SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION (SSA)

STATE PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE (SPI)

CALIFORNIA’S INDIVIDUAL SELF-

SUFFICIENCY PLANNING (ISSP) PROJECT

CALIFORNIA ISSP PROJECT

California awarded $3.5 million, five year research and demonstration project to assist individuals with severe psychiatric disabilities go to work and lessen or eliminate SSA benefits

One of eighteen State Partnership Initiative Grants nationwide

CALIFORNIA ISSP PROJECT

Statewide multi-constituency group provided oversight, developed program design

Kern County On Track Employment Services, San Mateo County Vocational Rehabilitation Services project sites

Allen, Shea and Associates Program Evaluator Department of Rehabilitation managed grant,

provided vocational rehabilitation services through Mental Health Cooperative Programs

“Scariest thing about going to work is the fear of

losing my healthcare.”

ISSP Participant

HYPOTHESIS

The employment supports of benefits planning

and service coordination before, during andafter existing vocational rehabilitation andmental health treatment programs will: Increase employment earnings Increase employment success rate Decrease public mental health costs Decrease SSA benefits

CORE SERVICES Grant Funded

Benefits counseling, planning and management

Ongoing service coordination and employment support

Existing Services Available Vocational counseling, training and education Employment preparation, job development

and placement Mental health treatment

THE BENEFITS PLANNER/SERVICE COORDINATOR TEAM Provide benefits and budget education,

planning and management assistance Counsel impact of work on household income Assist with service and benefits acquisition Assist with employment and career counseling Collaborate with community service providers,

to include SSA field office Mitigate overpayment and eligibility problems Provide consultation/training to colleagues

“Being able to come back time after time to hear the

same information about work incentives helped me a lot to take some of the fear out of

working.”

ISSP Participant

SSA WAIVERS SSA approved California in May 2001 to pilot 4SSI waivers for project participants. These included: $4 earnings to $1 cash benefit reduction,

instead of 2 to 1 Ability to save up to $8k in an Individual

Development Account per year, instead of $2k Count unearned income as earned income for

the 4 to 1 reduction Suspension of Continuing Disability Reviews

during waiver participation

THE INDIVIDUALSELF-SUFFICIENCY PLAN Participants:

Commit to obtaining and maintaining employment

Choose services and benefits needed

Develop employment support system

PARTICIPANT PROFILE All have a severe psychiatric disability

40% Psychosis 56% Mood Disorder 4% Other

All receive Social Security benefits 40% SSI 32% SSDI 28% Both

PARTICIPANTS SERVED Maintained active caseload of 150

participants

50 per two person team

Served from 1999 through 2004

286 served during project

INCREASED EMPLOYMENT EARNINGS

$300

$400

$500

$600

$700

$800

$900

$1,000

$1,100

ISSP (N=88)

Comp. Group(N=388)

Average Covered UI Earnings Per Person Per Quarter

$895

$1,046

$496 $585

$634

$339

At Intake

1 yr. Post Intake

2 yrs. Post Intake

Rate of DOR Successfully Employed Case

Closures

ISSPParticipants

(N=55)

ComparisonGroup

(N=1,717)

INCREASED EMPLOYMENT SUCCESS RATE

72%

39%

DECREASED PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH COSTS

ISSP Participants (N=209) (1 yr Before vs 3.7 yrs after)

Comparison Group (N=591) (1yr. Before vs 1 yr after DOR Closure)

% Decrease of Medi-Cal Costs Per Person Per Year

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

In-Patient

Out-Patient

Total0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

In-Patient

Out-Patient

Total

21%

12%13% 13%16%

2%

DECREASED SSA BENEFITS As of June 2004: 92 participants working (43 at start of

project) 17 off cash benefits; 9 more if no waiver 64 reduced cash benefits 11 increased SSDI amount by more than

20% 58 participants not working

Benefit amount increased 12% due to COLAs during project period

“Having the support and

assistance of the ISSP team

has been very important in

getting and keeping a job.”

ISSP Participant

LESSONS LEARNED -1

On going benefits counseling/servicecoordination is a powerful service Providing employment services and

supports to individuals with severe psychiatric disabilities significantly increase earnings and savings in public benefits

Long term employment support facilitates permanent results

LESSONS LEARNED – 2The complexity of SSA rules significantlyimpact SSA costs • Resolving benefit payment crises and

proactive planning builds trust that SSA supports work

• Close, positive relationship with SSA field offices result in overpayment reduction and saves substantial SSA administrative cost

RECOMMENDATION - 1

Fund Benefits Planning/ServiceCoordination as an employmentsupport before, during and after

transitional employmentservices.

RECOMMENDATION - 2

Department of Rehabilitation and

County Mental Health worktogether to provide

employment services and mentalhealth supports.

“The ISSP program gave all of us that

were involved one of the biggest reasons to get better. The

biggest reason was believing in myself again. It gave me a dream for the future. The

program was the best thing Social Security ever had to offer

people on SSI.”

ISSP Participant

CALIFORNIA ISSP PROJECT Points of Contact:1. Grant Manager: Warren Hayes (916) 263-8986

whayes@dor.ca.gov 2. Project Site Managers:

Kern County Dennis Farrell (661) 868-8367dfarrell@co.kern.ca.us

San Mateo County Robert Manchia (650) 802-6491

rmanchia@co.sanmateo.ca.us 3. Project Evaluator: John Shea (707) 258-1326

allenshea@sbcglobal.net