A message from BASS regarding the reinstatement of BOSS meetings

On behalf of Social Security and the Beneficiary Access & Support Services (BASS) team, I’d like to thank those of you who responded with your thoughts and recommendations for resuming meetings of the BOSS group. Everyone who responded indicated an interest in moving forward with these meetings to discuss ongoing outreach activities and seek opportunities to enhance efforts to increase beneficiaries’ awareness of the Ticket program and its advantages by both Social Security and service providers. While there was not universal agreement on all aspects of the meeting, a consensus appeared with regard to several features.

Timing, frequency and duration of meetings. As a result of your input, we will conduct BOSS meetings monthly. Meetings will be one-hour long and conducted mid-week in the afternoon. Our plan is to conduct meetings on the first Wednesday of each month at 3:00 p.m. EST. Our first meeting will be on December 3, 2014.

Format. We will continue to use an operator-assisted conference call and an Internet platform that supports a chat feature. We recognize that this method may limit a free-flowing dialogue among all participants. However, until we get a sense of the number of people who wish to participate, it is the most efficient method available to us. When appropriate to the topic under discussion, we may also identify smaller working groups to more fully develop issues.

Topic Areas. Those who responded presented multiple topics for discussion. Some suggestions were for service providers to share their experiences and effective practices; others were for Social Security to provide information or updates. Still others recommended developing discrete new products or processes. All are listed below. Our plan is to distribute an agenda in advance of each meeting. If you have a particular topic that you would like to have considered for discussion in the first meeting, please send that to us at BOSS.Discussion.Group@ssa.gov by COB Friday, November 14, 2014.

Sharing experiences among service providers  related to outreach successes and failures

• Targeted mailings
• Strategies to reach ticket holders who do not self-identify
• Elevating interest among youth
• Connecting with VRs and other ENs in local areas
• Recruitment/promotional materials, guidelines/procedures, forms

Information/updates from Social Security

• Information on beneficiaries called, and on the outcome of IVR calls (age, length of time on benefits, VR engagement, geography) and outcomes vs. number of calls
• Results of EN list mailings
• Results of the initial BOSS group
• Description of communications beneficiaries receive from award through their time on benefits (with examples)
• Update on FCC rules regarding possibility of exemption for service providers using IVR
• Return on investment of the WISE webinars compared to in-person WISE
• Collateral materials to accompany ticket mailings

Development of new products

• TV/radio PSAs that ENs could use
• Business card or brochure promoting the call center and work and earning specialists
• Presentations to show the “prospective wealth” of working and earning vs. receiving cash benefits over a period of time
• Marketing campaign to address culture change (from benefits to financial stability)
• Models of career tracks for presentation to target audiences, e.g., Youth in Transition, job seekers with work experience, etc.
• Directory of employers willing to hire people with disabilities

Development of new processes

• An online work area for service providers to share materials and ideas
• Opportunities to review and comment on marketing materials
• Use of surveys to evaluate marketing materials and program knowledge among beneficiaries about work incentives
• Opportunity to identify geographic locations of SSA’s ticket mailings so ENs can send mailings concurrently
• Section 503 activities (job postings, resume postings)

Thank you,

Melanie Porter
BASS Project Director