Working in Colorado: Career Coaching, Ticket to Work, and the Steps to Take
Image: A man with limb differences in both arms works at his laptop.
Work is one of the clearest expressions of independent living. It shapes income, schedule, community, and the freedom to plan and live your own life. It is also where many of us run into barriers: an application system that does not work with a screen reader, an employer who assumes rather than asks, a job that fits except for the two hours of standing nobody thought to mention, and the very real worry that a paycheck will impact other benefits.
Colorado funds a range of free programs that address those barriers directly: career coaching, benefits counseling, vocational training, help securing workplace accommodations, and legal help when an employer or an agency gets it wrong. The difficulty is that no single agency offers all of them. Career coaching and Ticket to Work support come from Employment Networks, which are organizations approved by Social Security to provide those services, and CPWD is one of them. Benefits counseling comes from Ability Connection Colorado under a Social Security contract. Training, equipment, and assistive technology come from the Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Medicaid coverage for working adults comes from Health First Colorado. General job search services come from your county workforce center. Each of these sets its own eligibility rules, and it’s hard to know which one to call first and how to navigate all the related programs through different providers.
This article is presented in two parts:
Part One describes each program: what it provides, who qualifies for it, and what it does not cover.
Part Two arranges the programs in the order that works best for most people.
Every program listed includes a link and a phone number.
We Are Here to Help
Before we go into the article, know that you can call or email CPWD's Employment Program at 303-442-8662 or info@cpwd.org. CPWD has Independent Living Advisors, is a TTW provider, and has Benefits Counseling, Career Coaching, and other employment assistance services. We can help you identify your employment or benefits needs and assist you in applying for the different programs and resources that can help you with your independent living goals. You do not need to know which program you need before you call. We are here to assist you.
If you receive SSDI or SSI, seek benefits counseling before you take any action around a paying job.. A benefits counselor calculates what happens to your benefits and your health coverage at each level of earnings, and can help you understand the specific balance between income and benefits that is right for you. CPWD provides benefits counseling directly; our counselors are Community Partner Work Incentives Counselors, and the service is free. Reach a counselor at benefits@cpwd.org or 303-442-8662, extension 233. WIPA counselors at Ability Connection Colorado provide the same service under a separate Social Security contract. Names and regional phone numbers appear in Part One under WIPA.
CPWD also offers a free benefits screener on the FAQ page of our website, or you can use this link. The screener is a third-party tool that estimates which benefits you may qualify for and at what amounts. CPWD provides the screener as a starting point and does not guarantee its results.
Part One: Understanding the Resources Available
Career Coaching, and Why It Comes Before the Job Search
Image: A man with IDD wears his work apron while smiling to the camera.
Finding a job and building a career are different projects. A job search asks which openings you qualify for right now. Career planning asks what work you want to be doing today, and in five years; what accommodations you might need; and what training or credentialing stands between you and that work. A career coach helps you answer the why and when career questions, and then you can look for the what - what job, what pay, what’s available.
Career coaching means working with a coach to determine what you want to do, what you are good at, what accommodations you need to do the work well, and what the path there looks like. Career coaching also covers the practical pieces: resumes, applications, interview preparation, deciding whether and when to disclose a disability, and requesting accommodations.
CPWD's Employment Program
Our Employment Program helps people with any disability find work that fits. CPWD employs a Career Coach who works one-on-one with people with disabilities remotely or in person at one of our office locations.
CPWD is also an approved Ticket to Work Employment Network, which means you can assign your Ticket directly to us.
Contact: 303-442-8662 or info@cpwd.org.
What We Do, and What We Connect You To
Being clear about the division of labor saves you from waiting on a call that was never going to cover everything.
CPWD offers: career coaching and employment planning, benefits counseling through Community Partner Work Incentives Counselors, help identifying and requesting accommodations, and service as your Ticket to Work Employment Network. All our services are offered at no cost to consumers.
CPWD connects you to, but does not offer: WIPA benefits counseling through Ability Connection Colorado, vocational rehabilitation through the state, Medicaid enrollment including the Buy-In program, and legal help through PABSS.
CPWD does not provide case management, and we do not stand between you and these other agencies. We help you reach them.
Ticket to Work
Image: The Ticket To Work logo
Ticket to Work is a Social Security program that connects people receiving disability benefits with free employment support. Two features of the program are commonly misunderstood.
Ticket to Work is free and voluntary. Social Security is clear: "Everyone age 18 through 64 who receives Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI)" is eligible, and participation costs nothing. Nobody can require you to use it.
Ticket to Work does not end your benefits. Assigning your Ticket is not a declaration that you no longer need support. Assigning your Ticket is a decision to get help exploring work, with protections built in specifically because Social Security recognizes that returning to work is a process that sometimes involves stops and starts.
What CPWD Asks of Ticket Holders
CPWD accepts Ticket assignments from people who meet all of the following conditions:
You receive SSI, SSDI, or both.
You are between 18 and 64 years old.
You are not currently working with another Employment Network or with DVR.
You have a goal of working and reducing your dependence on benefits.
You intend to eventually earn above the Substantial Gainful Activity level.
You are willing to work with CPWD staff toward your employment goals.
The third condition surprises people most often. You assign your Ticket to one provider at a time, so if you are working with DVR now, you would move your Ticket to CPWD after that work concludes rather than during it. If you do not meet these conditions but still want employment help, say so when you contact us. Career coaching does not require a Ticket.
Who Provides the Services
You assign your Ticket to one provider, and providers come in two kinds.
Employment Networks (ENs) are, in Social Security's words, "a public or private organization that contracts with Social Security to provide free employment support services to Social Security disability beneficiaries ages 18 through 64." Employment Networks handle career planning, job leads and placement, ongoing support once you are working, and benefits counseling. CPWD is one of them.
State Vocational Rehabilitation agencies provide more intensive services, including funded training and education. Many people use DVR first for training, then move their Ticket to an Employment Network for ongoing support once they are working. That sequence is common and expected.
Medical Reviews, and Why Timing Matters
Image: A woman who is a wheelchair user speaks with her doctor.
One provision changes the calculation for many people. Social Security states it plainly: "If you assign your Ticket to an approved service provider before you receive a Continuing Disability Review notice and make 'timely progress' following your employment plan, Social Security will not conduct a review of your medical condition."
A Continuing Disability Review is the periodic medical review Social Security uses to check whether someone still qualifies for benefits. For many of us, the possibility of triggering a review is the single biggest reason not to try working. Participating in Ticket to Work and keeping up with your employment plan pauses those medical reviews while you work toward your employment goal. The protection applies only if you assign the Ticket before a review notice arrives, which is why assigning it should be done early in the sequence rather than late.
Ticket to Work Help Line: 1-866-968-7842, or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern.
WIPA: Free Benefits Counseling
The rules governing how earnings affect benefits are complicated, and those rules change often. Guidance you heard at a support group in 2019 is likely out of date, and guidance about a different program may not apply to yours.
Social Security funds Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) projects to provide free benefits counseling to people receiving SSDI and SSI. WIPA counselors are Community Work Incentives Coordinators. Their job is to assess your personal situation and explain what happens to your paycheck and health coverage at each level of earnings.
Image: Ability Connection Colorado logo
In Colorado, WIPA services are provided by Ability Connection Colorado, serving all SSDI and SSI beneficiaries, including transition-age youth. Counselors are assigned by region:
Denver Metro, Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson counties: Terry McGarry, 303-691-9339
Eastern and south central Colorado: Bailey Carlson, 970-216-6713
Western Colorado, services in Spanish: Harold Lasso, 855-228-5393
Lead counselor and Colorado backup: Julie Taylor, 719-250-0686
All WIPA counseling is provided free of charge.
CPWD provides benefits counseling as well, through Community Partner Work Incentives Counselors. Our counselors can produce a benefits analysis and summary and advise on choices that affect your benefits. Either service is a sound first call. For CPWD benefits counseling, email benefits@cpwd.org or call 303-442-8662, extension 233.
Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Colorado DVR is the state employment agency for people with disabilities, and the agency's stated position is worth quoting: "We believe that anyone with a disability who wants to work, can work, regardless of the type or severity of their disability."
DVR services include vocational guidance and counseling, short- or long-term training, job seeking skills, job development and job coaching, assistive technology, accommodations for participation with DVR and on the job, and benefits planning. DVR also runs Blind and Low Vision Services, a Deaf and Hard of Hearing program with counselors fluent in American Sign Language, and Youth Services for high school students and young adults.
DVR is currently operating a waitlist. As of January 28, 2026, all priority categories are closed, and DVR is serving people from the waitlist in order of application date, prioritizing those with the most significant disabilities. Apply as soon as you begin considering the option rather than waiting until you feel ready. Apply through the DVR Online Request for Services or email CDLE_voc.rehab@state.co.us.
Health First Colorado Buy-In
Whether working will cost you your health coverage is, for many people, the real question underneath the job question, and it has a specific answer.
The Health First Colorado Buy-In Program for Working Adults with Disabilities allows working adults with disabilities to keep Medicaid coverage at income levels well above the standard limits. You must be 16 or older, employed, and have a qualifying disability determination through Social Security or the State Disability Determination vendor, and your income after disregards must be below 450% of the Federal Poverty Level. Premiums are based on income and run from $0 for people below 40% of the Federal Poverty Level to $200 per month at the top of the range.
Apply at co.gov/PEAK, by phone at 1-800-221-3943, in person, or by mail. For further help, call 1-800-711-6994.
Your Local Workforce Center
Image: A woman speaks with a counselor for career couseling.
Workforce Boulder County offers career services to all job seekers at no cost: job search assistance, resume help, workshops, hiring events, and access to training funds. Outside Boulder County, find your nearest office through the state workforce center directory.
Workforce centers are not disability-specific, and their general-public mandate is part of their value. Workforce centers are a mainstream public service we are entitled to use, and they are required to provide accommodations. If a workforce center is not accessible to you, tell us about it.
Accommodations and Help When Something Goes Wrong
Sometimes the barrier is not finding the job. The barrier is an accommodation that gets denied, a service provider that stops returning calls, or an employer who treats a disclosure as a problem.
The Job Accommodation Network provides free, confidential guidance on specific accommodations, searchable by condition and by job function. JAN is the best starting point for determining what to request and how to describe it.
Social Security funds Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS), which provides free legal support to SSDI and SSI beneficiaries facing disability-related employment problems, including "securing services from community agencies, including Employment Networks providing services under the Ticket to Work program." Find Colorado's PABSS provider through Social Security's Find Help tool. Disability Law Colorado is the state's protection and advocacy organization and another place to start.
Part Two: The Order to Do It In
The programs described above are most useful in sequence. Here is the order that usually works.
1. Decide What You Are Going For. Start with the conversation, not the paperwork. Whether you need DVR depends on whether your goal requires training. What you ask a benefits counselor depends on the earnings range you are aiming at. Every later step is shaped by this one. Call CPWD at 303-442-8662.
2. Get the Benefits Math Done. If you receive SSDI or SSI, do this before you accept an offer, change your hours, or turn down work on the assumption that working will cost you your benefits. That assumption is the most common reason people stay out of the workforce, and it is frequently wrong. Email benefits@cpwd.org or call 303-442-8662, extension 233. You can also reach your regional WIPA counselor at Ability Connection Colorado.
3. Assign Your Ticket. Assign it early, because the protection from medical reviews applies only if you assign before a review notice arrives. Assign to CPWD if you are ready to job search, or to DVR if you need training first. Ticket to Work Help Line: 1-866-968-7842.
4. Apply to DVR If Your Goal Requires Training. Skip this step if you are ready to search now. Take it if you need a certificate, a degree, equipment, or assistive technology. Apply early because of the waitlist. DVR Online Request for Services.
5. Sort Out Health Coverage. Your benefits counselor from Step 2 can tell you whether and when the Buy-In program applies to you, which is another reason that step comes first. Buy-In line, 1-800-711-6994.
6. Run the Job Search With Support. Resumes, applications, interviews, job leads, and accommodation requests, with your career coach. Add your workforce center for hiring events and training funds, and JAN for determining what to request. CPWD, 303-442-8662.
7. Know Who to Call If Something Goes Wrong. An accommodation denied, a provider who stops responding, an employer who treats a disclosure as a problem. PABSS, through Social Security's Find Help tool.
The Numbers for Reference
We covered the benefits landscape in Benefits in 2026: What Is Changing, What Is Available, and Where to Get Help, so the figures below are only those that come up in employment conversations, from Social Security's Red Book:
Trial Work Period: For people receiving SSDI, a month counts toward your nine-month Trial Work Period when you earn more than $1,210 in 2026. During those nine months you receive your full SSDI benefit no matter how much you earn.
Substantial Gainful Activity: After the Trial Work Period, the threshold is $1,690 per month in 2026, or $2,830 per month for people who are blind.
Expedited Reinstatement: If your benefits stop because of your earnings and you later cannot continue working because of your condition, you can request that your benefits start again without completing a new application. Make the request within five years of the month your benefits ended. Provisional payments are made for up to six months while Social Security reviews the request.
These figures are national thresholds rather than a description of your situation. Step 2 exists because your situation is what matters.
Where to Start
If you have read all of this and are still not sure which step is yours, that is normal, and the first call exists for exactly that reason. Reach out at 303-442-8662 or info@cpwd.org, and we will work out the order together.
If you have hit a barrier larger than your own job search, such as an inaccessible application system, a transit gap that makes a shift impossible, or an employer practice that keeps people out, tell us about it. Systems advocacy starts with someone naming the specific problem, and we cannot work on what we do not know about.
If you want to hear about the policy changes that affect our right to work while there is still time to act on them, sign up for advocacy updates at cpwd.org.
CPWD has been assisting people with disabilities in overcoming barriers to independent living since 1977. Work is one of those barriers, and it is one we know how to help with.