Despite advances that have increased the potential for some people with disabilities to work, few beneficiaries of the Social Security Administration's (SSA) disability programs leave the benefit rolls for work. Return-to-work practices used in the private sector and other countries reflect the understanding that some people with severe disabilities can and do return to work. We analyzed strategies used by three large private disability insurers and the German, Swedish, and Dutch disability systems to facilitate work. These disability systems: (1) Design their eligibility assessment processes to evaluate a person's potential to work and assist those with work potential to return to work; (2) Require individuals to obtain appropriate medical treatment and participate in rehabilitation if it would benefit the individual; and (3) Apply the appropriate type and intensity of staff resources to return individuals with work capacity to employment as cost-effectively as possible. Although SSA has begun to focus more on return to work, it has yet to adopt a complete strategy for implementing this approach, and fundamental policy weaknesses persist. SSA needs to develop a comprehensive return-to-work strategy that emphasizes work for those who can, but adopting such a strategy will require fundamental changes to the underlying philosophy and design of its disability programs.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participants will be able to: (1) Describe three key return-to-work strategies of selected private sector disability insurers and European social insurance systems; (2) Contrast these strategies with the design and implementation of SSA's disability programs.
Keywords: Disability Policy, Disability
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.