Psychiatric Disabilities/Mental Illness

This report examines pilot programs in three states designed to expand access to SNAP for low-income elderly people and people with disabilities. The multiyear, multimode study, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service, found that all of the pilot projects had positive effects on SNAP applications and approvals among the target population; however, some effects were very small in a practical sense.

The U.S. recession of the late 2000s, which began in December 2007 and officially ended in June 2009, had profound effects on the economy. This data brief describes how the employment, work expectations, and economic well-being of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries changed following the Great Recession. Authors examined changes in beneficiary employment and household income over this period compared with nonbeneficiaries.

This guide for employers compiles key federal and federally-funded resources related to the employment of people with disabilities. The guide outlines best practices for recruitment, retention, promotion, and provision of accommodations for employees with disabilities. The guide also includes an explanation of the legal framework of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

This GAO report examines (1) the extent to which Medicaid enrollees have private insurance, and (2) the state and CMS initiatives to improve third-party liability (TPL). Given the findings in the report, GAO recommends that CMS routinely monitor and share information regarding key TPL efforts and challenges, as well as provide guidance on state oversight of TPL efforts conducted by Medicaid managed care plans.

This final report shares results from the 2014 pilot of the National Core Indicators-Aging and Disabilities (NCI-AD) Consumer Survey in Georgia, Minnesota, and Ohio. The results are sorted by state and funding source within the state. Since the goal of the pilot was not to compare these states, but instead to test and refine the NCI-AD Consumer Survey, the three states are not identified in the report; they are simply referred to as State 1, State 2, and State 3.

This GAO report examines 1) the extent to which states have Supplemental Security Income/Disability Insurance (SSI/DI) advocacy contracts with private organizations; 2) how SSI/DI advocacy practices compare across selected sites; and 3) the key controls the Social Security Administration has to ensure these organizations follow SSI/DI program rules and regulations. The GAO identified 16 states with some type of SSI/DI advocacy contract in 2014.

Better integration of physical and behavioral health is a critical component of improving outcomes and reducing costs for Medicaid beneficiaries, especially those with high levels of need. This report profiles four examples where the safety net community – health plans, community health centers, community mental health centers, and the centers’ primary care and behavioral health clinicians – have collaborated to develop programs to integrate care for this population.

This report describes the different strategies that four states are utilizing to improve the integration and coordination of care for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders. These strategies include introducing new managed care arrangements and care coordination mechanisms, enhanced payment to providers to deliver comprehensive services, and the full integration of physical and behavioral health services in managed care contracts.

This study aimed to describe and characterize the published literature on disparities between racial and ethnic groups among individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. The literature shows consistent and adverse disparities among blacks and Hispanics compared to non-Hispanic whites in the prevalence and incidence of Alzheimer's disease, mortality, participation in clinical trials, use of medications, use of LTSS, health care expenditures, quality of care, and caregiving.

Recent interest among policymakers in helping Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries return to work has increased the desire for knowledge about the employment activities of people with disabilities before they apply for benefits. This brief summarizes results from a working paper, conducted through the Social Security Administration's Disability Research Consortium, on the experiences of SSDI applicants before they apply for SSDI.