Rehabilitating Blind and Disabled Supplemental Security Income Recipients: Federal Role Needs Assessing

The Social Security Amendments of 1972 authorized the use of federal funds to pay for states' costs for vocational rehabilitation services for blind and disabled Supplemental Security Income recipients. Two agencies of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) manage the program. The Social Security Administration (SSA) is responsible for establishing policies on referring the blind and disabled to the states as well as evaluating program results. The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) is responsible for carrying out the program and providing technical assistance to state rehabilitation agencies. State agencies select persons to be served, decide the type and extent of services to be provided, and report to the two HEW agencies. A sample of 544 cases from 14 state agencies in 8 states, which SSA has recorded as successful rehabilitations, was reviewed.