Occupational Information System Project

In September 2010, we formally established the Office of Vocational Resources Development (OVRD). OVRD’s mission is to create an occupational information system (OIS) to replace our use of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) in our disability programs. 

Background – The Social Security Administration and the DOT

To determine eligibility for benefits, our disability program policy dictates that adjudicators follow a five–step, sequential evaluation process.  The first three steps focus on whether claimants are working and the severity of their medical conditions.  We require information about work that exists nationally in order to make decisions at steps four and five of our process, where the majority of our claims are decided.  At step four, we decide whether claimants can perform their past work as they describe it or as workers generally perform it in the national economy.  At step five, we determine whether there are other types of work in the national economy a claimant can perform. Currently, our primary source for identifying work in the national economy for these step four and five decisions is the DOT and its companion volume, the Selected Characteristics of Occupations, authored by the Department of Labor (DOL).  DOL conducted a partial update of the DOT in 1991, and has no plans for future updates.  We conducted extensive research and identified no other existing occupational information resource that could replace the DOT as used in our disability programs.  The type of occupational information and classification system required for our disability adjudication process is unique because the purpose of our OIS differs from existing occupational systems.

Advisory Panel Established

In August of 2008, OPDR assembled a project team to develop the OIS. In December 2008, we established the Occupational Information Development Advisory Panel (OIDAP), in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, to draw upon independent, expert advice and guidance as we develop the OIS.

Stakeholder Involvement in OIS Development

In addition to obtaining guidance from OIDAP members, we get input from a wide spectrum of external stakeholders, professionals, and members of the public regarding disability evaluation and the use of occupational information.  We also work closely with an agency workgroup composed of internal experts who represent stakeholder offices to ensure that we align the project with the agency’s programs and operations.  Our ultimate goal is to design a technically and legally sound OIS, suited specifically for the Social Security disability program.

FY 2012 and 2013 Activities

• OIDAP will hold quarterly meetings in FY 2012 and FY 2013;
• We will continue to collaborate and partner with the Department of Labor and other Federal Agencies during the research and development phases of the project;
• Finalize our occupational and medical-vocational study of adult disability claims to determine the occupations most frequently held by disability claimants and their medical and vocational profiles;
• Continue development of the agency’s OIS Standards for Usability
• Continue development of the work taxonomy needed for instrument development and testing;
• Continue identification of key OIS design elements;
• Develop the Occupational Title Taxonomy;
• Continue work on a process for recruiting, training, and certifying job analysts to perform data collection;
• Develop and pre-test the prototype work analysis instruments, which will involve job analysis and data collection for occupations identified from an agency-conducted occupational and medical-vocational study of adult disability claims; 
• Develop the prototype OIS Sampling Plan;
• Develop and test prototype data collection methods and data management system;
• Develop the Prototype OIS Data Analysis Plan;
• Develop a study design for a job analysis pilot to test sampling and data collection methods; and
• Conduct a prototype pilot of OIS data collection and job analysis processes.

For more information regarding OVRD and the development of the OIS, please send an email with your request to ovrd.ois@ssa.gov.