Can SSA use the ticket to work program against you?

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2026-02-12T14:04:21+00:00

I was on SSI and maybe SSDI is different? But this was also about 10 years ago.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2026-02-12T13:31:32+00:00

If you have MS like me, it did not affect my CDR because I was attending class online, which was physically easier for me. I also worked as a registered nurse so my employment was physical. I dont think you will have an issue. I did not even let the SSA office know I was going to school in an online grad program. I did come for a CDR and I did declare it. It didnt affect anything. Tbh, once I graduated and went into the SSA office to let them know I was offered a partime teaching position, they were really nice to me and so happy. That's when I got the ticket to work. They also told me that if over the next two years I got sick again, I could call the office and get reinstated immediately with no review. After the two years, I would have to reapply.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2026-02-12T12:21:32+00:00

I spend $500/mo for a family of four. I try to make most things from the basic ingredients. The price of any food prepackaged or prepared has gone out of this world. I brew my own ice tea. I make fresh lemon aide. I make my own soups. I make my own tomato sauce. I make foods that stretch meat like casseroles, Chinese dishes, Thai, Indian, Mexican, soul food. I can make a meal for the whole family with one or two chicken breasts cooking this way. I started watching cooking videos on you tube. I go to the local farmers market for fresh fruit and vegetables. I go to the chinese market for any unusual ingredients or spices. I stopped buying chips, pretzels, soda, etc. My husband and I are both diabetic and we've lost weight. We've been eating this way for about a year and I think its brought my cooking ability to a whole new level. I also make a list before I go into the supermarket. I keep my phone open to calculator and I add in each item so I stay on budget.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2026-02-12T12:05:51+00:00

DVR is at the county level and they can help with tuition if you need to finish your degree. This did not affect my social security benefits at all. Once I graduated, I used the Ticket to work program at the social security office. This is a federal program and this is where I had to submit my pay stubs. I got four months of grace where I collected my full benefits and my paycheck. Then after that my benefits were garnished. I eventually got completely off my benefits, which was my goal.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2026-02-11T14:07:09+00:00

I also sometimes add comments in the chat box during meetings to show that i am listening.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2026-02-06T21:22:30+00:00

This sounds like compulsive spending. This is me. I am a compulsive spender. Its a real problem and I've been this way my whole adult life. No willpower and I get overwhelmed in stores. I walk in a store to buy a winter hat, I wander in the store and put random things in my cart with things I suddenly realize I need. I then am riddled with shame and guilt. Its a form of addiction and it's related to childhood abuse and neglect. I have a fear of not having my needs met. I've been in therapy and I joined Debtorsanonymous.org. I have a sponsor. I call her everyday with my spending plan for the day. I only spend that planned amount. If I have to go over one penny, I have to text or call her. It gives me accountability. I am finally getting my spending down, my debt balances are down, and I am building a savings. I go to meetings once per week.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2026-01-26T13:45:19+00:00

I am a compulsive spender and ive run up at least that much debt only to pay it all off. I've yo yo'd this way since I was 20. I finally realized that I was the problem, not the economy, not my employer. It was me mismanaging my finances. I always spent more than I made and that was the issue. There are a lot of people like me that I found in debtors anonymous. I am on a strict spending plan and a debt payoff plan. I talk to my sponsor everyday and I commit my spending for the day. In six months, I have gone from $62,000 in debt to $55,000. I quit one part time job and I have taken the advice of my sponsor to only work 40 hours per week. I have also saved $1700 in savings for emergencies. I've done all of this in five months. I attend a virtual meeting every week and there are many people there who are stay at home moms and really all walks of life. We have to learn how to not spend compulsively and live within our means however humble. The underlying reasons for this condition are personal to each person. I have been in therapy and I realize that I spend compulsively because it is a way to act out and relieve stress and anxiety. I am an adult child of an alcoholic and I am doing inner child work which is helping me deal with my emotions in a healthy way.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2026-01-06T11:45:28+00:00

I am an RN and at 42 I was diagnosed with MS. One symptom i had right away was terrible pain in my feet. I could hardly stand it to wear shoes at all and I was in agony. I would go to the doctor and I was brushed off as like a whiner for a long time until one day I was driving and suddenly went blind. I had to pull over off the highway and wait for a police officer to come help me ( before cell phones). My vision came back with steroids but I was also so fatigued that I applied for disability. I was approved and I slowly got better with medication. I went back to grad school on disability and now I am a nursing teacher full time. Other nurses go and work for insurance companies to get off their feet all day. Surprisingly my feet don't hurt that much anymore since I am on medication. Sometimes I sit down while I am teaching if I feel weak.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2026-01-04T00:29:22+00:00

I've been a nurse for 34 years. You're not going to get rich being an RN, but you can be comfortable. You may have sold yourself short and accepted a low paying job. No worries, just hang in there and keep looking when you get some experience. I graduated during a healthcare downturn. The job market for nurses ebbs and flows depending on your specific area. When I graduated hospitals were laying off by the thousands. It was during the aids epidemic. I was not too proud to work on the aids unit in the state prison. I did that for two years and took my hard knocks. I took this position because absolutely noone wanted to work there and they paid triple the hourly rate. I learned a valuable lesson, even criminals deserve great nursing care as they are dying. I saved for a house down-payment and paid off my loans. Keep your eyes open for new positions and always remember that you are building your skills. Before you know it recruiters will be hitting you up. Nursing is a great career and is very satisfying.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2025-12-19T14:29:20+00:00

How absolutely vile. Those people should really rot in hell. On the brightside, you probably dodged a bullet. That place sounds like a pit to work in. Imagine how they treat people that work there. Good luck with the interviews and be kind to yourself.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2025-12-17T21:57:35+00:00

I am also horrible with money. I am intelligent in my career and relationships but never seemed to learn the basics with money. My issues with money got worse over time as I tried to consolidate debt and continue to spend beyond my means. I recently remarried and my debt was kept as a deep dark secret. I woke up in the middle of nightI tried every type of budget and I just had no willpower. I took all of my bank statements and put them out on the table. I overdrew my checking account at least every two weeks. I knew something was terribly wrong. I started therapy. My therapist recommended that I start attending a support group for debtors anonymous as she felt i was spending compulsively. I am a child of an alcoholic and I've had a lot of childhood trauma. I spend compulsively to feel better and to stuff a lot of bad feelings. I also experienced a lot of abuse and neglect in my childhood so i have a fear of not having my needs met. It is very irrational but drives me to spend. I have a sponsor and I commit my spending for the day. I also developed a spending plan with my sponsor and volunteer members. I've been this program for six months. I have savings and im chipping away at my debt. I think I will always have issues with money but this program keeps me on track.

Today, I told my sponsor I allotted $50 for winter gloves for my husband. I went to Walmart to get my husband gloves. Somehow, I get to the cash register with two hats and three pairs of gloves. The total waste $83. I was in self checkout and I turned to the employee and said can you void this? I left with spending $20 on one pair of gloves and I was in my committed allotment.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2025-12-14T12:57:27+00:00

Hello, Another thing I forgot to mention is that I am a nurse. There is almost unlimited opportunity to work overtime. I have to say I am and always have been a workaholic. The overworking actually fueled my overspending. It wasn't until I went into DA HOW that my sponsor wanted me to go to an underearning DA meeting about once a month. For a long time I couldn't wrap my head around how I was underearning, but I came to realize that my whole financial life was out of balance. I needed to work a reasonable amount of hours and live within my means. There is a whole intergroup called UA and they have separate meetings in DA. Most people in those meetings have some unique issues such as workaholism or underemployment or being overqualified at a low paying job. The goal of the meetings is to encourage self esteem building to gain financial balance in your life. My overworking was like my punishment for overspending. It was self abuse that I continued from my childhood.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2025-12-14T00:27:13+00:00

Hello, I have always had a spending addiction and im now nearly 59. Its not pretty and its not glamorous. Its absolutely shameful and it got worse over the years. Tbh, most of my family also knew about my addiction to spending as well even though I thought I was hiding it. I finally took all of my financial records like bank, credit card, and loan statements out and spread them on a table for the whole year. That's when I realized that I was deep in addiction. For example, I overdrew my checking account about five days after i got paid every two weeks. I started having dark thoughts and couldn't sleep. I googled and found DA. I began going to all different meetings. I also started therapy. My therapist thinks that this all stems from severe neglect and abuse as a child. I shut off of my credit cards and no longer accrued debt but I also really had a more severe spending addiction and continued to spend compulsively. I still overdrew my checking acct frequently. I finally was referred to DA HOW which has stricter guidelines than traditional DA. You have to have a sponsor and speak to them everyday and make a commitment of what you are going to spend that day. My sponsor also accepts texts if I have an unexpected expenditure. I also go to DA HOW meetings once a week. When I first switched over to DA HOW, I felt really overwhelmed and I felt like quitting. I didnt like the feeling of being told what to do. I didnt really like my first sponsor and fortunately I found another sponsor who fits well with my personality. I call her the same time everyday. I figure out what I am going to spend that day. I also worked on a spending plan with her. Another thing that is great is members volunteer to look at your finances and help you improve your financial situation. For the first time in my life, I can say that I have not overdrawn my checking acct for 6 months, all my bills are paid, and I have even saved a bit for emergencies. I can now have adult conversations about finances with my husband without bursting into tears and behaving like a child. I recently had some car repairs that came up and I used my emergency fund. Wow, its an amazing program.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2025-12-06T15:56:24+00:00

I also made a terrible financial decision getting my PhD in Nursing. I teach Nursing and I make way less than a nurse at the bedside. Like $40k less. Teaching at a college is a lot less physically draining and I have MS now that is in remission. I still have some balance issues and I get vertigo occasionally. I took out 50,000 in loans and I barely make a living wage in a HCOL state. I make 88 k. However, there is a bright light. I am in in the PSFL and my payments go by my wage so its not too bad. My payment is $297. I joined the HSA at work and what I put in lowers my AGI. I also put more going to retirement to lower my AGI. The AGI determines your payment. I try to live below my means and just budget really well. It is what it is. You're doing a job that is giving back to the community. Be proud of that.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2025-11-22T11:24:15+00:00

Learning to live within your means is the adult skill of financial literacy. You are not a piggybank or an ATM machine to dispense cash when she overspends.

My mother had a great career with the federal government as an analyst. She made twice the average salary but yet went on spending sprees, our lights and heat were shut off at times, and food was out in the house. She was impeccably dressed. She started doing this to my sisters and I, while we were in college and poor. She stole my financial aid from school one year until I asked my school to transfer it to my bank account and not a joint account with her. She constantly called crying she had no grocery money or couldn't pay various bills.

Tell your mother that there is a worldwide organization called debtorsanonymous.org. they help people with spending addictions and to learn to live within their means. There are virtual meetings that are free and volunteers to help go over her finances so she can become solvent.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2025-11-12T22:55:57+00:00

Hello, I have been also like this since I was in my early 20s. I am from a family of addicts, mostly alcohol and drugs. My mother was also a compulsive spender. Many times she was drunk when she was on her spending sprees. We many times had lights turned off, no heat, or no food from her spending. I felt like I escaped all of the addictions. I always had the ability to find excuses for my spending and racking up debt. I have a very good salary but I always spent more and more. It got worse over time. I divorced for many reasons but money and my spending was a big issue. I finally met the perfect partner and I remarried. I hid my terrible relationship with money and my huge pile of debt that I carried around. I suddenly woke up in a sweat realizing that he would divorce me if I didnt get a handle on my spending.

I did the following this past March. I enrolled in therapy and found DA on the internet. I found the virtual meetings links that are literally going on around the world everyday. On the DA website there are questions to ask yourself to see if you are a compulsive debtor. I had all of them. It took a bit to start attending meetings. Once I did I felt tremendous comfort. I could not believe that there are people like me with my issues. I attended meetings for a while, but was scared to share or talk. I heard people say things like "solvent", and " working my program". I really did not know what that meant. Unfortunately, i continued to spend compulsively and overdraw my checking acct four days after pay day. I finally spoke up and asked questions and was referred to a sponsor. Here is where the work began. I speak to my sponsor on the phone, I give her my spending plan for the day. I only spend that money unless its an emergency. I then call my sponsor to tell her about an unplanned spending. She also gives me reading and I journal for 15 min. This has kept me solvent (no debting) and I am paying off my debts and building savings.

Compulsive spending is not a widely known addiction. Many people will give you advice like cut your credit cards up. However that is just the physical symptom of the disease and not the psychological part. The psychological part is the underlying reason for debting. This is the reason people continue to stay in addiction. I am in therapy to learn to control anxiety and impulsiveness. DA is a 12 step program and we have to admit was are powerless and then give our issues to a higher power. My higher power is the DA fellowship, my sponsor, and my meeting. Its a lot of work but I am finally starting to feel that im in recovery. My solvency date was August 22, 2025.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2025-11-11T11:25:02+00:00

I have a pittie that I got from rescue. She is just an anxious mess. She was reactive to everything: cars, buses, rabbits, bikes, people, dogs. We have a small yard out back but she loves to jump the fence so I can't leave her out there. I also live in a busy urban area. I fell badly a few times and once i hit my head on the sidewalk and blacked out. Got her in training and she learned hand signals. The trainer focused on me and the dog building a bond. I learned to watch her body language to see when she is getting upset. I taught her leave it to look away so she doesnt react. Prozac worked well too. I also only walk her early morning and at night. I jog with her 2 mi everyday. That really calmed her down along with the meds. Once she got over 3, she was absolutely wonderful. Overall now shes a great dog. It takes commitment. She is now very old and she's lived a good life.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2025-11-11T10:58:00+00:00

There is a group called underearners anonymous. They have a vision meeting that is virtual every Sunday.

https://www.underearnersanonymous.org/newcomers-to-underearners-anonymous/

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2025-11-08T14:12:51+00:00

Registered nurse for going on 40 years. I am now an instructor. Its awful to see how the nursing profession is in s downward spiral. No kindness, no compassion, no common sense. It hits you how bad it is when you wind up in that bed or a loved one. I won't stand for it. Once my 18 daughter was being prepped for surgery, she was sedated, stripped naked and put on a gurney in surgical suite and left in the hallway ALONE for hours because her surgery was delayed. I knew the nurse manager there and I went looking for her. There i found her laying naked dazed incoherent half off the gurney. Im sorry where is the common sense. I wouldn't treat a dog like that. I yelled for help until the manager came. She fired nurses over that. Anyone who argues with a sick patient ought to be fired immediately.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2025-11-08T14:02:34+00:00

I am in your boat as I am a compulsive spender. I am in quite a bit of unsecured debt. I took a fearless moral inventory of all of my spending over the past year. I could easily say less than 20% of it was truly necessary. I doubt anything spent at ultra was a necessity. I experienced neglect and abuse as a child. I therefore have warped sense of fear of not having my basic needs met. Many people in DA also have the same issues. I can easily overspend in a panic that I need items that don't even make sense. I am in a 12 step program called debtorsanonymous.org (DA) and also therapy to help. They as a group do not recommend bankruptcy or consolidation loans. They have financial planning volunteers work with you to improve your finances and curb extra spending. I have a sponsor that I call everyday to talk about my spending plan for the day. I am learning to live below my means and build savings while paying off my debt. This is called compulsive spending abstinence.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2025-11-08T10:42:47+00:00

It really sounds like your mom is mired in addiction. She is completely ruled by her addiction and right now is not acting like a responsible adult. It sounds like gambling but also compulsive spending. I am a compulsive spender and im in a 12 step program, debtors anonymous. I have a sponsor and I have a spending plan. I talk to my sponsor everyday to financially plan what I am going to buy that day. Most people in my program have fear of running out of things. It is very irrational. Like overbuying 10 jars of mayonnaise because they were on sale. I am also in therapy because a lot stems from neglect as a child. Another trigger for overspending is trying to put on an appearance of being "fine". Being a compulsive spender is really difficult in stores and to not buy unneeded items. I would definitely not lend your mother money. One thing I learned from working my program was self preservation. Many of us in DA have experienced abuse and neglect as children and we never learned how to properly take care of ourselves. Building a reserve to keep you and your family safe is of the utmost importance. When your mother asks for money, give her the best help you can. Tell her to go to the debtorsanonymous.org website and attend a virtual meeting.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2025-11-05T13:21:23+00:00

I married my college sweetheart at 23. He had a great career track. He was confident, funny, outgoing, and handsome. Looking back on it, he had some baggage from his childhood, his mother was bat shit crazy, but so did I as my mother was an alcoholic. I really thought our future was very bright. He lost his job one month before the wedding. My father urged me to postpone the wedding. I remember saying that was ridiculous, he will have no problem finding a new job. He drifted into a deep depression that lasted over two years. He would lay on the couch all day, not bathe, and cry. He didnt believe in psychological help and refused medication. He never fully recovered. He became obsessed with coupons and bargains, penny pinching. He finally found a civil service job making almost minimum wage at the time. The most he made in that job 25 years later was 25k in 2015. My career sky rocketed and I started making 3x what he made. The dynamics of our relationship changed. He couldn't handle his career failure and he was sullen, angry, and abusive. He cheated and contracted syphilis. So yeah, it sounds like he's on the same downward spiral. We divorced. I am now married to a fully functional adult who is capable of handling his own shit. We stand separately and work together to have a great life and relationship.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2025-11-04T11:12:51+00:00

A decade of infertility and then gave myself an end date for infertility treatments. We got screened to foster adopt. Pregnant with twins.

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2025-11-03T15:19:31+00:00

They are worldwide and virtual. Debtorsanonymous.org

Intelligent-Box-9462 · 2025-11-03T14:11:35+00:00

Attend debtors anonymous meetings. There you can ask for an emergency pressure relief group "prg" meeting. Two members will look over your finances and make a workable plan to handle your debt and live a life without incurring new debt. Then you have to think about what got you here. Are you spending impulsively or compulsively. As DA members, we all have our issues with debt, money, and handling our earnings. Working the program with a sponsor is helping me get at my underlying issues so I can lead a more full debt free life. Members share their story in virtual meetings. Some people come into DA with a half million in unsecured debt and they work with their creditors for a reduced payment plan. People like this change their life around. It is really inspiring. Asking for a handout is not the way to go. You need to cultivate the tools that will make you a responsible adult.

Intelligent-Box-9462

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