Analyzing State Innovations to Encourage Employment

Striking the right balance between promoting independence and providing support is an important goal of efforts to promote employment for people with disabilities. We are evaluating projects in 18 states that are designed to promote employment of people with disabilities who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. The study is looking at the extent to which the state projects affect (1) beneficiaries’ employment, earnings, reliance on targeted federal programs (including SSI, SSDI, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families); and (2) federal program costs. It is also examining the relative effectiveness and costs of the projects, as well as the outcomes for subgroups of participants. Available reports include analyses of program participant characteristics, service utilization, and impact estimates. A synthesis report on impacts estimated by the state projects themselves is also available.

This evaluation is part of a three-part SSA strategy. The other parts are (1) internal evaluations that each state is conducting; and (2) cross-site process and participant outcomes analyses that the Virginia Commonwealth University is conducting, with Mathematica as a subcontractor.

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