Benefit Offset National Demonstration

This is an archival or historical document and may not reflect current policies or procedures.

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.

Related Links

Benefit Offset Four-State Pilot
Benefit Offset Simulation Model (BOSIM) Enhancement Design Report
BOND Design Report
BOND Evaluation Analysis Plan
BOND Process Analysis Report
BOND Final Evaluation Report (2018)
BOND Final Evaluation Report Appendices (2018)

BOND Stage-1 Early Assessment Report
BOND Stage-1 (2013) Year 1 Snapshot Report
BOND Stage-1 (2014) Year 2 Snapshot Report
BOND Stage-1 (2015) Year 3 Snapshot Report
BOND Stage-1 (2016) Interim Process, Participation, and Impact Report
BOND Stage-1 (2016) Interim Process, Participation, and Impact Report – One page Summary
BOND Stage-1 (2017) Interim Process, Participation, and Impact Report
BOND Stage-1 (2017) Interim Process, Participation, and Impact Report – One Page Summary
BOND Stage-1 (2019) Year 6 Snapshot Report
BOND Stage-1 (2019) Year 6 Snapshot Report -- One page Summary

BOND Stage-2 Early Assessment Report
BOND Stage-2 (2014) Years 1 and 2 Snapshot Report
BOND Stage-2 (2015) Interim Process, Participation, and Impact Report
BOND Stage-2 (2015) Interim Process Participation Report – One page Summary
BOND Stage-2 (2017) Year 4 Snapshot Report
BOND Stage-2 (2017) Year 4 Snapshot Report - One Page Summary
BOND Stage-2 (2017) Interim Process, Participation, and Impact Report
BOND Stage-2 (2017) Interim Process, Participation, and Impact Report – One Page Summary
BOND Stage-2 (2019) Year 6 Snapshot Report
BOND Stage-2 (2019) Year 6 Snapshot Report -- One page Summary

Benefit Offset—Ancillary Research

Ancillary research using the Benefit Offset National Demonstration data and data from other sources to provide policymakers with additional information on the potential effects of a change in the SSDI program rules that would allow beneficiaries to work and keep a portion of their benefits. The ancillary research falls within two themes. The first is research that will allow us to produce better estimates on the potential for induced entry into the SSDI program resulting from a change in the SSDI program rules. The second is research that will allow us to produce better estimates on the effect of changes in the structure of a benefit offset on costs and benefits of a new SSDI benefit offset policy.

A paper that describes the strengths and limitations of various research designs to estimate induced entry is available at Approaches to Evaluating Induced Entry.

A report that develops specific research designs to estimate induced entry is available at Research Designs for Estimating Induced Entry.

Special Topics

BOND Implementation and Evaluation: Further Exploration of WIC and EWIC Services
BOND Implementation and Evaluation: Extending the Final Evaluation Report Results
BOND Implementation and Evaluation: Insights on Racial and Ethnic Equity
Exits from SSDI Benefits for Work and Medical Improvement and Post-Exit Experiences

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 will end in September 2017. A final report was released in December 2018.