Lessons Learned from SSA Demonstrations

Description

Summary

Over the past several decades, the U.S. Social Security Administration has tested new policies and programs to improve beneficiary work outcomes. These demonstrations have covered most aspects of the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs and populations and have addressed topics including family supports, children, informational notices, changes to benefit calculations, and a variety of employment services and program waivers.

This event and the subsequent volume summarize lessons learned about which policies, programs, and other operational decisions could provide effective supports for disability beneficiaries who want to work.

Reports

Nichols, Austin, Jeffrey Hemmeter, and Debra Goetz Engler, eds. 2021. Lessons from SSA Demonstrations for Disability Policy and Future Research. Rockville, MD: Abt Press.

The report is also available in hardcopy form at online booksellers (at cost--no profit is made by purchasing the book).

Individual Chapters

• Chapter 1—An Introduction to Disability Policy and SSA's Demonstrations
• Chapter 2—Design of Social Security Administration Demonstration Evaluations
• Chapter 3—Improving the Use of Demonstrations
• Chapter 4—The Return to Work in Disability Programs: What Has Been Learned and Next Steps
• Chapter 5—Demonstration Evidence of Early Intervention Policies and Practices
• Chapter 6—Youth Transition
• Chapter 7—An Overview of Current Results and New Methods for Estimating Heterogeneous Program Impacts
• Chapter 8—Benefits Counseling and Case Management
• Chapter 9—Lessons from Implementation
• Appendix--Demonstration Descriptions

Status

This project is complete. We held a virtual state of the science meeting on June 15, 2021 to discuss the lessons learned from our past demonstrations. To find out more about the event, including accessing the slides and viewing the presentations, please see our contractor's website at: https://www.abtassociates.com/projects/exploring-lessons-from-ssa-disability-policy-demonstrations. The final report is available above.