Policy & Practice | April 2021

Core Service Components of the PROMISE Initiative Each PROMISE demonstration project was required to plan, implement, and evaluate a common set of core service components. These components were based on the federal partners’ review of available research, extensive public input, and consultation with subject matter experts. Components included Formal Agency-Level Partnerships; Case Management; Benefits Counseling and Financial Literacy Training; Career and Work-Based Learning Experiences; Parent Training and Information; Evaluation and Project Assessment Activities; and the PROMISE Technical Assistance (TA) Center. The Goal of Improving Outcomes The overarching goal of the PROMISE initiative was to improve the provi sion and coordination of services and supports for youth SSI recipients and their families to improve their education and employment outcomes. Examples included high school completion; college and career readiness; postsec ondary education and/or job training; and obtaining competitive, integrated employment. Improving these outcomes for SSI youth and families is a highly complex goal influenced substantively by the varied state policy and service delivery contexts within which the PROMISEModel Demonstration Projects were conducted. Each of the demonstra tion projects was characterized by high degrees of state and local control with significant variation across and within states in service delivery capacity. A specific lesson learned is that imple menting long-term change and systemic reform is not a time-limited process. The timeframe during which systems change takes place and actually results in large-scale impact for youth with dis abilities and their families, particularly as it relates to influencing regional and local areas within states, will surpass the five-year funding cycle of the dem onstration projects. Lessons Learned Partnerships The PROMISE initiative required that each demonstration project establish

To meet the SSI disability eligibility criteria, the youth must have a medi cally determinable physical or mental impairment that results in marked and severe functional limitations, and that can be expected to result in death or that has lasted, or can be expected to last, for a continuous period of not less than 12 months. Some of the most common disabilities among youth receiving SSI are: intellectual and developmental disabilities; mental illness; speech, hearing or visual disabilities; and other physical disabil ities, including mobility impairments. Under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-193) when a child reaches age 18 their SSI eligibility must be redetermined using adult eligibility criteria. Although the eligibility rules for adults are more stringent than those for young people, approximately two-thirds of child SSI recipients go on to receive SSI as adults. Prevailing Challenges for SSIYouth and Families There are numerous policy, service delivery, family, and individual factors that continue to challenge SSI youth. Several of the most significant ones include fragmented service systems, low expectations; lack of knowledge both by professionals and youth and families on a variety of topics, including work incentives; and incon sistent access to services and supports. SSITransition-Age Youth and Families Several federal laws have been enacted to offer income, health, education, employment, and other types of services and supports for transition-aged youth with disabilities. These laws include the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Social Security Act Title XVI (SSA), and theWorkforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA)—details of whichmay be found in our full report. These federal laws and policies are all part of a complex policy environment that must be navigated to access services, as appropriate and needed, to achieve adult life goals and improve the economic well-being of individuals on SSI. Federal Policies and Programs Supporting

experiences that promote a successful transition to employment and indepen dence as adults. The severity of their health conditions, family experience of poverty, and confusion about work related SSI rules and policies create challenges that can limit the opportu nities of these youth in transition. The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Administration (SSA) disability eli gibility criteria, the SSI program provides cash payments to low-income families that have a child with a severe disability. This means-tested cash payment is a vital source of income for families of youth under the age of 18. To qualify for SSI, children and their families must meet income, asset, and disability eligibility requirements. Program andYouth Under the Social Security

David R. Johnson, Ph.D., is a Birkmaier Professor of Educational Leadership in the

Department of Organizational

Leadership, Policy, and Development at the University

of Minnesota.

Kelly Nye Lengerman,

Ph.D., MSW, is the Director of the Institute on Disability/UCED at the University of New Hampshire.

KaiY. Gunty, Ph.D., is a family social science researcher.

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