Disability Projects

In addition to our demonstrations, we conduct other projects examining ways to change and improve the disability process and programs.

• Predictive Modeling
• TANF-SSI Disability Transition Project
• Organization of Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)
  Pathways to Transitions Project
• International Disability Policy Seminars Co-Hosted with Canada Pension Program (CPP)

Predictive Modeling

The Predictive Model (PM) is a computer-based screening tool used to identify potential electronic cases for the Quick Disability Determination (QDD) process.

The QDD process is aimed at paying individuals, filing for initial disability benefits:

• who have medical conditions that reflect a high probability of being disabled (under SSA disability guidelines); and
  
  
• where the evidence of their medical conditions/allegations are easily & quickly verifiable.

The QDD process was implemented in the six States in the Boston Region (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, & Vermont) effective August 2006. The QDD process is being implemented nationally between October 2007 and March 2008.

View the final rule in the Federal Register.


TANF-SSI Disability Transition Project
The objective of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) – Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Disability Transition Project (TSDTP) is to develop methods of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the Social Security Administration (SSA) and TANF agencies in managing the process of application for and transition to SSI by TANF applicants and recipients with disabilities.  The goals to be supported through this project are:
            1. Facilitate and encourage preparation for work by TANF applicants and recipients with disabilities;
            2. Reduce number of inappropriate referrals who apply for SSI;
            3. Speed access to SSI awards for persons eligible; and
            4. Reduce administrative costs for both Agencies.
 
The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and SSA’s Office of Program Development and Research are collaborating on this project.  Initially SSA will measure the prevalence and outcomes of TANF applicants and recipients who have applied for SSI through data sharing agreements being developed with five States.  OFA is developing and piloting promising approaches to screening and encouraging work activities.  Additional information on OFA’s TSTDP project is available at www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/project/

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Organization of Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)
Pathways to Transitions Project

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is currently providing funds to help support OECD’s five-year study on Pathways to Transitions for People with Disability into Tertiary Education and Work.  The purpose of the Pathways project is to learn more about other developed countries’ special education programs and supports in order to identify best practices that facilitate successful outcomes for students with disabilities in transition from tertiary education and work.  

The five-year OECD Pathways project includes the preparation and analysis of participating country reports, a three-year longitudinal study, and case studies. In addition to the USA, the OECD countries that are participating in one or more phases of the Pathways project include: Norway, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Portugal, France, Estonia, and the Republic of Korea.

Information gained from this study will assist in preventing children with disabilities who are not currently on SSA’s rolls from eventually becoming beneficiaries once they reach adulthood, providing necessary supports, and identifying best practices to help transition youth with disabilities.

International Disability Policy Seminars Co-Hosted with Canada Pension Program (CPP)

Since 2004, SSA and CPP have sponsored three very productive international seminars that focus on common challenges faced by disability programs administered in the United States, Canada, and other developed countries.  A small group of government and non-government experts in the field of disability are invited to each seminar to discuss their national experiences and identify possible solutions to these challenges. The 2008 seminar took place in Montreal and was organized around 3 topics: 1) Employment for persons with disabilities in an era of labor shortages; 2) Effective supports for persons with mental illness; 3) Social enterprise and persons with disabilities.  The next seminar will be held in the U.S.A. in the spring of 2010.

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