Wages and Benefits

With federal funding, states have worked to make One-Stop services more accessible to people with disabilities through the Disability Program Navigator (DPN) initiative. This report assesses the extent to which working age recipients of Social Security disability benefits used these services and looks at employment outcomes and differences in utilization and outcomes over time as the initiative matured in the four states studied.

Looking for samples of MIG program evaluations? The state of Connecticut created the attached evaluation reports for their Connect-Ability Program. These samples contain program details and the needs, experiences, and satisfaction of individuals who received services. Also included are the procedures and outcomes of nine strategic plans implemented by Local Level Pilot programs. These reports could be helpful for states interesting in evaluating similar initiatives.

Older workers are a valuable resource for the workforce. SCSEP’s mission is to enhance employment opportunities for unemployed older Americans and promote them as a solution for businesses seeking trained, qualified, and reliable employees. They are committed to providing high-quality job training and employment assistance to participants, and have an extensive network of service providers. View their website and three related presentations delivered at the 2010 HCBS conference.

According to the results of this survey, the most significant factors that drive turnover among home care workers are wages, intrinsic rewards, age (older workers are less likely to leave their jobs), and education level (more years of education result in higher retention). The study involved a sample of 116 home care aides employed by three agencies.

Health reform will bring important improvements in health care coverage for people with spinal cord injuries and people with disabilities in general. This brief summarizes insurance market reforms, HCBS options, mandatory health plan coverage provisions, Medicaid, Medicare, prevention and wellness, workforce issues and more.

This updated resource, the first reflecting a ten year perspective, provides a state‐by‐state look at wages and wage trends for PHCAs, the fourth fastest‐growing occupation in the country, and a key job title within the direct‐care workforce. Prepared as a resource guide on wages for advocates and policymakers, the data underscore the problem of low wages for PHCAs, factors which contribute to workforce instability and near‐poverty incomes for this workforce.

Written for the APSE newsletter, this article details successes for individuals with disabilities in finding employment in rural Alaska. It states that, especially in rural communities, self employment, or creating your own job, makes the most sense. Options for people with disabilities are more advantageous in self employment, especially if they are receiving Social Security benefits.

How is Alabama providing its disabled population with important information on topics such as employment and health care? Attached are a brochure and newsletter with information on help available for individuals receiving benefits who want to work without losing their cash benefits and health care and the new health care laws' expected impact on people with disabilities.

Learn about how Medicaid Buy-In participants with severe mental illness compare to other program participants. Their characteristics, employment experiences, and medical expenditures are profiled in this issue brief. It is shown that these individuals have lower medical expenditures and better employment outcomes than participants with other disabling conditions, at least in the short to medium term. Research results, policy implications and next steps are discussed.

Review a brief that profiles Medicaid Buy-In participants with severe mental illness and compares their characteristics, employment experiences, and medical expenditures with those of other program participants. Findings show that Buy-In participants had lower medical expenditures, were more likely to be employed and to increase their earnings over time.