Tremblay Timothy, Smith James, Xie Haiyi, Drake Robert E
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, State of Vermont, 103 South Main Street, Weeks Building 1A, Waterbury, Vermont 05671-2303, USA.
Psychiatr Serv. 2006 Jun;57(6):816-21. doi: 10.1176/ps.2006.57.6.816.
This study examined the impact of specialized benefits counseling services on levels of competitive employment for people with psychiatric disabilities receiving Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits in Vermont.
Beneficiaries who had a psychiatric disability and who received specialized benefits counseling (N = 364) were compared with matched contemporaneous and historical control participants over four years, two years before and two years after the initiation of the intervention. Study participants were consumers of vocational rehabilitation services, and the outcome measure was quarterly earnings from state unemployment insurance program records. Benefits counseling included general education regarding SSA disability programs, the various work incentives available under those programs, and other federal and state public benefits; individualized research and counseling regarding enrollees' current benefits packages; assistance in managing benefits through the transition to employment; and provision of information to supporting professionals.
Participants who received specialized benefits counseling achieved significantly greater improvements in earnings. The benefits counseling group increased its adjusted average earnings by 1,256 dollars per year in comparison with the two control groups.
Specialized benefits counseling appears to be an important employment support for Social Security Administration disability beneficiaries who have psychiatric disabilities.
本研究探讨了专门的福利咨询服务对佛蒙特州领取社会保障管理局（SSA）残疾福利的精神疾病患者竞争性就业水平的影响。
将患有精神疾病且接受专门福利咨询的受益人（N = 364）与同期和历史对照参与者进行匹配比较，为期四年，即干预开始前两年和开始后两年。研究参与者是职业康复服务的消费者，结果衡量指标是根据州失业保险计划记录得出的季度收入。福利咨询包括关于SSA残疾计划的一般教育、这些计划下可用的各种工作激励措施以及其他联邦和州公共福利；关于登记参与者当前福利套餐的个性化研究和咨询；在向就业过渡期间协助管理福利；以及向支持专业人员提供信息。
接受专门福利咨询的参与者在收入方面取得了显著更大的改善。与两个对照组相比，福利咨询组每年的调整后平均收入增加了1256美元。
专门的福利咨询似乎是对患有精神疾病的社会保障管理局残疾受益人的一项重要就业支持。
