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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Deborah Peikes, MPA, PhD and Vinita Jethwani, MPA. Mathematica Policy Research, P.O. Box 2393, Princeton, NJ 08543
This paper profiles participants in the State Project Initiative, a voluntary program to promote employment among people with disabilities. Understanding who participated can help future employment-promotion programs tailor their services to participants’ needs and market future initiatives to increase participation. SPI is one of the largest demonstrations dealing with disability policy ever run by SSA. While over 9,000 individuals are expected to participate, enrollment has been lower than initially expected, reflecting three possible factors. First, beneficiaries may fear that working will terminate their eligibility for disability benefits and health insurance that took years to establish. Second, some beneficiaries may not want to or be able to work. Third, potential earnings gains from working (net of any lost benefits) may not provide a strong incentive to work.
Participants are challenging to serve. Interventions must be tailored to accommodate participants’ diverse disability types, ages, and preparation for work. Furthermore, participants face substantial barriers to employment. Most participants report having severe disabilities, which limit their activities and may require greater employer sensitivity and accommodation. A majority of participants have limited preparation for work: half have no education beyond high school; one-third receive only SSI, indicating they lack substantial work history. Participants with limited preparation for employment may be more likely to find low-end jobs (if they find employment at all) characterized by high turnover and no benefits. Finally, participants often receive numerous types of public benefits, underscoring the importance of accurate benefits counseling to understand the effects of working on benefits receipt.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, session participants will be able to
Keywords: Disability Policy, Federal Initiatives
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. - State Partnership Initiative Project Office
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Evaluator, SSA Contract