Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Highlights
- The study’s objective was to examine the impact of Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) on employment and earnings.
- The study used randomized controlled trial to assign Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) service areas to the treatment or control group. Using data contained in the VRS' case file records, the authors conducted statistical models to compare the outcomes of treatment and control group members.
- The study did not find any statistically significant effects on employment or earnings.
- The study received a high causal evidence rating. This means we are confident that any estimated effects are attributable to SGA, and not to other factors. However, the study did not find any statistically significant effects.
Intervention Examined
Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)
Features of the Intervention
Through a grant from U.S. Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration, the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts-Boston and Mathematica Policy Research created the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) Project. The SGA Project was designed to test service enhancements that state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agencies provide to 18 to 64-year-old adults with nonblind disabilities receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. The aim of the service enhancements was to improve the employment outcomes of these beneficiaries. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development's Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) was selected to implement the SGA Project, which consisted of four primary components. First, clients received a faster pace of services and quicker engagement following submission of their application. Second, a designated financial specialist regularly met with clients to provide services related to financial and benefits planning. Third, an in-house job placement specialist provided clients with support in developing employment goals and plans as well as setting up interviews with employers. Fourth, the SGA Project used a coordinated team approach to case management.
Features of the Study
The study used a randomized controlled trial to randomly assign 16 of the 17 VRS service areas to the treatment or control conditions. One of the VRS services areas was excluded from the study because it served a specialized caseload. For the 16 VRS services areas included in the study, the study authors matched the VRS service areas into pairs based on geographic characteristics and population size. Then, the study authors randomly assigned one VRS office to implement the SGA Project and one office to provide the usual VRS services. All eligible individuals who applied for VRS during the one-year period from August 3, 2015, to August 3, 2016, were enrolled into the study. To be eligible, individuals also had to have a nonblind disability and receive SSDI but not Social Security Insurance (SSI) benefits at the time of application. The sample included 674 clients at VRS offices implementing the SGA Project enhanced services (treatment group) and 682 clients at VRS offices providing business-as-usual services (control group).
Participants in the treatment group received a faster pace of services and rapid engagement upon submitting their application. Once determined eligible for services, these participants received financial and benefits planning services and job placement assistance from dedicated, specialized staff. They also received case management through a coordinated team approach. Participants in the control group received business-as-usual services. The authors examined the effects of the program using VRS' administrative data to conduct a series of statistical models and compare the outcomes of the treatment group to the control group. The models controlled for pre-intervention outcomes and client characteristics such as race, age, education level, and employment status.
Findings
Employment.
- The study found that the SGA Project had no statistically significant impacts on competitive employment.
Earnings
- The study found that the SGA Project had no statistically significant impacts on SGA-level earnings.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The study’s analysis relied on data covering a period ranging from 8 to 20 months from when study participants had applied for VRS services. The authors note that 41 percent of the participants had cases that were still open at the point in time when the administrative data was accessed. The authors suggest that as cases close there could be statistically significant differences in the rates of cases closed with competitive employment and SGA-level earnings.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is high because it is based on a well-implemented randomized controlled trial. This means we would be confident that any estimated effects would be attributable to SGA and not to other factors. However, the study did not find statistically significant effects.