A. EXECUTIVE BRIEF *

B. CONCLUSIONS *

C. PURPOSES *

1. Summary Goals *

2. Need for different initial set of goals *

3. Situations that necessitated changes/modifications in goals *

D. CLIENTELE *

E. SPONSORSHIP AND COLLABORATION *

F. CONTEXTS *

G. PROJECT ACTIVITIES *

1. Planning and Development (timeline) *

2. Major Contributors *

(a.) Awareness Campaign *

(b.) Technical and advocacy assistance *

4. Program components *

5. Project Management *

6. Dissemination of products and Activities *

H. Project Evaluation Activities *

I. Service Delivery Accomplishments *

J. Model-building Accomplishments *

K. Appendices *

1.  
2. EXECUTIVE BRIEF

Project EMPLOY focused on helping transition-age students with disabilities, who have dropped out of school or were at risk of doing so, to make better work incentive and employment decisions. Project EMPLOY developed special decision support structures emphasizing effective use of Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits and work incentives for participants to gain jobs and increase net income, without losing health benefits. Project EMPLOY provided expert benefits consultation, facilitated the modification of transition and special education practices, and provided interactive Internet information services. Staff also bolstered the development and use of decision support software that had been initially developed under Project WINS, funded by SSA.

Project EMPLOY identified youth with disabilities who had dropped out or were at risk of dropping out of secondary school and assisted them in securing SSA benefits and Work Incentive (WI) eligibility and subsequent financial support. Project staff demonstrated the value of benefits coaching to enhance the use of SSA WI funds to improve the transition alternatives for this targeted group. Complex eligibility criteria and interconnected multi-agency policies and rules for government disability benefits create unpredictable and sometimes dangerous situations which are poorly understood by people with disabilities, their advocates, and the people charged to implement the programs. Understanding this and seeking to remedy the effects, Project EMPLOY brought benefits access and use to the people who could profit the most. Participating parents and youth gained greater hope about the availability of future employment supports as well as the control of providers of those supports. Project EMPLOY created new avenues for true empowerment of youth with disabilities and their families.

The Project elicited major changes in the way school and community members think about the benefits offered by SSA. New behaviors of school and community services personnel indicate an investment in making SSA WI’s a part of every student’s IEP and every graduate’s adult service plan.

The number of students identified and the large number of requests for training and other services exceeded what Project staff could adequately handle on-site. The mounting requests both locally and nationally, created the need to develop ESI’s website. The web proved to be the best mechanism to support project efforts at technical assistance and support at a distance. Subsequently, to accommodate the increased demand for information, Project EMPLOY staff agreed to collaborate with Virginia’s Transition Systems change grant, Project UNITE. Under this contract, ESI provided 6 regional training sessions around the state to increase the number of people able to help students with disabilities to take advantage of the benefits available through SSA.

ESI is pushing the frontiers of decision support technology. ESI is currently deeply involved with many national policy makers providing WorkWORLD analyses. We analyze the emerging congressional disability related proposals and post expert analysis of those proposals to our web site. Further, with the assistance of our evolutionary software, we are finding new robust policy alternatives never before considered by legislators. These new ideas go beyond the limited mental models of the past and apply sophisticated information systems decision support to find crucial social policies that work.

3. CONCLUSIONS

Project EMPLOY changed the way people view disability benefits and their related work incentives. Using information gleaned from providing services to Project participants, the ESI team developed decision support software that will prove invaluable as systems begin to change to meet the needs of people with disabilities.

The success of the project was based on the staff’s ability to outreach to students, teachers, families and community agency personnel who are unaware of SSI benefits and gain approved Work Incentive plans to ensure that expenditures result in vocational outcomes for students. Although the number of approved plans has been low, the impact to each individual has been substantial. It is also substantial to the community when supports can be purchased when there are other alternatives. On the other hand, we found that students are dealing with an even more convoluted bureaucracy than some adults. Many students and their families may be on food stamps, Section 8 housing and/or TANF (formally AFDC) which all have an effect on whether or not it is beneficial for them to work. Decades of confusion about government disability eligibility, policy, and rules demonstrate the need for decision support technology. Making a good decision in today’s disability policy environment requires sophisticated computer based benefits analysis. Thus ESI developed two decision support software programs, CareerCALC and WorkWORLD. The development and use these programs enhance a person’s ability to look at the big picture with realistic results instead of perceived outcomes.

Project staff determined that the need for intensive education of participants in the early stages was critical. Each developmental process that a person must go through to ultimately gain the value of SSI benefits and Work Incentive funds takes time. A number of students referred to the project suffered severe emotional disturbance and other learning disabilities. All initially were denied benefits by SSA. The eligibility problem stems from many possibilities. The first is that they are truly ineligible. Others include the subjectivity of the definition of disability used by DDS to evaluate children. (Two eventually were approved for benefits). Another problem occurred with the forms that are sent by SSA to education personnel. The teachers’ reports often account for one class behavior instead of a collection of overall performance and behaviors. This would skew the possibility of a child receiving benefits or not.

Early on in the project it became evident that relationship marketing (building and nurturing) among participants was critical to program success. Though in many instances there was strong project support from school-building administrators, cultivating teacher support was one of the most important and time-consuming components of the project. Project staff quickly gleaned that negative preconceived stereotypes and misnomers about disability-benefit recipients were prevalent. There was great apprehension by many teachers to share SSA information with their students. This stemmed 2 major factors: 1) fear of benefit abuse based on past experience but more often than not based on hearsay; and 2) belief that students would not attempt work if they received SSA benefits. Project staff were faced with having to not only educate teachers about SSA WI’s and their ability to propel students into employment, but they had to first dispel the myths and fears held by teachers that created roadblocks to information sharing. Additionally, project staff had to continually reassure teachers that by making their students aware of SSA benefits did not require them, the teachers, to increase their workload.

Developing relationships with SSA Claims Representatives (Reps) and Disability Determination Services (DDS) staff was also important. It was through these relationships that Project EMPLOY staff were able to stay abreast of the latest changes to policy and procedures as well as facilitate an easier, swifter flow of information between SSA, DDS and the applicant

SSA rules and guidelines can be staggering to even an experienced advocate. Often during training it was evident that teachers were feeling overwhelmed by the information exchanged and bulked at this "new" concept. It was important to identify those teachers who were enthused and seemed to grasp the idea that their students could benefit from using SSA WI’s. These were the teachers to court to get a foothold into their departments and thus establish a liaison between other teachers.

Joining transition teams and committees also promoted these relationships and gave Project staff an opportunity to demonstrate to a broader group how students could benefit from accessing SSA WI’s. It was important to become familiar with the guidelines and culture of each school in order to determine which team or committee best suited Project staff and participants. It became apparent that while all schools are mandated to provide individualized planning for students, some use template-type planning that involves no input or support from anyone other than the teacher. The plan is written up by the appointed deadline and filed. In such a school, it was extremely difficult if not impossible to get teachers to advocate for SSA WI’s and project efforts were thwarted.

Developing a trusting relationship with parents was just as important if not more so than establishing good teacher relations. Many parents have an inherent mistrust of government programs. They see them as being intrusive in their need to know so much about family income and other personal information. Many parents experienced long delays and a lot of work having their child’s claim approved. They therefore are reluctant to do anything they feel will jeopardize those benefits. Some have encouraged their children not to participate in work programs offered through the schools for fear of losing their benefits. Convincing parents that SSA WI’s were real and beneficial to their students was not an easy task.

Garnering parental support depended largely on the Project staff’s interpersonal skills and ability to put parents at ease when discussing their financial situation. The use of CareerCALC also facilitated parental trust. Being able to show parents what effect work would have on their household income by inputting their actual data was very powerful. Using CareerCALC parents could see how the SSI check would increase or decrease as certain factors changed. This was very new and exciting to parents; many of who believed that any monthly earnings over $65 would result in a loss of benefits.

4. PURPOSES

1. Summary Goals

Goal 1: identification of students who had dropped out or were at risk of dropping out of high school and providing them with benefits coaching to facilitate their use of SSA benefits and related work incentives to enhance their successful transition from secondary school to? An objective of this goal was the formation of a Youth with Disabilities SSA WI Benefit Resource Team (YBRT). This team would work directly with eligible youth, families, and special and vocational education teachers, curriculum specialists, guidance counselors, transition coordinators and school administrators to increase youth acquisition and use of SSA WI benefits.

Changes/Modifications to Goal 1

After meeting with school personnel who explained the existence of sufficiently diverse transition or special education teams, we soon determined that the formation of a YBRT was unnecessary. Benefits Consultants (referred to as Options Consultants in original proposal) joined these existing teams. (See sample meeting agendas in Appendix A)

By the end of the second year, the number of students identified and the number of requests for training and other services exceeded what Project staff could adequately handle. To expand capabilities to enable Project staff to meet the needs of members of the four demonstration areas as well as to honor more requests statewide and nationally, we entered into a collaborative agreement with Project UNITE, the Virginia Transition systems change grant. ESI agreed to contract with Project UNITE to provide 6 regional training sessions around the state to increase the numbers of people able to help students with disabilities, at risk or who have dropped out to take advantage of the benefits available through the Social Security Administration.

Goal 2: development of products and services to improve attitudes about SSA WI benefits. Demonstrate school and non-school based application, which motivate participants to use WI Benefits to achieve improved vocational outcomes in and out of schools.

Changes/Modifications to Goal 2

We renamed our Multimedia Specialist to Information Systems Specialist to represent the changes we made in the way information was developed for improved distribution.

Recognizing how valuable using ESI’s web page would be in creating a learning environment for people on a national level, Project staff decided to utilize the Internet as it would be the more cost-effective way of providing the needed information to the target participants. Many parents, students and school personnel have adequate equipment or have access to equipment to gain access to our web page. In cases where someone was unable to access our web page, information was disseminated via phone, fax, e-mail or postal mail upon request.

Goal 3: provide benefits coaching to students, teachers and others by demonstrating how SSA WI benefits can be accessed and used.

Changes/Modifications to Goal 3

The WI specialists who were part of Project FICS (Families In Control of the System) were not available for Project EMPLOY due to the termination of Project FICS for lack of funds. Most FICS WI specialists were CBESO personnel who are still assisting students pursue vocational outcomes before and after graduation. Contact was made with these participants who told project staff of their need for refresher training on WI use.

Goal 4: identify targeted youth in demonstration areas and disseminate Project EMPLOY information and its outcomes nationwide.

Changes/Modifications to Goal 4

There were no changes or modifications to this goal or related objectives.

Goal 5: Coach teams to better assess youth needs in relation to special education, vocational education and work; to better provide for intern opportunities with business and industry; to better assist youth with occupational career choices; and to better assist youth with selection of career-facilitating vocational education programs and supports.

Changes/Modifications to Goal 5

Project staff had difficulty in appropriately assessing student needs because they are so individualized. We therefore initiated the design of what we call Technologically Enhanced Person Centered Planning (TEPCP). In our collaboration with the SSA, we have been working on computer software that simulates the effects of policy on individual cases. We have been taking two tracks in this research. First we are testing alternate policy strategies to see what improvements might be made in the future (draft paper on this available upon request) and second we are improving our ability to use the simulation software to analyze and propose best case use of benefits for individual persons situations. Further, we are then exploring the "best possible" mix of government benefits to maximize the quality of life of the student. For example, we might determine that certain wage levels if exceeded would result in significant net income loss. We apply this test to all of the possible scenarios where the student might be accessing food stamps, section 8 housing, and or AFDC support. Each benefit is effected by income; our WorkWORLD software allows us to better plan for individual students. Technology Enhanced PCP goes beyond the use of ESI’s WorkWORLD software. We also see a role for the computer in helping to enhance the tracking of information, the projecting of PCP plans for teams using presentation and graphics software and for keeping people informed of individuals progress using voice mail, e-mail, beepers, fax, and other forms of communication. ESI submitted a proposal to the RSA to help develop these concepts and also create an excellent overlap for our activities within Project EMPLOY. Regardless of whether we get the RSA funding, we will be trying to provide technology enhancements to our person centered planning and implementation activities.

Goal 6: Package and disseminate project information and products to guide youth and others in facilitating occupational choices through increased understanding of SSA WI provisions, adult service systems and disability law.

Changes/Modifications to Goal 6

To facilitate increased demand for information; Project staff disseminated Project EMPLOY content and data on ESI’s website. Project assisted in the development and maintenance of the page with primary emphasis on monitoring the requests for products and services related to Project EMPLOY goals and objectives.

Goal 7: Assess youth needs in relation to effectiveness of project efforts to increase availability of SSA WI benefits and their utilities to youth and their families

Changes/Modifications to Goal 7

There were no changes or modifications to this goal or related objectives.

2. Need for different initial set of goals

The original goals were appropriate given what we knew to be true. Once the project started and barriers were identified, changes became necessary.

3. Situations that necessitated changes/modifications in goals

Situation 1. The school systems operate on a different time scheme than the adult service system. At the beginning of the project, the schools were involved with writing IEP's and ITP's and resisted having to make any changes without full understanding of the impact on the student and the school.

Strategy to overcome Situation: Rearrange project timeline to fit better with school schedule. For example, we now know that the fall of the year is the most productive time to begin referrals and career planning. We did more staff training at the end of summer as the teachers and staff returned from the break.

Situation 2. The teachers resisted additional paperwork at any time of year and found the eligibility criteria somewhat confusing.

Strategy to overcome Situation: Our first attempt to get teacher referrals was minimal due to the complexity of the SSA eligibility criteria. Instead, we gave teachers a broad outline encompassing the disabilities qualifying for support. We trusted their expert opinions that have to date been very reliable.

Situation 3. Each school system, in the three demonstration areas, has a completely different organizational structure. Personnel, policy and procedures differed greatly regarding handling transition cases. At the initial meeting in each area, it was like beginning at ground zero and customizing the project to that particular school's needs. Project EMPLOY intends to create systems change in the schools to make teachers, students, and families more aware of the benefits available to them.

Strategy to overcome Situation: Over time, inroads were made through the use of organizational charts, discussions with school personnel and outside study of the system. It is a process that must be carried out in order to establish a long-lasting working relationship. If we had tried to impose one school's system on another, we would have lost trust and gained skeptics.

Situation 4. Deciding who were the key people for the presentation of WINS materials. It was a learning process in understanding who did what and reported to whom. We wanted top level commitment and have available direct service personnel to assist in implementation.

Strategy to overcome Situation: Initially, we concluded that the senior administrator would be necessary to get a commitment from lower-level administrators in the organization. After an initial meeting, a list of key personnel was developed for further contact, planning, and training.

Situation 5. The individualization of each case has taken time to set up a process through which to move students and keep a high level of quality needed for a plan to be successful.

Strategy to overcome Situation: This Situation continues to have a learning curve. The initial cases needed to be checked and rechecked for accuracy. The SSA policy is very complex, especially when it involves children and parents. After age 18, the situation becomes somewhat simpler. We have dealt with a variety of cases that we can now use to educate others who may encounter similar problems.

5. CLIENTELE

Project EMPLOY served youth with disabilities that had dropped out of school or were at risk of dropping. The majority of participants were from urban Virginia.

 

6. SPONSORSHIP AND COLLABORATION

Project EMPLOY ran concurrently with Project WINS, funded in part by SSA and the Dole Foundation. Project staff developed collaborative relationships within the SSA, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), local school districts, the Association for Persons in Supported Employment (APSE), community-based employment support organizations (CBESO), and the VCU Business Council, to improve transition opportunities for youth with disabilities. Further, ESI established a Virginia-wide network of volunteers who helped youth with disabilities and others learn about SSA benefits and other work-life transition resources.

Barbara McGhee, SSA Public Affairs Specialist, has aided project staff in providing training sessions and technical assistance specific to SSA policy and procedures.

Local school contacts include:

Pat Brown-Glover, Transition Coordinator, Richmond City Public Schools

Beverly Braxton, Principal, John Marshall High School, Richmond City Public Schools

Dianne Brown, Special Education Specialist, Hanover County High Schools

Mary Jane Richardson, Transition Coordinator, Chesterfield County High Schools

Local SSA office contacts include:

Beth McKinnon, District Manager, Richmond Downtown

Ralph Charlton, Branch Manager, Franklin Farms

Edward Ford, Branch Manager, Richmond East

Richard Jackson, Branch Manager, Chesterfield

Statewide SSA and Disability Determination Services contacts include:

Bruce Hundly, SSA, Culpeper, Virginia

Ray Ellen, DDS, Northern Virginia

Dave Melton, SSA, Winchester, Virginia

Barbara Johnson, DDS, Northern Virginia

Ron Gorden, SSA, Roanoke, Virginia

Rich McConchi, DDS, Roanoke, Virginia

Barbara Blackman, SSA, Bristol, Virginia

State Department of Education

Sharon deFur, Coordinator, Project UNITE

As a result of Project EMPLOY success, ESI applied and received funding through Project UNITE to continue training school staff throughout Virginia. This proposal outlined the development of a curriculum for six on-site one-day training sessions to increase teacher, service provider, and others knowledge of SSA disability programs, their eligibility requirements, and their work incentives. (See Appendix B for Project UNITE proposal).

The Employment Support Institute (ESI) has continued to gain increasing recognition as an important partner in devising and disseminating information about disability employment policies at the national level. WorkWORLD has become widely known for its usefulness in showing the financial effects of policy alternatives, effects both on individuals with disabilities and on taxpayers. Project staff were invited to demonstrate the power of the software to staff of the Social Security Administration (SSA), the General Accounting Office (GAO), and the House Ways and Means Committee as well as to the Speaker of the House and his staff. They also demonstrated the software at national and state conferences and meetings of disability organizations, including a national coalition of disability education and advocate organizations.

Perhaps more important, however, is the fact that staff facilitated the use of the software by two national disability organizations as they devised their policy recommendations to the 105th Congress. WorkWORLD helped the Association for Persons in Supported Employment (APSE) and the National Council on Disability (NCD) reach consensus on policy recommendations about which there was considerable disagreement at the outset. In fact NCD ( which is an independent federal agency appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate) was so impressed by the utility of the software that staff were invited accompany them to the 14 hearings held throughout the country. This provided the opportunity to present to hearing participants our WorkWORLD analyses of the NCD proposals.

In collaboration with the Program on Employment and Disability, School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, the VCU Rehabilitation Research and Training Center for Supported Employment, and a number of disability advocacy organizations, we have formed the National Management Alliance (NMA). The NMA applied for a multimillion-dollar grant to provide management and training for a Social Security Administration demonstration project. ESI’s share will be approximately $300,000 per year for the 3-year project. Though our proposal survived the first cut, revisions and negotiations were unsuccessful. Attached is the first page of the Project Management Plan.

Project staff submitted two versions of "The Decision Support Project" to the US Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) under different priorities. Both were three-year projects, one for $417,814 and one for $657,971, neither was funded.

A third version of "The Decision Support Project" was submitted to the Dr. Scholl Foundation. This one-year renewable project has a budget of 221,184. Unfortunately, it never came to fruition. (See Appendix C for abstracts for each proposal).

F. CONTEXTS

Prior to Project EMPLOY, ESI implemented Project FICS (Families in Control of the System funded by the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities to stimulate use of SSA WI’s in the adult community. While engaged in that project, ESI staff developed expertise, training materials and software for computing WI funds availability. Further, staff fostered collaborative relationships within the SSA, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and the Association for Persons in Supported Employment (APSE). Lasting relationships were also built between ESI and community-based employment support organizations (CBESOs), the VCU Business Council, and a Virginia-wide network of volunteers (established by ESI) who helped others learn about SSA benefits and other work-life transition resources.

Project Diversity allowed ESI staff to develop relationships with many Virginia employers such as the Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia Power, the Virginia Department of Corrections, and the Virginia Department of Economic Development. Many more employers subscribed to ESI’s newsletter, managing Disability & Diversity.

Staffing needs were identified immediately and appropriate staff was hired. Once staff was in place, contacts were made at schools within each demonstration area. Teacher/staff training was developed, scheduled and implemented according to timeline. (See Appendix D for Project Timeline).

Procedures were instituted to identify target students. Contacts were made throughout the demonstration areas including schools, churches, parenting programs, and other alternative education facilities. A media campaign including a public service announcement and newspaper ad was also initiated.

Direct service options to participants was established and began on schedule as referrals were received. A follow-along timeline was created to facilitate how Benefits Consultants responded to the needs of identified students (see Appendix E).

Project EMPLOY was grounded in a team-based transdisciplinary approach that ensured proper and efficient administration of the project activities. The success or failure of one member’s attempts was considered a success or failure for the team. No member could have made major contributions without the behind the scene efforts of others. It is in this vein that Project EMPLOY staff contributions are discussed.

David Ruth, Bob Carlson and Chris Pellegrino spearheaded the development of CareerCALC software. Pellegrino also focused on marketing the software via advertisements in professional journals and by including a CareerCALC demonstration as a component of some training sessions.

CareerCALC capabilities and limitations led to the development of WorkWORLD. Ruth, Carlson and Mark Hill collaborated on this endeavor to produce software never before utilized to examine the impact of proposed policy changes on the lives of people with disabilities.

Chris Pellegrino, Jane Barr and Simone Worden Jones defined the role of the Benefits Consultant, the backbone of Project EMPLOY direct service. These staff set the standard for advocacy support in relation to SSA WI. They not only had to know and understand the rules and regulations but also had to interpret them when counseling students and parents. As Benefits Consultants, these 3 were required to develop and implement training and presentations for students, parents, school personnel and community service providers. In addition they had to counsel students and parents on financial issues, assist participants in completing SSA application forms and writing PASS plans or other WI’s and accompany them to a SSA office when applying for benefits or submitting WI plans.

Barbara McGhee, SSA Public Affairs Specialist, provided invaluable support to the Project. Her commitment to keep Project staff up-to-date on changes in relevant SSA guidelines, publications, etc. never faltered. She was always available as a consultant when staff encountered questions they were unable to answer or when they needed clarification on regulations and procedure or if asked to speak to a group. This relationship was a key reason for program outcomes.

School personnel including Pat Brown-Glover, Transition Coordinator, Richmond Public Schools, Beverly Braxton, Principal John Marshall High School, Richmond Public Schools, Dianne Brown, Transition Specialist, Hanover County Public Schools, and Mary Jane Richardson, Transition Coordinator, Chesterfield County Public Schools were strong supporters of Project EMPLOY. It was through their efforts that Project staff were able to conduct teacher training, make classroom presentations, hold office hours at school and make inroads in having the IEP form include SSA WI’s.

3.  
4. (a.)Awareness Campaign

To elicit awareness and program participation, Project staff elected to disseminate information about Project EMPLOY and SSA Work Incentive funds to students, their families, teachers, advocates, and professionals in several ways.

Literature distribution

Flyers were created and distributed through Special Education classes at area high school. Three flyers were developed each specifically targeting either the student, teacher or parent (See Appendix F). Student received flyers during their regularly scheduled class periods as well as during classroom presentations and one-on-one meetings. Teachers handed out flyers to parents during conferences and IEP meetings. Periodic redistribution of Project EMPLOY information to teachers and other school continued to generate larger numbers of referrals from teachers and an increased number of requests for more information from parents.

SSA Publications. Project staff arranged to periodically received large quantities of SSA pamphlets to distribute to interested participants. SSA also made available manuals and software that effectively motivated folk to become involved with Project EMPLOY. A list of some of these materials includes:

ESI’s Understanding Social Security Benefits

ESI’s Understanding the PASS Work Incentive

ESI’s CareerCALC Software and Manual

SSA’s Understanding SSI

SSA’s The Red Book on Work Incentives

SSA’s Social Security/SSI Benefits for Children with Disabilities

SSA’s A Guide to SSI for Groups and Organizations

SSA’s Working While Disabled

MHLP’s SSI: New Opportunities for Children with Disabilities

 

A brochure on ESI’s Transition Initiative was developed and disseminated to schools, Parent Resource Centers (PRC) and other agencies throughout the demonstration area (see Appendix G).

Parent Resource Centers in each demonstration area proved to be a good source for information disbursement. Parents of targeted students utilize these as a means of obtaining information and assistance. Project EMPLOY staff provided flyers, pamphlets, etc. and PRC staff agreed to distribute.

Presentations, meetings and training

Project EMPLOY staff made presentations to Special Education classes, provided inservice training to classroom teachers, guidance counselors and community agency personnel.

Throughout the grant period, meetings and training workshops on SSI eligibility, WI funds acquisition techniques, and teacher strategies geared at increasing the use of SSI benefits and WI funds were conducted in coordination with school personnel, SSA representatives and community service organization employees. Sample materials from training and presentations are in Appendix H.

A concerted effort was made by Project staff to provide Special Education teachers and school guidance coordinators and counselors information about Project EMPLOY. In some school systems, guidance counselors are an integral part of the IEP process and were valuable resources not to be overlooked. As a result of project staff ‘s efforts to educate these professionals, greater interest in SSA benefits and WI funds was created within their school. Many counselors indicated that they now see a great potential for using SSI and WI funds as an alternative funding source for students with disabilities. Copies of letters distributed to Special Education teachers and Guidance Department staff are in Appendix I.

Following presentations at teacher in-service training, Special Education teachers requested numerous classroom presentations. These presentations led to access to a large numbers of students who began requesting information on Social Security disability programs. The information disseminated during these presentations is outlined in Appendix J.

In a collaborative agreement between ESI and Project UNITE, Virginia’s Transition Systems Change grant, Project EMPLOY staff developed and implemented a training package designed to be "participant centered". Generic overheads, handouts, and computer generated presentation materials that combined with individualized participant plans increased the functionality of the materials for each participant. The goal was to help the trainees adjust their plans to their specific school or agency ecosystem. Each teacher, counselor, case manager and job coach has a different set of objectives related to gaining SSA benefits for students. Training materials and training facilitation were redesigned to accommodate these differences. Training participants left the session with plans and materials specifically focusing on their likely occupational activity. (See Appendix K for curriculum developed and disseminated in conjunction with this contract).

Student Benefit Resource Centers

Project EMPLOY staff initiated the first Student Benefit Resource Center (SBRC), located at The Employment Support Institute in VCU's School of Business, during February 1994. Four branches of the SBRC were located in participating school districts for easy and direct contact of school personnel and as a meeting option for students and families. Frequently housed within a Parent Resource Center (PRC) or school guidance department, a SBRC provides information for students, their parents, teachers and advocates about Project EMPLOY initiatives including pamphlets related to SSA disability benefits and work incentives.

Project staff maintain office hours in the schools. This allowed them to be available not only students but to their parents and teachers as well. For some parents meeting with a Benefits Consultant in the school put them at ease; it also gave credibility to EMPLOY staff in their eyes.

Benefits Consultants made home visits to accommodate those parents who were either reluctant or unable to come to school. These were the most effective meetings in regard to making parents most comfortable while discussing their financial situation. Use of our CareerCALC software also provided a level of confidence and trust in what was being recommended, because parents could actually look at the screen, input their own data and see the results.

EMPLOY staff were also given the authority to request students from class to sit down and share SSA information one-on-one. the opportunity to ensure participants and their families that their personal questions would be addressed on an individualized basis. Once participants had their personal concerns met, most considered establishing Work Incentive plans.

National dissemination

Information concerning project goals and objectives was disseminated nationally through our newsletter and other professional media. ESI also received recognition for its work under Project EMPLOY in the local newspaper (see media items in Appendix L). EMPLOY staff have submitted a presentation abstract to various national conferences that offer tracks on Social Security and students in transition. (See Appendix M)

ESI staff members presented project outcomes to several national conferences (the presentation abstract is Appendix M) including:

1. Rehabilitation Research & Training Center’s National Symposium in Virginia; Transition track.

2. APSE’s National Conference in Colorado; Transition track.

To facilitate increased demand for information, Project staff began disseminating Project EMPLOY content and data on ESI’s Web Page. Project staff were instrumental in the development and maintenance of the page with primary emphasis on monitoring the requests for products and services related to Project EMPLOY goals and objectives.

(b.) Technical and advocacy assistance

Project EMPLOY staff provided one-on-one consultation with participants and their advocates (parents, teachers, community service providers) to discuss the feasibility of SSA eligibility (if they are not yet approved by SSA for benefits) and use of WI funds to fulfill stated objectives. In each case, ESI’s CareerCALC software was used to evaluate the student’s current WI funds eligibility and to project possible future alternatives. The results from the use of CareerCALC helped participants choose supports based on their individual needs and available community resources.

Project EMPLOY staff cultivated and maintained working relationships with staff in each of the Parent Resource Centers (PRC) in our demonstration areas. Project EMPLOY staff were contacted to speak at parent workshops, and participate in their "Parents Night Out" series and resource fairs. Appendix N contains thank you letters from training and presentation participants.

Community resource guides were collected and distributed to high schools for use by teachers, students and families. Project EMPLOY information was sent to all identified community resource guide publishers for inclusion in next issue. Guides include:

• Youth Services Resource Manual, prepared by the Office on Youth, Youth Services Division.

- Public Health Insurance & Service Programs for Virginia Residents with Disabilities, prepared by the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities

- Directory of Youth Services for Chesterfield County, prepared by Youth Services Citizens Board

- Community Services Directory Information and Referral Center, prepared by United Way Services

Benefit Consultants accompanied targeted students and/or their parents when submitting SSI applications, or WI paperwork and when requested went with participant to appointments which SSA had requested the participant attend (such as a DDS-scheduled doctors examination). It has been a common occurrence for Project staff to attend one of these sessions with the participant. Typically, after this initial supported experience, the participant and/or parent felt empowered to work directly with SSA staff.

EMPLOY staff attended IEP meetings to mentor teachers and administrators as to what questions and information is relevant for a parent and student to make a decision about SSA benefits.

Project staff tracked SSI applications and the number of Work Incentives created through EMPLOY services.

Project staff has successfully worked with school administrators to rewrite IEP and ITP plans to included provisions for exploring SSA benefits and in particular WI’s. When project staff arrived in the schools SSA was not even an agenda item to be discussed. In one demo, area Project staff was instrumental in having SSA referenced on the division-wide ITP form. (See Appendix O)

Information about project activities and outcomes has been disseminated in the demonstration communities and to local, state and federal agencies as well as interested consumers and consumer associations, their advocates, and concerned professionals in newsletters and media announcements (See Appendix P for copies of newsletters).

A pre-coaching/post-coaching test, while developed, was not used during teacher training sessions due to time limitations imposed by school officials. Instead end-of-workshop evaluations speak to what was accomplished during each workshop (See Appendix H for samples).

4. Program components

The activities of the Benefits Consultants were the main thrust of the Project. Staff had to develop and implement procedures for the identification of and direct service to potential participants. With guidance from Benefits Consultants, each district established identification processes for existing and potential students able to benefit from SSI benefits and the use of WI funds. Specific measures were instituted following Project EMPLOY intervention:

• Each school district began to ask parents and students to sign a form in the (IEP) Individualized Education Plan and or the (ITP) Individual Transition Plan that allows ESI to assist them in the SSI benefit acquisition and Work Incentive process.

• Teachers made direct referrals to ESI after receiving project materials concerning the details of eligibility criteria specific to children (See Appendix Q).

• Guidance offices, after receiving WINS and SSA eligibility information are made referrals.

• Parents began to self-refer as a result of press releases and articles to local papers, radio announcements and dissemination of project information at Parent Resource Centers.

Benefits consulting consisted of not only identifying participants, but also providing them with the support they need to navigate the SSA system to enhance transition from school to post-secondary education and/or employment. Benefits consultants met with prospective participants to determine their level of knowledge of SSA and thus determine how much and what type of assistance they would need. Participants were encouraged to identify goals for the future as well as list out how they could be achieved. Once this was determined a Benefits Consultant was available to perform a number of duties including but not limited to phoning SSA to set up an appointment and assisting parents, students and teachers with completing SSA application forms. The goal was to assist as asked, not take charge or take over the responsibility of completing the paperwork. This is where relationship building with parents and others, as discussed earlier became extremely important. Very personal information may be required on some SSA forms and such information was not forthcoming unless an established relationship existed. Teachers admitted feeling uncomfortable discussing this type of information with parents. Project EMPLOY Benefits Consultants filled this void. Additionally, the forms oftentimes overwhelmed parents and they therefore were eager to enlist staff to help. Similarly, because of the needs of students and/or their parents, Benefits Consultants were available to go with them to the SSA office at the time of application submission. This benefited not only the applicant, but also the SSA Claims Representatives (Reps) and Project staff as well who were able to establish sound working relationships which allowed better flow of information and support.

The Benefits Consultant’s job also meant the availability and willingness to make home visits. Many people were more comfortable addressing personal issues such as finances and their need for government subsidies in a less threatening environment such as their home. For others, transportation to the school or Project EMPLOY office was a problem. Home visits enhanced the rapport between family and Project staff and strengthened the trust factor, thus creating greater acceptance by the family of the possibilities for the students in regard to work and SSA benefits. Parents have many horror stories about what has happened to their benefits or those of a friend or family member. Hearing that there they have other options, namely that their child could work without initial loss of benefits, went against years of "knowing" they were trapped on the system. By visiting with someone in their home, Benefits Consultants were allowed to enter the

To facilitate program efforts, Project staff created several forms. These forms helped staff members determine a participant’s individual need and provided a mechanism to keep track of contacts made with and for participant. Forms include a Referral Form, Initial Screening Questionnaire, Initial Phone Contact Data Form, Authorization for Release of information, Consumer Data Sheet, Consumer Contact Monthly Report and Consumer-Specific Intervention Tasks Record Sheet (see Appendix R). A database was built using Paradox software to maintain data on program participants. (See Appendix S)

Project staff developed a PASS Teaching Unit designed to help teachers facilitate future’s planning with their students. The unit was disseminated to demonstration schools for teacher feedback. Unfortunately, little teacher response was provided, thus the unit was never fully perfected for use in the classroom. However, much of the information was posted on ESI’s website. (See Appendix X for a draft of PASS unit). Additionally, a Questions and Answers (Q&A) booklet was developed and disseminated. This booklet was designed to provide parents and other advocates with basic information regarding SSA benefits and Work Incentives. There was also information on parents’ rights and responsibilities in relation to their child’s education. Based on the strong feedback received, revisions were made and the Q & A also became a part of the website (see Appendix T).

Project staff also collaborated on the development of CareerCALC and WorkWORLD software programs. For counseling purposes, Benefits Consultants used CareerCALC to help recipients of SSI plan the use of SSI Work Incentives and calculate the effect of earnings on their benefits. With Project staff facilitation, WorkWORLD demonstrated to policy makers and their constituents to develop and compare the consequences of alternative Work Incentive policies. WorkWORLD shows what happens to the net income of individuals receiving various combinations of SSI, SSDI, food Stamps, Section 8 housing subsidies and AFDC when they go to work and increase their earnings. WorkWORLD also shows the "subsidy savings" to taxpayers under different policies.

5. Project Management

Project staff worked as a collaborative team as well as autonomously. Benefits consultants divided schools in the demonstration areas between them and began activities respectively. They reported their efforts directly to the Project Coordinator who in turn reported to the Project Director. Weekly meetings were held between Benefits Consultants and Project Coordinator to address issues that were hindering and/or supporting Project goals. Full staff meetings were held monthly or as needed. Benefits Consultants also kept logs to document interaction with participants. (See Appendix U). (See Appendix V for staff organizational chart).

6. Dissemination of products and Activities

Advertisements promoting CareerCALC software were purchased in national journals and publications. Cornell University acquired a large number of CareerCALC reprogrammed specifically for New York, to be used in various statewide training on SSA benefits and work incentives.

Information about Project EMPLOY activities and outcomes was posted on ESI's website. The site averaged over 4,000 hits a month with more than 2,000 visitors accessing multiple pages and sections. In addition, we maintain an email list of 290 individuals ranging from House and Senate staffers, to high-ranking staff of GAO, SSA, and NCD, to advocacy organizations and individuals with disabilities. All of them have asked to be notified when we add materials to our site. (The URL is: http://www.vcu.edu/busweb/esi).

H. Project Evaluation Activities

Evaluation of this project focused on three areas:

First, the numbers of work incentives approved, the number of SSI applications resulting in benefits, the amount of funding for supports created through approved Work Incentives, and a listing of the types of resources gained can be found in I. Service Delivery Accomplishments below.

Another area of evaluation much harder to measure is the subjective behavioral and motivational outcomes generated by the project. Throughout this report we provide qualitative narrative about the more subjective outcomes of the grant. These outcomes include the following: Reduction of fear of the system, increased motivation to pursue work, increased hope that net income was possible with earnings, teacher and professional personnel behavioral and attitudinal improvements, reduced parent manipulation of children for fear of loss of benefits, new motivation to initiate the gaining of earnings. There are many such benefits of Project EMPLOY discussed throughout the final report and these qualitative narratives are based on the expert opinion of ESI staff.

Finally, and maybe most importantly are the results of our evaluation activities. Evaluation has less value if it is not part of a continuous improvement loop. As we continually evaluated our progress we found that there was need for new tools to attack the barriers preventing better use of Work Incentives. Our redirection of major resources to building better decision support tools like CareerCALC and WorkWORLD software and decision support systems in general, resulted from our Project EMPLOY evaluation assessments. By having benefits consultants close to the problems and by having others working on "system level" policies we found synergy in our efforts. We realized that it was important to redirect some of our resources to going upstream where complex and faulty work incentive policies existed.

Evaluating our difficulties at the consumer and school level drove us to better understand the initiating federal policies and to examine why there was still resistance to use of Work Incentives. As a result of our continuous improvement loop and ongoing project evaluations we began to see the need for two paths of improvement. The following Paths resulted from what we learned evaluating Project EMPLOY. We have also, subsequent to the end of Project EMPLOY funding, linked with the SSA to continue the work on these two paths. The Paths are:

Path 1 pays attention to helping policy makers improve existing disability benefit and work incentive rules to achieve incentive compatibility for higher earnings.

Current policies in every state create earnings "cliffs" that manipulate people into choosing lower earnings, in effect, they are coerced to do this to protect their net income and health care benefits. ESI’s Path 1 activities focus on "WorkWORLD-Policy Improvement" (WW-PI) software, which allows policy makers to view what happens to people under current policy and alternative, proposed policies. Decisions are refined, consensus is promoted, and new paths are based on new knowledge made possible by leveraging computer capabilities.

Path 2 accepts what is and focuses on helping people with disabilities to achieve higher net incomes through earnings under current system rules. ESI is now building WorkWORLD-Personal (WW-P) under contract from the Social Security Administration (SSA). WW-P is designed to assist the user to explore options and to make knowledge based decisions concerning earnings, interacting agency rules, work incentives, benefits, and net income.

Although much of the evaluation work done through Project EMPLOY was informal and qualitative, the decisions about redirecting energy to Decision Support Systems have been right on the mark. In fact, SSA while collaborating with the Office of Special Education has agreed to provide funding support to ESI to provide a Decision Support System for the four Transition Work Incentive Centers. ESI has redesigned WorkWORLD software to meet the center’s specific needs. Test versions of the soft ware will be released to the Centers in September of 1998. The SSA/DOE/ESI collaboration will continue for some time to come.

I. Service Delivery Accomplishments

Project EMPLOY staff responded to 297 inquiries by students, families, teachers and services providers. From this total, the following statistics are relevant:

43 applications for SSI were submitted; at program’s end:

12 applications resulted in SSI being awarded;

8 applications were still pending;

5 applications were denied and are being appealed.

11 applications were denied and are not being appealed

7 applications are in unknown status due to lack of contact with applicant/parent

WI opportunities achieved to date are:

6 Plans to Achieve Self Support (PASS); (see Appendix W for sample of approved PASSES)

2 under age 18.

2 Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE);

1 Blind Work Expense (BWE).

The total number of dollars secured through WI funds to date for use in acquiring employment services and supports amounts to over $60,000.00.

Types of supports include:

1. Paying for secretarial schooling outside the public school system. The private school had a better match for the student in terms of curriculum and tutoring.

2. Paying outside Community Services Boards for job development services to gain work after school.

3. Saving funds to purchase an accessible van and to pay a driver when looking for work and attending college classes.

10. Model-building Accomplishments

Project staff have had difficulty in appropriately assessing student needs because they are so individualized; thus the initiation of our Technology Enhanced Person Centered Planning (TEPCP) design. In our collaboration with various staff at the SSA we have been working on computer software that simulates the effects of policy on individual cases. We have been taking two tracks in this research first we are testing alternate policy strategies to see what improvements might be made in the future and second we are improving our ability to use the simulation software to analyze and propose best case use of benefits for individual persons situations. Further we are then exploring the "best possible" mix of government benefits to maximize the quality of life of the student. For example we might determine that certain wage levels if exceeded would result in significant net income loss. We apply this test to all possible scenarios where the student might be accessing food stamps, and/or section 8 housing. Each benefit is effected by income, our WorkWORLD software allows us to better plan for individual students. TEPCP goes beyond the use of ESI’s WorkWORLD software. We also see a role for the computer in helping to enhance the tracking of information, the projecting of PCP plans for teams using presentation and graphics software and for keeping people informed of an individual’s progress using voice mail, e-mail, fax, and other forms of communication. ESI submitted a proposal to the RSA which would have helped develop these concepts and this would have created an excellent overlap for our activities within Project WINS. Unfortunately, that proposal was not funded. However, in spite of this and because we feel so strongly about it, we are committed to try to provide technology enhancements to our person centered planning and implementation activities

A. Sample Team Meeting Agendas and Minutes

B. Project UNITE Proposal

C. Grant Proposal Abstracts

D. Project Timeline

E. Follow-along Timeline

F. Program Flyers

G. Transition brochure

H. Training and Presentations: Agendas, Evaluations, Pre/Post Tests

I. Letters to Guidance Counselors and Special Education teachers

J. Outline/Content for Classroom Presentations

K. Curriculum developed under Project UNITE contract

L. Media Items

M. Abstract submitted to National Conferences

N. Training and Presentation Thank You Notes

O. Revised ITP form

P. Sample Newsletter

Q Eligibility Criteria

R. Project EMPLOY Forms

S. Database listing of participants

T. Q & A booklet and web postings

U. Benefits Consultant Logs

V. Project EMPLOY Organizational Chart

W. Sample PASSes

X. Draft PASS Curriculum

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