ODEP - Office of Disability Employment Policy
Disability Employment Policy Resources by Topic
Health Care
Everyone depends on health care products and services to stay well and live, work, and participate in our communities, and research indeed suggests that there is a reciprocal relationship between employment and health. However, for many Americans with disabilities, access to adequate and affordable health care coverage and services are significant obstacles to independent living, employment, and full inclusion in society. Thus, ODEP actively seeks to integrate health care issues across its employment policy efforts.
The following provide more information about health care and its connection to disability employment and the work ODEP and its partners are undertaking in this area:
- ePolicyWorks Health Care — This collaborative online workspace allows national experts and key stakeholders to work together on strategies to effectively address employment, disability and health-care related issues.
Membership is open to Federal agency representatives and other policymakers from non-partisan, nonprofit organizations interested in the intersection between employment, disability and health care and increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities. - Employment and HIV/AIDS — DOL is one of six Federal agencies responsible for implementing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States. ODEP plays a key role in DOL's efforts to carry out the Strategy, focusing in particular on improving employment opportunities and outcomes and reducing stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS.
- National Working Positive Coalition (NWPC) Alliance
- Getting to Work: A Training Curriculum for HIV/AIDS Service Providers and Housing Providers — Developed collaboratively by ODEP and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) agency, Getting to Work is an interactive multi-media curriculum that seeks to assist HIV/AIDS service providers in understanding how employment can add value for individuals, families, and communities.
- The Role of Health Care in the Stay at Work/Return to Work (SAW/RTW) Process
- SAW/RTW Community of Practice — This CoP supports ODEP‘s goal of advancing policies and programs that promote
positive SAW/RTW outcomes by providing real-time feedback to policy work groups organized around specific topics; developing new SAW/RTW tools and resources for use by key stakeholders; and participating in the development and strategic dissemination of targeted SAW/RTW materials.
- Profile: Best Practices in Employee Retention and RTW — An In-Depth Look Inside an Exemplary American Corporation (2014)
- Fact Sheet: Supporting Employees Who Experience Unexpected Illness or Disability (2014)
- Youth Transitions Collaborative/The Center for Health Care Transition Improvement Alliance — In conjunction with its alliance partners, ODEP seeks to provide stakeholders with information, technical assistance, and access to resources to build the capacity of regional and national organizations to empower youth and young adults with disabilities to create a self-directed path to integrated employment and optimal health and well-being.
- Health Care Transition Quick Guide (2015)
- “Dear Colleague” Letter Introducing the Quick Guide (2015)
- Youth Transitions Collaborative/The Center for Health Care Transition Improvement Alliance Final Report (2016)
- Youth ACT Rhode Island Project — As participants in the national Youth Action Council on Transition (YouthACT), a team of youth-adult partners in Rhode Island works to bring the youth voice of their state into disability awareness and civil rights. One important piece of this goal is to ensure that youth with disabilities develop their understanding of healthcare transition, which the team promotes through planning and contributing to workshops at the annual Dare to Dream Leadership Conference. Their work also includes presentations and collaboration with students, teachers, nonprofits, transition academies, and the Rhode Island Department of Health.
- Webinar: The Rhode Island Youth ACT Team discusses the Health Care Transition Quick Guide (10/13/2015)
- Policy Brief: Health Transitions — A Pathway to Employment for Youth with Chronic Health Conditions and Other Disabilities (2013)
- Policy Brief: Transition's Missing Link — Health Care Transition (2012)
RI YouthACT Team Members Pauline Thompson, Kathy Kuiper, & Bethany Boucher
intended to provide stakeholders with information about relevant policy developments regarding Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and related topics with a focus on improving employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities.