Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Highlights
- The study's objective was to examine the impact of the Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD) project on public benefits receipt, employment, and earnings outcomes. This profile focuses on the study conducted in Montgomery County, Maryland. The authors investigated similar research questions for other sites, the profiles of which can be found here:
- The study was a randomized controlled trial that assigned eligible youth to the treatment or control group. The primary data sources were a baseline survey and administrative data sets from governmental agencies. The author used a series of statistical tests to compare differences in outcomes between treatment and control group members.
- The study did not find any significant differences in employment rate, annual earnings, or public benefits receipt outcomes between the groups.
- This study receives a moderate evidence rating. This means we would be somewhat confident that any estimated effects would be attributable to the Youth Transition Demonstration project, but other factors might also have contributed. However, the study did not find statistically significant effects.
Intervention Examined
The Youth Transition Demonstration
Features of the Intervention
The Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD) aimed to help youth with disabilities manage their transitions to adulthood and identify interventions to improve educational and vocational outcomes for youths receiving or potentially qualifying for Social Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) benefits. The Social Security Administration (SSA) implemented the YTD at several sites in the United States.
Montgomery County Career Transition Program (CTP) in Maryland operated one YTD program. The program served youth between the ages of 16 and 22, who were in their last 2 years of high school or had left high school the last 12 months, who were potentially eligible for SSI and DI services, and who lived in Montgomery County, Maryland. The Montgomery County CTP YTD program provided individualized employment services such as providing an interview with a transition specialist to identify career goals, service needs, interim goals, and vocational assessments. Youth also received benefits counseling, case management services, health, and social service referrals, and family support services. Staff also helped to connect youth with community resources to assist in job placements. Youth were eligible for the full set of services for 18 months and were eligible to receive 2 years of follow-up services.
Features of the Study
The study was a randomized controlled trial. Between April 2008 and December 2010, 798 youth were recruited for the study. Of the eligible youth, 416 were randomly assigned to the treatment group and 382 were randomly assigned to the control group. The treatment group received the full Montgomery County CTP YTD program for the duration of 18 months with 2 years of follow-up services post-program. Additionally, treatment group youth who received SSI or DI benefits were eligible for certain waivers allowing them to keep more of their earnings without affecting their SSI payments. Youth in the control group were subject to standard SSA earnings rules and received standard employment services that would normally be available to youth in the CTP in Maryland. Study participants were predominantly male (67%), age 18 or older (54%), with a primary disability of other disabilities (76%). The primary data sources were a baseline survey on the background characteristics of youth, SSA Master Earnings File for W-2 derived earnings, Supplemental Security Record and Master Beneficiary Record for program participation histories for SSI and DI recipients, and the Numerical Identification System file for dates of death. The author used a series of statistical tests to compare differences in outcomes between treatment and control group members.
Findings
Public Benefits Receipt
- The study did not find any significant differences in SSI or DI program participation between the treatment and control groups 24 months after random assignment.
- The study found that neither treatment nor control group youth earnings exceeded the substantial gainful activity (SGA) limit that would result in a reduction of benefit receipt.
- The study did not find any significant differences in average SSA program payments between the treatment and control group 24 months after random assignment.
Employment
- The study found no significant difference in employment rate between youth in the treatment group and the control group 24 months after random assignment.
Earnings and Wages
- When comparing annual earnings among all participants, the study did not find any significant differences in the dollar amount earned by youth in the treatment group when compared to the control group.
- When comparing annual earnings among only participants with earnings, the study did not find any significant differences in the dollar amount earned by youth in the treatment group when compared to the control group.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
Although the study was a randomized controlled trial, it had high attrition. However, the author ensured that the groups being compared were similar before the intervention, thus the study is eligible for a moderate rating. Additionally, the study reports a less stringent statistical significance level for some findings, considering p-values of less than 0.10 to be significant, though it is standard practice to consider statistical significance if the p-value is less than 0.05. Only results that demonstrate a p-value of less than 0.05 are considered statistically significant in this profile.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is moderate, because it was a randomized controlled trial with high attrition, but the authors ensured that the groups being compared were similar before the intervention. This means we would be somewhat confident that any estimated effects would be attributable to the Youth Transition Demonstration project, but other factors might also have contributed. However, the study did not find statistically significant effects.