A special issue of the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation tells the story of the Substantial Gainful Activity Project (SGA Project), a demonstration supported by the Rehabilitation Service Administration to test the effectiveness of an intervention implemented at state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies in Kentucky and Minnesota. The intervention aimed to improve the earnings of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries above the amount the Social Security Administration considers to be substantial gainful activity.
Historically, after people enter the SSDI program, the likelihood is low that they will ever leave because of work and earnings. Still, many SSDI beneficiaries are interested in returning to work, and the number has grown over time. VR agencies play a key role in providing employment-related services for SSDI beneficiaries pursuing their employment goals, but it is not always clear which VR practices are effective. Demonstrations such as the SGA Project, which created a researcher–VR agency partnership, provide the rigorous testing necessary to show which promising practices effectively expand the tools VR agencies can use to help their clients.
Contributors from Mathematica, the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston, the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation, and Tree House Economics share their findings and insight about the experiences of the VR agencies and clients that participated in the SGA Project, along with companion articles that explore who applies for SSDI and VR and discuss the importance of research in developing VR innovations that effectively help people with disabilities become employed.
Read the articles:
Successful Vocational Rehabilitation Innovations: Building a Better Toolbox
Susan M. Foley and Gina Livermore
Phase I Development of the SGA Model: Use of Administrative Data and Expert Opinion to Identify Key Components of the SGA Model
Susan M. Foley, Kelly Haines, and Linda Mock
Phase II of the SGA Project: Development of the Coordinated Team Approach Intervention
Susan M. Foley, Kelly Haines, and Linda Mock
Launching and Supporting the SGA Project in Kentucky and Minnesota: Experiences and Perspectives of the Senior Technical Assistance Team
Joe Marrone, Russ Thelin, and Linda Mock
Implementation and Impacts of the Substantial Gainful Activity Project Demonstration in Kentucky
Frank Martin and Purvi Sevak
Implementation and Impacts of the Substantial Gainful Activity Project Demonstration in Minnesota
Matthew Kehn and Todd Honeycutt
“It Makes Me Feel Part of the Society”: Return-to-Work Decisions of SSDI Beneficiaries
Allison B. Taylor and Nerlie Blackburn
Preparing for the Future: Vocational Rehabilitation and Research Partnerships for Innovation
John Connelly and Stephen Wooderson
Who’s At Risk of Entering Social Security Disability Insurance? A Comparison of Application and Allowance Rates for Groups of At-Risk Individuals
Kara Contreary and Todd Honeycutt
Vocational Rehabilitation on the Road to Social Security Disability
David C. Stapleton and Frank Martin
Media contact:
Christal Stone Valenzano
Public Affairs Specialist
