224084 Impact of early intervention programs for persons with potentially disabling conditions: Evidence from the national DMIE evaluation

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 : 12:42 PM - 12:56 PM

Boyd Gilman, PhD , Health, Mathematica Policy Research, Cambridge, MA
Gilbert Gimm, PhD , Health, Mathematica Policy Research, Washington, DC
Henry Ireys, PhD , Health, Mathematica Policy Research, Washington, DC
Noelle Denny-Brown, MPA , Health, Mathematica Policy Research, Cambridge, MA
Sarah Croake, MPP , Health, Mathematica Policy Research, Washington, DC
Using random assignment, this study examined whether a program of enhanced medical care and employment supports can improve the health status, employment, and disability outcomes of working adults with potentially disabling conditions. Using federal data from the Social Security Administration and participant survey data, we analyzed the impact of program interventions on employment, earnings, and disability. We compared unadjusted mean outcomes between treatment and control groups one year after enrollment. We also used multivariate analyses to estimate regression-adjusted impacts on the likelihood of applying for disability benefits, employment, and earnings after controlling for baseline participant characteristics. We found that the pooled treatment group across all four states was less likely to have a federal disability application one year after enrollment (3.9 percent versus 5.3 percent) and a higher level of income ($15,972 versus $14,536) relative to the control group. Both effects were statistically significant at the 5 percent level. We also found that the treatment group had a higher share of participants employed (94.4 percent versus 87.1 percent), but this difference was not statistically significant. An early intervention program of medical care and employment supports that is focused on working adults with potentially disabling conditions was shown to improve the health status of participants and reduce the likelihood of applying for federal disability. These findings suggest that disability can be prevented or delayed with a well-designed program that includes both health and employment supports for individuals.

Learning Areas:
Administration, management, leadership
Chronic disease management and prevention
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Program planning
Provision of health care to the public
Public health administration or related administration

Learning Objectives:
Assess whether a program of enhanced medical care and employment support can improve the health status, employment, and disability outcomes of working adults with potentially disabling conditions.

Keywords: Disability Policy, Interventions

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I served as lead researcher on the federal contract under which this data collection and analysis was performed.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.