Next Steps

For general information on the PASS program, you can read Social Security’s Spotlight on Plans to Achieve Self-Support.

The Cornell University Employment and Disability Institute has a very good Introduction to PASS on their website. Their website includes an application form with sample answers and tips to help you fill it out.

The Institute for Community Inclusion offers Helpful Hints: How to Fill Out a Winning Pass Application as part of their Tools for Inclusion series.

To apply for PASS, you will need to fill out a PASS application.

The PASS application is long and asks for a lot of information, but a Social Security PASS specialist can help you with every step of the PASS application process. To contact a PASS specialist, call the Atlanta Region PASS Cadre at 1-800-254-9489, 1-205-801-4444, or 1-205-801-3583.

If you do not yet have a clear goal or way to achieve it, try working on one with an organization that helps people find and prepare for jobs, such as:

• The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA)
• Blind and Low Vision Field Services
• Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and Hard of Hearing Services
  
• A WorkSource Georgia Center, or
• An Employment Network (EN) through the Ticket to Work program.

You can also start by reading DB101's article Finding the Right Job for You and DB101's article about other programs that support work.

Social Security’s Ticket to Work Program helps people with disabilities who get Social Security benefits re-enter the workforce and become more independent. The Ticket to Work Program offers free access to employment-related services, such as training, transportation, and vocational rehabilitation. You can call the Ticket to Work Help Line at 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY).

A trained benefits expert can help you understand your benefits programs. Exactly who you need to contact depends on your situation and the benefits you get.

View DB101's full list of experts who can help you understand different benefits.

The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) helps people with physical and mental disabilities prepare for and find work. GVRA can help you get the training or other services that you need to return to work, enter a new line of work, keep working, or get a job for the first time. Services are carefully chosen to match your personal needs, and your GVRA counselor will work with you to decide which GVRA services are best for you.

Learn more about GVRA services and how to apply.