Supported Employment Demonstration (SED) Project

The SED will offer these same services to individuals with mental illness for whom SSA denied Social Security disability benefits. SSA seeks to determine whether offering this evidence-based package of integrated vocational and mental health services to denied disability applicants fosters employment that leads to self-sufficiency; improved mental health and quality of life; and reduced demand for disability benefits. This study will test the two treatment conditions against each other and against the control group on multiple outcomes of policy interest to SSA. The key outcomes of interest include: (1) employment; (2) earnings; (3) income; (4) mental status; (5) quality of life; (6) health services utilization; and (7) SSA disability benefit receipt and amount. SSA is also interested in the study take up rate (participation); knowing who enrolls (and who does not); and fidelity to evidence-based treatments; among other aspects of implementation. Data collection for the evaluation of the SED will consist of the following activities: baseline in-person participant interviews; quarterly participant telephone interviews; receipt of SSA administrative record data; and collection of site-level program data. Evaluation team members will also conduct site visits involving: (1) pre-visit environmental scans to understand the local context in which we embed SED services; (2) independent fidelity assessments in conjunction with those carried out by state Mental Health or Vocational Rehabilitation staff; (3) key informant interviews with the IPS specialist, the nurse care coordinator, the case manager, and facility director; (4) focus groups with participants in the Full Service and Basic-Service Treatment groups; and (5) ethnographic data collection consisting of observations in the natural environment, and person centered interviews with participants and non-participants. The respondents are study participants and non-participants; family members; IPS specialists; nurse care coordinators; case managers; and facility directors.

The latest form for Supported Employment Demonstration (SED) Project expires 2023-10-31 and can be found here.

Competency and CIDI Screener

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Income Security - General Retirement and Disability