Employment Now: Building a Foundation for Change

Employment Now: Building a Foundation for Change

AN UPDATE FROM THE 2005 SUMMIT

Employment Now -Nov. 3, 2006, sponsored by the MI-CEO grant (www.MI-CEO.org)

Employment Summit 2005

About 75 participants Disability community and state agency leaders Shared information on employment outcomes in MA for

individuals with disabilities (Snapshot Report) Heard from state agency leaders about their

accomplishments and challenges Discussed key issues


Discussion topics included:

What are and/or ought to be the shared values in employment?

What should be counted? What type of activities, services and supports

should be in place? How can we collaborate, break down the

silos?


Key Recommendations:

Establish common definitions and enhanced data tracking to measure employment of people with disabilities

– Establish common definitions

– Establish common outcome measures such as wages and hours

– Establish process measures - ex. number of plans that include employment

– Develop common methods for data collection


Progress to date:

EOHHS Task Force on Employment

• Chaired by Elmer Bartels and Claire Ghiloni• Includes all EOHHS agencies that have employment

services as well others• Interagency subcommittee has

– Developed a common definition for employment– Recommended a common set of outcome measures – Identified agency gaps in data collection and infrastructure– Subcommittee work has been integrated into Employment

Outcome reports that all EOHHS agency are now required to submit monthly



Establish shared values across state agencies – including commitment to work for everyone, self determination and peer-to-peer models

– Train state agency staff– Review and modify regulations and policies– Address employment needs across the lifespan– Review regulations and internal policies on ADA

compliance– Evaluate public employment of people with disabilities


Progress to date:

Training for state agency staff on public benefits with a pro-work message

Peer Employment Benefits Network pilot EOHHS Employment Task Force Sub-Committee on

Youth – Focusing on youth in state custody (over 50% have a disability) – Interface with other youth and transition related initiatives in the

state Requires further attention

– ADA compliance – Public sector employment


Key recommendations:

Establish the “Unified Comprehensive Career Center” approach that provides employment services that serve all people through collaboration with a variety of agencies including employers.

– Develop a “best practices” report– Develop Memorandums of Understanding between key

agencies– Develop a prototype– Provide employment services and support within 5 years


Progress to date:

EOHHS Task Force on Employment brings together all EOHHS agencies as well as others (ex.DWD)

Developing a common definition of employment is a critical first step to collaboration

Preliminary discussions underway to look at opportunities for cross agency procurement

Efforts underway to more collaboratively engage employers - interagency training

More discussion needed



Develop a series of activities to enhance employment outcomes for people with disabilities

– Employer incentives

– Interagency sharing of resources and flexible supports

– Self-employment

– Move people out of workshop into jobs

– Address employment needs of people receiving TANF who have disabilities


Key recommendations (cont’d):

– Promote a recovery based approach to employment for individuals with mental illness

– Training in high growth industries

– Remove CommonHealth cap and do not enact an asset test

– Establish an annual summit


Progress to date:

Services for Education and Employment (SEE) Technical Assistance Project

DMR Statewide Employment Initiative MassHealth Outreach campaign schedule for late 2006 Interagency planning meeting on self-employment New DTA initiatives to address employment needs of

TANF recipients with disabilities Changes in CommonHealth 2006 Summit


Acknowledgements

Employment Now 2006

Employment and Disability Summit 2005 are sponsored by the

Massachusetts Medicaid Infrastructure and Comprehensive Employment Opportunities Grant (MI-CEO)

The MI-CEO is a collaborative project of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the Center for Health Policy and Research at UMass Medical School, and the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston. This grant is

funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CFDA #93-768).

For more information visit: www.MI-CEO.org


Contact information:

Abbie Averbach Center for Health Policy & ResearchUniversity of Massachusetts Medical School(508) [email protected]

Cindy ThomasInstitute for Community InclusionUniversity of Massachusetts Boston(617) [email protected]

Documents

Employment Now: Building a Foundation for Change