Since 2004, SSA and CPP have sponsored three very productive international seminars that focus on common challenges faced by disability programs administered in the United States, Canada, and other developed countries. A small group of government and non-government experts in the field of disability are invited to each seminar to discuss their national experiences and identify possible solutions to these challenges. The 2008 seminar took place in Montreal and was organized around 3 topics: 1) Employment for persons with disabilities in an era of labor shortages; 2) Effective supports for persons with mental illness; 3) Social enterprise and persons with disabilities. The next seminar will be held in the U.S.A. in the spring of 2010.

Occupational Information Development Project.

SSA needs information about work that exists throughout the nation to determine whether claimants’ impairments prevent them from doing not only their past work, but any other work in the U.S. economy. SSA uses the DOT and its companion volume, the Selected Characteristics of Occupations (SCO), as the primary sources of information about jobs and job requirements. However, the Department of Labor last updated the DOT in 1991 and has no plans to conduct further updates. As a result, OPDR is developing short and long term strategies to obtain updated occupational information used in disability evaluation.

The short-term project consists of two parts: 1) Acquire existing, updated occupational information in a format consistent with the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), and 2) Obtain the services of an Independent Evaluator who will assess the accuracy and reliability of this occupational information. The goal of the short-term project is to provide SSA with updated occupational information that will be formatted in a manner consistent with the format and definitions found in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT). This updated occupational information will provide disability adjudicators with updated occupational information that can be seamlessly incorporated into SSA’s disability adjudication process while long-term solutions are developed.

The long term project goal is to develop an occupational information system designed specifically for SSA’s disability process. We will conduct research to obtain and classify current occupational information critical for evaluating disability. We will also conduct investigations to test policy options and to improve SSA’s medical-vocational assessment of disability claimants in light of the new occupational information we obtain. These activities will involve the collaboration of internal SSA components, already convened as the Occupational Information System Development Workgroup, that will provide guidance on policy and operational issues and end-user needs.

One important element to our long-term research is the development of the Occupational Information Development Advisory Panel established under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The Panel will consist of occupational analysts, vocational rehabilitation experts and other relevant professionals and medical practitioners who will guide and oversee SSA’s long-term research efforts, including recommendations at each stage of research and investigation. For additional information on this effort, please visit www.ssa.gov/oidap.

Organisation of Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)
Pathways to Transitions Project

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is currently providing funds to help support OECD’s five-year study on Pathways to Transitions for People with Disability into Tertiary Education and Work. The purpose of the Pathways project is to learn more about other developed countries’ special education programs and supports in order to identify best practices that facilitate successful outcomes for students with disabilities in transition from secondary education to tertiary education and work.

The five-year OECD Pathways project includes the preparation and analysis of participating country reports, a three-year longitudinal study, and case studies. In addition to the USA, the OECD countries that are participating in one or more phases of the Pathways project include: Norway, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Portugal, France, Estonia, and the Republic of Korea.

Information gained from this study will assist in preventing children with disabilities who are not currently on SSA’s rolls from eventually becoming beneficiaries once they reach adulthood, providing necessary supports, and identifying best practices to help transition youth with disabilities.

For more information on OECD's Youth Transition study, see OECD website at: OECD Pathways for disabled students to tertiary education and employment

Predictive Modeling

The Predictive Model (PM) is a computer-based screening tool used to identify potential electronic cases for the Quick Disability Determination (QDD) process.

The QDD process is aimed at paying individuals, filing for initial disability benefits:

who have medical conditions that reflect a high probability of being disabled (under SSA disability guidelines); and
where the evidence of their medical conditions/allegations are easily & quickly verifiable.

The QDD process was implemented in the six States in the Boston Region (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, & Vermont) effective August 2006. The QDD process was implemented nationally between October 2007 and February 2008.

View the final rule in the Federal Register.

TANF-SSI Disability Transition Project

Both welfare agencies and the federal disability system seek to support people with disabilities and help them become more independent. However, the two systems often have differing missions and organization, definitions of disability, operational and financial issues, and work rules and incentives, making it challenging for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs to work together. TANF clients who apply for SSI may also confront conflicting messages from TANF agencies regarding work requirements and benefit eligibility.

To better understand the relationship between the TANF and SSI populations and programs, the Office of Program Development and Research and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) launched the TANF-SSI Disability Transition Project (TSDTP) in October 2008. Working with ACF, TANF agencies in California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York, select counties in these states, and the evaluation firm MDRC, we will analyze program data and pilot-test program interventions for TANF clients with disabilities. SSA, ACF, TANF agencies, and low-income individuals with disabilities and their families benefit from effective and efficient services — moving toward employment when possible, making informed decisions about applying for SSI, receiving SSI as quickly as possible, and reducing administrative costs. The project will conclude in September 2011 with our recommendations regarding a larger demonstration project on coordinating TANF and SSI.

For more information, see the ACF website at:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/welfare_employ/tanf_ssi/tanf_ssi_overview.html.


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