Youth Transition

This chapter reviews the findings from Social Security Administration demonstrations and other related initiatives to inform options for improving the transition and adult outcomes of youth receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI). As a starting point, we provide an overview of the SSI program rules and characteristics of youth receiving SSI that might influence the youth’s and family’s choices. We then describe the factors that could affect the youth’s and family’s human capital development and employment decisions. Next, we summarize findings from evaluations of interventions designed to support youth receiving SSI and other related populations, and discuss how the findings offer lessons for program and policy implementation. We then identify areas for future learning where more evidence is needed to strengthen services and programmatic strategies. In the final section, we offer concluding thoughts about the key lessons learned from our review.