Social Security Online - Benefit Offset National Demonstration (Summary)

State(s) / Location(s) Involved

BOND Site Name	BOND Site Geography*
Alabama	State of Alabama
Arizona/Southeast California	State of Arizona, southeastern California
Colorado/Wyoming	States of Colorado and Wyoming
DC Metro	Washington, DC; suburban Maryland; northern Virginia; northeastern West Virginia
Greater Detroit	Southeastern Michigan
Greater Houston	Southeastern Texas
Northern New England	States of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont; northern Massachusetts
South Florida	Southern Florida
Western New York	Western New York, northern Pennsylvania
Wisconsin	State of Wisconsin

*Small areas of each state may not be included.

Start / Enrollment Date

January 2011 through September 2012

Description

Summary

The purpose of the Benefit Offset projects is to determine the effect of various interventions, in combination with a benefit offset, on employment outcomes including wages, benefits, hours worked, and job retention. In the benefit offset demonstration, we are testing a $1 reduction in benefits for every $2 in earnings over substantial gainful activity levels, in combination with benefits counseling, with the goal of helping beneficiaries with disabilities return to work. The project will give beneficiaries a gradual reduction in their benefits, eliminating the current abrupt loss of cash benefits under the SSDI disability program when a beneficiary works and has earnings over a specific amount. Participants will maintain ongoing eligibility for health care benefits and other supports linked to SSDI eligibility.

Detailed Description

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Status

We awarded the contract for the implementation and evaluation of the project to Abt Associates in December 2009. We completed start-up tasks in 2010 and began a three-month pilot of the Benefit Offset National Demonstration in January 2011 . Full project implementation began in late April 2011 and enrollment ended in September 2012.