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In Nebraska, Pilot Program Addressing Pain Provides Results for People with Disabilities

Lincoln - The Ticket to Work Palliative Care Program gives individuals with disabilities access to experts who help keep pain and other symptoms from getting in the way of daily activities, such as holding a job.

"I had nobody to turn to, but now I am working 20 hours a week so I can pay on my doctor and hospital bills. It feels so much better to be working and getting out of the house," said one program participant from Lincoln whose back pain kept him from being able to work.

As part of the program, an interdisciplinary team of professionals focuses on each person's medical, social and psychological needs. The team evaluates pain treatments and medications with medical providers, collaborates with other health care providers to develop recommendations, and makes referrals to physical therapists, vocational rehabilitation, workforce development and community resources such as veterans' centers and housing authorities.

"Because of the Palliative Care Program, several people have gone back to work, but most importantly, many have experienced an overall improvement in the quality of their lives," said Sharon Johnson, Systems Change Grants Coordinator with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

The Ticket to Work Palliative Care Program is a demonstration project of DHHS and the Nebraska Pain Initiative, which is a part of the Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Partnership. The Partnership is a collaborative effort of more than 60 organizations with an interest in good care for terminally and chronically ill Nebraskans.

Ticket to Work is an employment program that increases the opportunities and choices for Social Security disability beneficiaries or those at risk of becoming eligible for disability benefits to obtain employment, vocational rehabilitation and other support services from public and private providers, employers, and other organizations. It is the result of federal legislation designed to remove the barriers that influence people's decisions about going to work because of concerns over losing health care coverage. The Palliative Care Program enables participants with pain and other issues to participate in Ticket to Work.