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Helping People with Disabilities Keep Their Jobs
Mathematica Presents DMIE Findings in Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation
Contact: Amy Berridge, (609) 275-2399
PRINCETON, N.J., February 24, 2011—Remaining employed and financially secure can be difficult for people with mental and physical disabilities. Without adequate employment and health coverage, enrolling in public assistance programs may be their only option. This month’s special issue of the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, with an introduction co-authored by Mathematica Policy Research senior fellow Henry Ireys, presents early findings from the evaluation of the Demonstration to Maintain Independence and Employment (DMIE), a program designed to help keep these individuals from becoming too disabled to work.
DMIE was established in November 1999 under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) gave grants to selected states to develop and implement interventions for workers with potentially disabling health conditions—such as heart disease, mental illness, diabetes, and HIV—and evaluate whether the programs prevent or postpone job loss and enrollment in federal disability programs. Mathematica is completing a national evaluation of the DMIE for CMS, focusing on four states—Hawaii, Kansas, Minnesota, and Texas. Interventions include expanded medical coverage, employment services, intensive person-centered case management, and financial subsidies. In concert with state Medicaid agencies and state-specific evaluation teams, Mathematica researchers developed a rich set of qualitative and quantitative data to analyze key questions about the evaluation.
“These studies can help practitioners in the vocational rehabilitation field shape policy and practice,” said Ireys. “Notably, they suggest the potential value of providing early intervention programs to adults with mental or physical health impairments before they need to apply for disability benefits. The findings can also help lay the groundwork for identifying best practices to develop these early intervention programs.”
In addition, the journal features an article by senior researcher Gilbert Gimm and other Mathematica staff. It examines a study using quantitative data from Social Security Administration files and state-based surveys to address the question of whether the DMIE, as implemented in these states, altered the number of applications submitted for federal disability benefit programs and changed participants’ employment patterns. Among other findings, the study showed that the demonstration was effective in reducing applications to federal disability programs 12 months after enrollment in the two states with the largest demonstrations (Minnesota and Texas).
About Mathematica: Mathematica Policy Research, a nonpartisan research firm, provides a full range of research and data collection services, including program evaluation and policy research, survey design and data collection, research assessment and interpretation, and program performance/data management, to improve public well-being. Its clients include federal and state governments, foundations, and private-sector and international organizations. The employee-owned company, with offices in Princeton, N.J., Ann Arbor, Mich., Cambridge, Mass., Chicago, Ill., Oakland, Calif., and Washington, D.C., has conducted some of the most important studies of health care, education, international, disability, family support, employment, nutrition, and early childhood policies and programs.