The Relationship Between Timely Delivery of Vocational Rehabilitation Services and Subsequent Federal Disability Benefit Application and Receipt

The Relationship Between Timely Delivery of Vocational Rehabilitation Services and Subsequent Federal Disability Benefit Application and Receipt

Published: Jul 21, 2014
Publisher: IZA Journal of Labor Policy, vol. 3, no. 15, edited by Gina Livermore, David Neumark, and David Wittenburg
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Associated Project

Employment Policy and Measurement Rehabilitation Research and Training Center

Time frame: 2010-2015

Prepared for:

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research

Authors

Federal/state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies offer services to individuals with disabilities that may help them remain in the labor force and avoid entering Social Security Administration (SSA) disability programs. We assess how the availability of VR services within an agency at the time an individual applies to receive VR services is related to subsequent application and receipt of SSA disability benefits. We find that individuals have a higher likelihood of subsequently applying for and receiving disability benefits when they apply in months that the VR agency serves a lower percentage of applicants or has a longer average wait for services.

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