Research Article

Article Details

Citation:  Martin, F.H.; Honeycutt, T.C.; & Hemmeter, J. (2020). Six-year earnings and disability benefit outcomes of youth vocational rehabilitation applicants. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 52 (1), 75-88.
Title:  Six-year earnings and disability benefit outcomes of youth vocational rehabilitation applicants
Authors:  Martin, F.H.; Honeycutt, T.C.; & Hemmeter, J.
Year:  2020
Journal/Publication:  Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation
Publisher:  IOS Press
DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3233/JVR-191061
Full text:  https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-vocational-rehabil...    |   PDF   
Peer-reviewed?  Yes
NIDILRR-funded?  Yes

Structured abstract:

Background:  Limited information exists about the long-term outcomes of youth who applied and were eligible for vocational rehabilitation (VR) services.
Purpose:  We document the earnings in the sixth calendar year after youths’ VR applications and Social Security Administration (SSA) benefit outcomes during the six years after their VR applications.
Data collection and analysis:  We use descriptive and multivariate analyses to track outcomes for a cohort of 570,146 youth ages 14 to 24 (including those in and out of school) who applied for VR services from 2004 to 2007 using administrative data from the Rehabilitation Services Administration and SSA.
Findings:  We find strong correlations between youths’ human capital characteristics and their eventual long-term outcomes. Youth who were working or in postsecondary school when they applied for VR services and those who exited from VR with employment had higher earnings and better SSA program outcomes. Youth who did not have a high school diploma and were neither working nor in school at the time they applied for VR services had poorer outcomes.
Conclusions:  New federal policies will provide many VR agencies with opportunities to increase their investment in youth, but some types of youth are more at risk of experiencing poor outcomes than others.

Disabilities served:  Autism / ASD
Blindness
Cerebral palsy
Chronic mental illness
Cognitive / intellectual impairment
Deafness
Depression
Developmental disabilities
Down syndrome
Hearing impairment
Learning disabilities
Multiple sclerosis
Muscular dystrophy
Spinal cord injury (SCI)
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Severe physical disability
Multiple disabilities
Populations served:  Transition-age youth (14 - 24)
Adjudicated adults and youth
Adolescents
Transition-age students (14 - 22)
Interventions:  Benefits counseling
Career counseling
Vocational rehabilitation
Transition services
Outcomes:  Employment acquisition
Full-time employment