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•Accelerated Benefits
Demonstration •Cash and Counseling •Children with Special Health Care Needs •Community Partnerships for Older Adults •Community Treatment Alternatives for Children/Youth with Serious Emotional Disturbances •Demonstration to Maintain Independence and Employment (DMIE) •Diabetes Study of Federal Spending •Dual Eligibles: Monitoring Medicare/Medicaid Expenditures •Helping TANF Recipients with Disabilities Find and Keep Jobs •Medicaid Buy-In Program •Mental Health Services for Veterans •Money Follows the Person •National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services •Residential Treatment in Child/Adolescent Mental Health Services •Ticket to Work •Youth Transition Demonstration
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Reports | Issue Briefs | Journal Articles | OtherTo find all disability-related publications, please go to Mathematica's Publications Search page. About Accessible Documents (*=accessible)Reports“Work Activity and Use of Employment Supports Under the Original Ticket to Work Regulations: 2006 National Beneficiary Survey: Methodology and Descriptive Statistics.” Gina Livermore, Debra Wright, Allison Roche, and Eric Grau, October 2009. The Social Security Administration’s National Beneficiary Survey is a key component of Mathematica’s congressionally mandated evaluation to assess the successes and shortcomings of the Ticket to Work program. This report describes the sampling design and data collection for the third round of the survey conducted in 2006. It also uses data from the survey to provide descriptive statistics about working-age Social Security disability beneficiaries. “Work Activity and Use of Employment Supports Under the Original Ticket to Work Regulations: SSI and DI Beneficiaries with Work-Related Goals and Expectations.” Gina Livermore, Allison Roche, and Sarah Prenovitz, October 2009. This report offers an in-depth analysis of working-age individuals with work goals and/or expectations—defined as work-oriented beneficiaries—who are receiving Social Security benefits. Using data from 2004 through 2007, it describes beneficiaries’ work-orientation status, characteristics, use of Social Security benefits and programs, and employment expectations. "Work Activity and Use of Employment Supports Under the Original Ticket to Work Regulations: Participation in Ticket to Work Continues to Grow but Assignments Under the Traditional Payment System Still Dominate." David Stapleton, Cindy Gruman, and Sarah Prenovitz, September 2009. Using data collected through December 2006, nearly five years since the launch of the first phase of the Ticket to Work program, this report found that eligible Social Security beneficiaries continue to use conventional state vocational agencies rather than public and private employment providers—a hallmark of the Ticket to Work program. During the first phase, overall state participation rates rose to 2.2 percent, up from 1.8 percent one year earlier. Participation in states during the second and third phases continued to grow, but at a slightly slower pace. "Findings from a Study of the SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery (SOAR) Initiative.” Jacqueline Kauff, Jonathan Brown, Norma Altshuler, Noelle Denny-Brown, and Emily Sama Martin, September 2009. Although social security disability benefits can provide critical income support as well as job assistance and access to medical services for individuals who are homeless, the benefit application process can be challenging. Many homeless people have no consistent source of medical care, lack a stable address, have fragile social support networks, and have mental health and substance abuse disorders limiting their physical and cognitive functioning. This study found that the SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) initiative can help homeless people access benefits more successfully by encouraging states to bring together social service providers and other agencies to devise strategies on improving the application process. When implemented effectively, SOAR can help prevent chronic homelessness and reduce state and local spending on other assistance programs and health services. "Analysis of Medical Expenditures and Service Use of Medicaid Buy-In Participants, 2002-2005." Gilbert Gimm, Kristin Andrews, Jody Schimmel, Henry Ireys, and Su Liu, October 2009. When workers with disabilities “buy into” Medicaid by paying monthly premiums, states can offer them Medicaid coverage when their income and assets would otherwise make them ineligible. Using MAX data and Medicare claims files, this report provides the most comprehensive information to date on patterns of Medicaid and Medicare spending and service use among Medicaid Buy-In participants. Researchers found that combined inflation-adjusted Medicaid and Medicare expenditures for Buy-In participants more than doubled from $887 million to $1.9 billion between 2002 and 2005, as did program enrollment. However, they also found that, when compared with other working-age disabled Medicaid enrollees, Buy-In participants in 2005 incurred lower annual Medicaid expenditures. This difference suggests that Buy-In participants who are working may require fewer services or a less expensive mix of services than other adult disabled Medicaid enrollees. Executive Summary “A Review of Recent Evaluation Efforts Associated with Programs and Policies Designed to Promote the Employment of Adults with Disabilities.” Gina A. Livermore and Nanette Goodman, February 2009. This report reviews recent evaluation activities being conducted for 27 state and federal programs, policies, and initiatives designed to promote the employment of people with disabilities. The review provides information on the nature of the initiatives and evaluation efforts that have been recently completed or are currently under way, as well as findings to date related to effectiveness. Suggested avenues where further efforts and progress might be warranted are also included. “Health Insurance and Health Care Access Before and After SSDI Entry.” Gina Livermore, David Stapleton, and Henry Claypool, May 2009. This report uses National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data linked to data from the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Medicare programs to create profiles of SSDI beneficiaries during the three years before and after SSDI entry to illustrate changes in insurance status, health care access, and utilization. SSDI beneficiaries are less likely to be insured, even three years prior to SSDI entry, and utilization and access problems peak right before and after entry. At the time their SSDI applications were allowed, 11 percent of beneficiaries had completed the entire 24-month Medicare waiting period and about one-third had completed 12 months or more. This implies that eliminating the Medicare waiting period would help many beneficiaries who lack health insurance. However, this policy alone would not be of help to beneficiaries who are uninsured before entry and whose allowances are made at long intervals after SSDI entitlement. * "Work Activity and Use of Employment Supports Under the Original Ticket to Work Regulations: Characteristics, Employment, and Sources of Support Among Working-Age SSI and DI Beneficiaries." Gina Livermore, David Stapleton, and Allison Roche, April 2009. Helping people with disabilities find and keep jobs is a key component to reducing dependency on Social Security disability benefits. The Ticket to Work program aims to do that by offering people with disabilities greater choice in service providers and access to more employment options. The latest report from Mathematica’s Ticket to Work program evaluation presents results from the National Beneficiary Survey, administered each year from 2004 through 2006. The findings indicate that many beneficiaries of Social Security disability insurance were working and engaging in work-preparation activities, and many more saw themselves working in the future. However, a host of common experiences among beneficiaries stood between them and employment including poor health, inaccessible workplaces, low levels of education that may limit their employment opportunities, and fear of jeopardizing their benefits by earning above the Substantial Gainful Activity limit. The Ticket to Work program has the potential to address some of these issues by providing greater economic incentives for employment and reducing the varied employment-related obstacles many beneficiaries face. * "Work Activity and Use of Employment Supports Under the Original Ticket to Work Regulations: Process Evaluation of the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance Program." Bonnie O’Day, Allison Roche, Norma Altshuler, Liz Clary, and Krista Harrison, February 2009. This new report from Mathematica’s Ticket to Work program evaluation looks at the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) program, a grant initiative established by the Social Security Administration (SSA) in 2006. WIPA provides SSA beneficiaries with disabilities information and guidance about work incentives and how to effectively use them to find jobs and stay employed. This evaluation of the WIPA program captured important information about start-up experiences and early opportunities for program improvement. Most notably, more funding may be needed to ensure that available staffing and budget levels are met in order for WIPA, a critical element in SSA’s return-to-work policy, to succeed over the long term. “Interim Report on the Demonstration to Maintain Independence and Employment.” Gilbert Gimm, Noelle Denny-Brown, Boyd Gilman, Henry T. Ireys, and Tara Anderson, April 2009. With better access to health care and employment supports, individuals with physical and mental impairments can stay employed, maintain health, and avoid becoming dependent on federal disability benefits. To help American workers with potentially disabling conditions achieve these goals, Congress authorized the Demonstration to Maintain Independence and Employment (DMIE) under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999. This report is an interim assessment of the national DMIE program. Early findings from four states using random assignment show that DMIE programs can be implemented in a wide range of settings and can be customized to meet the needs of different target populations. A total of 4,099 baseline DMIE participants were enrolled as of September 2008. “Employment Support for the Transition to Retirement: Can a New Program Help Older Workers Continue to Work and Protect Those Who Cannot?” David Stapleton, April 2009. Older workers whose employment prospects are cut short can claim reduced Social Security benefits beginning at age 62, the earliest eligibility age. This option provides a floor of protection for workers who are forced by circumstances to retire early, but it also provides benefits to people who may not have a pressing need and might be better off waiting. A leading proposal to extend working years involves increasing the earliest eligibility age for Social Security, but this proposal might inflict hardship on some older workers. The author presents a framework for a new program that could address the harm that increasing the earliest eligibility age might inflict on some older workers. The report identifies circumstances that would call for expanded assistance for workers nearing retirement if early benefits were no longer available. It also describes a range of benefits, tailored to individual needs, including wage subsidies and other work supports, health insurance subsidies, disability benefits, extended unemployment benefits, and employment counseling. "A Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Report: The Status of the Medicaid Infrastructure Grants Program as of 12/31/07." Cindy Gruman, Sarah Croake, Jody Schimmel, and Su Liu, December 2008. The Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG) program provides funding to states to develop the necessary infrastructure to promote competitive employment for people with disabilities. Grantee states use MIG funding to support a range of activities, including developing and implementing a Medicaid Buy-In program; improving access to personal assistance services; developing supported employment programs; providing benefits counseling; and more. This report examines outputs and outcomes of MIG funding in 2007. Forty-one states had a MIG program, and funding increased by 21 percent between 2006 and 2007 to $34.1 million. In addition, the funding has encouraged states to develop and sustain Medicaid Buy-In programs for people whose earnings would otherwise make them ineligible for publicly financed health benefits. "The Social Security Administration’s Youth Transition Demonstration Projects: Profiles of the Random Assignment Projects." John Martinez, Michelle S. Manno, Peter Baird, Thomas Fraker, Todd Honeycutt, Arif Mamun, Bonnie O’Day, and Anu Rangarajan, December 2008. This report profiles six projects participating in the random assignment evaluation. The projects are up and running in the Bronx; four counties in Colorado; Erie County (Buffalo), New York; Miami-Dade County; Montgomery County, Maryland; and 19 counties in West Virginia. "The Social Security Administration’s Youth Transition Demonstration Projects: Evaluation Design Report." Anu Rangarajan, Thomas Fraker, Todd Honeycutt, Arif Mamun, John Martinez, Bonnie O’Day, and David Wittenburg, January 2009. This report describes the research and policy context for the evaluation, logic model underlying the projects, and selection of the random assignment sites and enrollment of youth. It also presents comprehensive designs for the process, cost, impact, and benefit-cost analyses, and concludes with a timeline and a schedule for major reports. "Research Design Report for the Evaluation of the Money Follows the Person (MFP) Grant Program." Randall Brown, Carol Irvin, Debra Lipson, Sam Simon,and Audra Wenzlow, October 2008. This report presents the research design for the evaluation of the Money Follows the Person program implementation and effects on participants and the long-term care system. Under the program, 31 participating states are providing enhanced services to help interested Medicaid beneficiaries in long-term care institutions move back to the community. States receive funds from the program’s augmented federal matching rate for support services provided to those who make the transition. States are expected to use these funds to improve long-term care systems and options for beneficiaries wishing to remain in the community. "Ticket to Work at the Crossroads: A Solid Foundation with an Uncertain Future." David Stapleton, Gina Livermore, Craig Thornton, Bonnie O’Day, Robert Weathers, Krista Harrison, So O’Neil, Emily Sama Martin, David Wittenburg, and Debra Wright, September 2008. The Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency program (TTW) was designed to enhance the market for services that help SSI and SSDI beneficiaries successfully enter the workforce. This report looks at how well the TTW market functions and the extent to which the introduction of TTW changed enrollment in employment-support services, employment, and receipt of SSDI or SSI benefits. The study found that program participation remains low but continues to grow, and survey findings indicate substantial potential for growth in participation. In addition, new payment regulations for providers may breathe new life into the market. Technical Appendices * Executive Summary "Programmes to Promote Employment for Disabled People: Lessons from the United States." Anu Rangarajan, David Wittenburg, Todd Honeycutt, and Debra Brucker, December 2008. This report reviews findings from U.S. evaluations of return-to-work supports for people with disabilities that have been influential in informing best practices and discusses implications for similar efforts in the U.K. The U.S. experience offers lessons for delivering intervention services, tracking services, and evaluating U.K. employment initiatives for people with disabilities. Some suggestions include adding incentives to allow people to work more than 16 hours a week, developing additional supports—especially supported employment services—for participants with psychiatric conditions, providing more intensive supports for long-term claimants, identifying outcomes to measure success of the program before implementation, and creating a research database from administrative files to track progress of disability policies. Issue Briefs*“Project SEARCH: Opening Doors to Employment for Young People with Disabilities.” Bonnie O’Day, December 2009. In the mid-1990s, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital implemented Project SEARCH, a school-to-work program for developmentally and physically disabled high school students transitioning to employment. This approach requires successful collaboration between a sponsoring employer, a school system, a community rehabilitation provider, and the state vocational rehabilitation agency and/or the state or local developmental disabilities agency. Project SEARCH is unique in its total immersion of students in the workplace. Each Project SEARCH site generally enrolls 10 to 12 students per year, who spend the entire school day at the workplace. During the second month, students progress to the first of three individualized worksite rotations or internships that simulate real-world employment lasting 10 weeks. The student is often placed in one of the departments in the organization where he or she served as an intern. While this school-to-work model has been implemented in 140 additional sites in the United States and the United Kingdom, a national evaluation has not been conducted. A cost/benefit analysis should be implemented to determine if the high costs of the program—$233,280 per site which serves approximately 10 to 12 students per year—merit its implementation on a wider level. *“Work-Oriented Social Security Disability Beneficiaries: Characteristics and Employment-Related Activities.” Gina A. Livermore, December 2009. This brief discusses the characteristics of working-age individuals receiving Social Security disability benefits with work goals and describes their employment success. The findings suggest that beneficiaries fall into three broad groups based on their work-related efforts and expectations. For 60 percent, gainful employment seems to be neither a plan nor an option. Of the 40 percent who are interested in working, about half are actively pursuing and achieving this goal. *“Early Implementation Experiences of State MFP Programs.” National Evaluation of the Money Follows the Person Demonstration Grant Program: Reports from the Field #3. Noelle Denny-Brown and Debra J. Lipson, November 2009. The Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration is the most ambitious program to date aimed at helping Medicaid enrollees transition from long-term care institutions to the community. This report, the third in a series presenting findings from Mathematica’s evaluation of the MFP program, describes states’ early implementation experiences and state transition activity as of December 2008. It also discusses the challenges that states have encountered in trying to launch the program, and implications for making fundamental changes in the long-term care system. *"Will Health Care Reform Increase the Employment of People with Disabilities?” David Stapleton and Su Liu, November 2009. Leading health care financing reforms might mitigate, or even eliminate, challenges that the current system creates for people with disabilities who work, or want to work, but there is no guarantee. This brief summarizes the challenges posed by the current system and considers how features of leading reform proposals would, or would not, address these challenges. *“What Happens to Medicaid Buy-In Participants After They Leave the Program?” Working with Disability, Work and Insurance In Brief #9. Su Liu and Silvie Colman, September 2009. This brief explores the paths of people with disabilities who leave the Medicaid Buy-In program, finding that their earnings and employment rates decline after disenrollment. The program helps adults with disabilities work while still retaining Medicaid coverage. At the end of 2008, 37 states reported covering 92,446 people in the program. *"Implications of State Program Features for Attaining MFP Transition Goals." National Evaluation of the Money Follows the Person Demonstration Grant Program, Reports from the Field #2. Debra J. Lipson and Susan R. Williams, June 2009. In 2007, the federal government funded programs in 30 states and the District of Columbia under the Money Follows the Person demonstration to support the transition of Medicaid beneficiaries in long-term institutional care to home and community-based settings. This report describes variation in the design of state transition programs and discusses how differences in key features affect the pace and degree of implementation, as well as the likelihood of meeting transition goals. While some states are on track to meet their goals, others have been slow to start programs because of delays in finalizing operational plans or Medicaid home and community-based program changes, problems finding or contracting with transition agencies, and other setbacks. *“Is It Time to Establish a National Disability Data System?” David Stapleton and Craig Thornton, May 2009. There is a growing divergence between demands placed on the system for assisting people with disabilities and the data required to manage this system. A new brief from our Center for Studying Disability Policy seeks to stimulate discussion about the value of establishing a national disability data system to make better use of existing data and add new data. This type of system could improve coordination of federal data collection and analysis, help agencies and others gain a better understanding of those served, and provide critical information for monitoring and improving programs. * “Transforming Disability Policy for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities.” Disability Policy Research Brief, #09-01. Bonnie O’Day and David Stapleton, March 2009. The transition to adulthood can be difficult for young people with disabilities, and changes in public policy are needed to give them the support they need to find meaningful work, stay employed, and reduce their dependency on federal and state disability benefits. This brief highlights the importance of improving transition policy for youth with disabilities, reviews lessons from recent research, and considers transformative policy changes and why and how such changes might be tested. It also discusses an example of a transformative policy with potential to improve transitions for youth with disabilities—the Transition to Economic Self-Sufficiency (TESS) program. * “Costs and Benefits of Eliminating the Medicare Waiting Period for SSDI Beneficiaries.” Disability Policy Research Brief, #09-02. Gina Livermore, David Stapleton, and Henry Claypool, March 2009. The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program provides a safety net for individuals who must stop working because of a disability. Although Medicare coverage is available to people with disabilities, they must wait for that coverage until 24 months after they become eligible for SSDI. This brief discusses the costs and benefits associated with eliminating the Medicare waiting period for new SSDI beneficiaries. The authors estimate that doing so would increase annual Medicare costs by approximately $14 billion, provided that all beneficiaries are enrolled throughout the 24-month period. This represents about three percent of total Medicare expenditures in 2006. Even though costs would be substantial, potential benefits would also accrue: fewer beneficiaries would delay needed health care; reduced financial hardships for those who must pay high out-of-pocket costs for medical care due to lack of insurance; and reduced Medicaid expenditures for states. In addition, better coverage and access to health care during the waiting period might lead to improved health and increased or earlier return to work. * "Transitioning Medicaid Enrollees from Institutions to the Community: Number of People Eligible and Number of Transitions Targeted Under MFP." The National Evaluation of the Money Follows the Person Demonstration Grant Program: Reports from the Field, #1. Audra T. Wenzlow and Debra J. Lipson, January 2009. The MFP demonstration is the most ambitious program to date aimed at helping Medicaid enrollees transition from long-term care institutions to the community. This report, the first in a new series, assesses the scope of the program—profiling the Medicaid population in long-term institutional care eligible for MFP, rates of transition to the community before MFP began, and potential change in transition rates if states reach their program goals. State MFP programs seek to transition about 36,000 individuals over the course of the demonstration, or less than 1 percent of the approximately one million people who could be eligible annually. "Health Benefits for the Uninsured: Design and Early Implementation of the Accelerated Benefits Demonstration." David Wittenburg, Peter Baird, Lisa Schwartz, and David Butler, September 2008. The goal of the Accelerated Benefits Demonstration is to assess the efficacy of providing newly awarded SSDI beneficiaries who have no health coverage with immediate access to health benefits. With earlier access, beneficiaries may experience better health outcomes, increase their likelihood of returning to work, and reduce long-term dependence on SSDI benefits. This brief provides an overview of the project, describes findings from the initial phase of enrollment from October and November 2007, and reviews plans for full implementation. * "How Do Employment Outcomes of Medicaid Buy-In Participants Vary Based on Prior Medicaid Coverage? An Example from Massachusetts." Working with Disability Work and Insurance In Brief #8. Marsha Langer Ellison, Mihail Samnaliev, Alexis D. Henry, Jody Schimmel Beauchamp, Annette Shea, and Jay Himmelstein, October 2008. The Medicaid Buy-In program is a key component of the federal effort to help people with disabilities work without fear of losing health coverage. The program enables participants to "buy into" Medicaid even if their income is too high for other Medicaid eligibility categories. A new brief, the eighth in a series on working with disability, looks at the employment outcomes of participants in Massachusetts's Buy-In program, known as CommonHealth Working (CHW). The brief examines differences in post-enrollment employment rates; monthly hours worked and earnings; and private health insurance coverage between new CHW enrollees previously covered by MassHealth, Massachusetts's Medicaid program, and those without prior MassHealth coverage. The brief also compares outcomes for a year before and after CHW enrollment for a subset of participants with prior MassHealth coverage who had been enrolled in CHW continuously for at least 12 months. The average employment rate among these participants rose sharply after CHW enrollment—from 36 percent in the 12 months prior to enrollment to 86 percent in the 12 months after enrollment. As a result, average monthly earnings increased 140 percent, average hours worked rose by 150 percent, and more were covered by private health insurance. Journal Articles"Closures Are the Tip of the Iceberg: Exploring the Variation in State Vocational Rehabilitation Program Exits After Service Receipt." David Stapleton, Todd Honeycutt, and Bruce Schechter, Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation (subscription required), February 2010. State vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies provide important employment services for people with disabilities. Yet little is known about the characteristics of individuals who have received VR services compared to the general population of people with disabilities. Using 2007 data, we found that 1.3 of every 100 working-age adults with a disability received services from a VR agency, with some states’ rates ranging from 0.6 percent in Washington and Puerto Rico to 4.0 percent in Vermont. We also found large differences in some states across demographic, educational, and disability subgroups. Further research could answer questions about why some groups are more likely to use VR services than others and whether VR agencies should target more resources to certain groups. “The Effects of State Policy Decisions on the Employment and Earnings of Medicaid Buy-In Participants in 2006.” Henry Ireys, Gilbert Gimm, and Su Liu, Journal of Disability Policy Studies (subscription required), December 2009. This article examines the Medicaid Buy-In program, so named because workers with disabilities “buy into” Medicaid coverage with monthly premiums. In 2006, over 97,000 individuals were enrolled in 32 state Buy-In programs. States have taken different pathways toward the program’s dual objectives: expanding Medicaid coverage to vulnerable populations and promoting employment of working-age adults with disabilities. Analyses indicate that some states appear to have accomplished both objectives, whereas other states have emphasized one over the other. In addition, certain program features (such as higher earned-income limits) contribute to both larger percentages of Buy-In participants who are employed and higher earnings of employed participants. Youth who receive benefits from the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, the largest federal program providing cash payments to low-income youth with severe disabilities and their families, face notable challenges transitioning to adulthood. Six articles in the September 2009 issue of the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, by researchers from Mathematica Policy Research, TransCen Inc., and the Social Security Administration, explore the nature of these challenges and related policy responses. Articles in the issue include: "Intimate Partner Violence, Health Status, and Health Care Access Among Women with Disabilities." Kirsten A. Barrett, Bonnie O'Day, Allison Roche, and Barbara Lepidus Carlson, Women's Health Issues (subscription required), March-April, 2009. Evidence suggests that intimate partner violence (IPV) is more pervasive among women with disabilities than among women without disabilities. However, little is known about the relationship between intimate partner violence, health status, and access to care. This article describes the prevalence of IPV among women with disabilities and compares it to prevalence among women without disabilities. For both groups, the authors examine health status and health care access and the association between IPV, health status, and health care access. Women with disabilities are significantly more likely to experience IPV (33.2 and 21.2 percent, respectively). In addition, women with disabilities who have experienced IPV are 35 percent less likely to report their health as good to excellent and are 58 percent more likely to report an unmet health care need owing to cost. “Income Security for Workers: A Stressed Support System in Need of Innovation.” David C. Stapleton, Richard V. Burkhauser, Peiyun She, Robert R. Weathers, and Gina A. Livermore, Journal of Disability Policy Studies, March 2009 (subscription required). The current mix of public and private programs to support workers after they experience disability onset provides benefits to millions of workers and former workers. Yet, despite the large and growing costs of these programs, the inflation-adjusted household incomes of workers with disabilities have been falling for more than two decades, both absolutely and, especially, relative to the incomes of those without disabilities. The aging of the baby boom generation is likely to make matters worse, and the government's fiscal circumstance will make sustaining existing public programs increasingly difficult. Current policy initiatives might eventually improve the disability support system, but they are not likely to ward off adverse consequences of the pending crisis. Policy changes that leverage existing private-sector practices and capabilities might achieve greater success but have received little attention and are far from proven. "Long-Term Poverty and Disability Among Working-Age Adults.” Peiyun She and Gina A. Livermore, Journal of Disability Policy Studies, March 2009 (subscription required). The authors use longitudinal data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation spanning 1996 to 1999 to estimate the prevalence of short- and long-term poverty among working-age people with and without disabilities. Depending on the disability measure used, annual poverty rates are two to five times higher among people with disabilities, compared to those without disabilities. Relative long-term poverty rates among those with disabilities are much higher than relative short-term poverty rates. People with disabilities represented 47 percent of those in poverty in 1997 according to an annual measure of poverty, and 65 percent of those in poverty according to a long-term measure. Disability may receive little attention in the poverty literature because most statistics are based on short-term measures, which partially mask the strong relationship between long-term poverty and long-term disability, as well as outdated perceptions of the relationship between disability and the ability to work. OtherCounting Working-Age People with Disabilities: What Current Data Tell Us and Options for Improvement. Andrew J. Houtenville, David C. Stapleton, Robert R. Weathers II, and Richard V. Burkhauser, editors, W.E. Upjohn Institute, April 2009. Working-age people with disabilities are often overlooked in discussions of the latest statistics on employment, income, poverty, and other measures. This book reviews what current data on this population can and cannot tell us, as well as how data quality can be improved to better inform policy. The authors argue that better coordination of independent efforts can be accomplished by the use of common disability-related questions on existing survey data sets; expansion and improvements to the matching of administrative records across agencies; and easier access to matched data for the broader research community. Chapters coauthored by current and former Mathematica staff include: *=accessible document
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