow employed disabled individuals ages 16-64 years old to obtain or keep MO HealthNet (Medicaid) coverage.
Guest speakers Sandy Keyser and Charles Bentley have decades of experience in the field. Sandy started as a Support Coordinator for the St. Louis Region. Then she became an Employment First Specialist for the Division of DD. She is now a Benefits Specialist and helps others understand how disabled individuals can be more financially self-sufficient through work. Charles Bentley is a Medicaid Consultant for the Department of Mental Health (DMH). Previously, he served as Deputy Division Director of the Family Support Division (FSD) of the Department of Social Services where he was responsible for policy development and implementation for Medicaid and CHIP eligibility, Food Stamps, TANF, and other cash assistance programs. Before this, he spent nine years as the FSD Medicaid, CHIP, and cash assistance policy unit manager. He began his career with FSD as an eligibility caseworker in 1979, after graduating from the University of Central Missouri in 1978.
To learn the Ticket to Work Health Assurance program, check out some of our older press which can be found here: Let’s Celebrate: Ticket to Work and Employment First legislation signed into law! | Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council (moddcouncil.org)