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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION (SSA)
STATE PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE (SPI)
CALIFORNIA’S INDIVIDUAL SELF-
SUFFICIENCY PLANNING (ISSP) PROJECT
CALIFORNIA ISSP PROJECT
California awarded $3.5 million, five year research and demonstration project to assist individuals with severe psychiatric disabilities go to work and lessen or eliminate SSA benefits
One of eighteen State Partnership Initiative Grants nationwide
CALIFORNIA ISSP PROJECT
Statewide multi-constituency group provided oversight, developed program design
Kern County On Track Employment Services, San Mateo County Vocational Rehabilitation Services project sites
Allen, Shea and Associates Program Evaluator Department of Rehabilitation managed grant,
provided vocational rehabilitation services through Mental Health Cooperative Programs
“Scariest thing about going to work is the fear of
losing my healthcare.”
ISSP Participant
HYPOTHESIS
The employment supports of benefits planning
and service coordination before, during andafter existing vocational rehabilitation andmental health treatment programs will: Increase employment earnings Increase employment success rate Decrease public mental health costs Decrease SSA benefits
CORE SERVICES Grant Funded
Benefits counseling, planning and management
Ongoing service coordination and employment support
Existing Services Available Vocational counseling, training and education Employment preparation, job development
and placement Mental health treatment
THE BENEFITS PLANNER/SERVICE COORDINATOR TEAM Provide benefits and budget education,
planning and management assistance Counsel impact of work on household income Assist with service and benefits acquisition Assist with employment and career counseling Collaborate with community service providers,
to include SSA field office Mitigate overpayment and eligibility problems Provide consultation/training to colleagues
“Being able to come back time after time to hear the
same information about work incentives helped me a lot to take some of the fear out of
working.”
ISSP Participant
SSA WAIVERS SSA approved California in May 2001 to pilot 4SSI waivers for project participants. These included: $4 earnings to $1 cash benefit reduction,
instead of 2 to 1 Ability to save up to $8k in an Individual
Development Account per year, instead of $2k Count unearned income as earned income for
the 4 to 1 reduction Suspension of Continuing Disability Reviews
during waiver participation
THE INDIVIDUALSELF-SUFFICIENCY PLAN Participants:
Commit to obtaining and maintaining employment
Choose services and benefits needed
Develop employment support system
PARTICIPANT PROFILE All have a severe psychiatric disability
40% Psychosis 56% Mood Disorder 4% Other
All receive Social Security benefits 40% SSI 32% SSDI 28% Both
PARTICIPANTS SERVED Maintained active caseload of 150
participants
50 per two person team
Served from 1999 through 2004
286 served during project
INCREASED EMPLOYMENT EARNINGS
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
$900
$1,000
$1,100
ISSP (N=88)
Comp. Group(N=388)
Average Covered UI Earnings Per Person Per Quarter
$895
$1,046
$496 $585
$634
$339
At Intake
1 yr. Post Intake
2 yrs. Post Intake
Rate of DOR Successfully Employed Case
Closures
ISSPParticipants
(N=55)
ComparisonGroup
(N=1,717)
INCREASED EMPLOYMENT SUCCESS RATE
72%
39%
DECREASED PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH COSTS
ISSP Participants (N=209) (1 yr Before vs 3.7 yrs after)
Comparison Group (N=591) (1yr. Before vs 1 yr after DOR Closure)
% Decrease of Medi-Cal Costs Per Person Per Year
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
In-Patient
Out-Patient
Total0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
In-Patient
Out-Patient
Total
21%
12%13% 13%16%
2%
DECREASED SSA BENEFITS As of June 2004: 92 participants working (43 at start of
project) 17 off cash benefits; 9 more if no waiver 64 reduced cash benefits 11 increased SSDI amount by more than
20% 58 participants not working
Benefit amount increased 12% due to COLAs during project period
“Having the support and
assistance of the ISSP team
has been very important in
getting and keeping a job.”
ISSP Participant
LESSONS LEARNED -1
On going benefits counseling/servicecoordination is a powerful service Providing employment services and
supports to individuals with severe psychiatric disabilities significantly increase earnings and savings in public benefits
Long term employment support facilitates permanent results
LESSONS LEARNED – 2The complexity of SSA rules significantlyimpact SSA costs • Resolving benefit payment crises and
proactive planning builds trust that SSA supports work
• Close, positive relationship with SSA field offices result in overpayment reduction and saves substantial SSA administrative cost
RECOMMENDATION - 1
Fund Benefits Planning/ServiceCoordination as an employmentsupport before, during and after
transitional employmentservices.
RECOMMENDATION - 2
Department of Rehabilitation and
County Mental Health worktogether to provide
employment services and mentalhealth supports.
“The ISSP program gave all of us that
were involved one of the biggest reasons to get better. The
biggest reason was believing in myself again. It gave me a dream for the future. The
program was the best thing Social Security ever had to offer
people on SSI.”
ISSP Participant
CALIFORNIA ISSP PROJECT Points of Contact:1. Grant Manager: Warren Hayes (916) 263-8986
whayes@dor.ca.gov 2. Project Site Managers:
Kern County Dennis Farrell (661) 868-8367dfarrell@co.kern.ca.us
San Mateo County Robert Manchia (650) 802-6491
rmanchia@co.sanmateo.ca.us 3. Project Evaluator: John Shea (707) 258-1326
allenshea@sbcglobal.net
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