●

- Addressed

◐

- Partially Addressed

○

- Not Addressed

◉

- Consolidated or Other

℗

- Pending

⊘

- Closed-Partially Addressed

⊗

- Closed-Not Addressed

Year Identified: 2018

Area Number: 10

Area Type: Fragmentation, Overlap & Duplication

Action:

The Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) should work with the Department of Education to determine the extent to which youth on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are not receiving transition services through schools that can connect them to vocational rehabilitation agencies and services.

Progress:

SSA partially agreed with this recommendation, but after discussing it with the Department of Education, reported that significant challenges exist to pursuing certain implementation approaches. In December 2019, SSA reported that it continues to support research to identify the connection between youth on SSI and the receipt of VR services through its Retirement and Disability Research Consortia and its Analyzing Relationships Between Disability, Rehabilitation, and Work programs.

SSA also reported that until very recently, data on open VR cases were unavailable at the national level; thus, it has not been possible to actively monitor SSI and VR participation in a timely manner. However, SSA reported that the agency will explore the possibility of using newly available data on open VR cases as resources allow. Determining the extent to which SSI youth are receiving or have access to services may help youth on SSI achieve employment and, potentially, self-sufficiency.

Action:

The Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) should explore various options for increasing connections to vocational rehabilitation agencies and services, including their potential costs and benefits. One option, among others, could be to expand the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency program to include youth, who are currently excluded.

Progress:

SSA agreed with this recommendation and, in August 2018, SSA officials reported that they had taken several steps to explore and pursue options for increasing youths’ connections to vocational rehabilitation agencies and services. Specifically, officials previously reported that they published a request for information (RFI) in the Federal Register in January 2018 that asks, among other things, for strategies to connect youth receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) with vocational rehabilitation agencies and about options for programs like a Ticket to Work for youth. In July 2019, SSA reported receiving and analyzing almost 200 responses to its RFI and indicated that it plans to discuss its findings with federal partners and other stakeholders. SSA officials also previously reported that the agency reviewed the Social Security Act and that the law precludes SSA from directly or indirectly referring youth on SSI to vocational rehabilitation agencies. Therefore, as of December 2019, the agency reported that it has submitted legislative proposals in several presidential budgets, including its fiscal year 2021 budget justification, that would allow SSA to refer youth to vocational rehabilitation agencies.

SSA officials also reported that the agency has initiated demonstration projects to determine whether youth on SSI benefit from referrals to vocational rehabilitation agencies and commissioned reports related to services for youth. According to information provided in July 2019, one of SSA’s demonstration projects analyzes an experimental intervention to improve the outcomes of children receiving SSI by providing personalized information to families about the likelihood that a child will not continue on SSI as an adult, as well as resources to help these youth with the transition to employment. The resources offered will include: math tutoring, SAT/ACT test preparation, and help with applying for vocational rehabilitation services. In addition, according to information provided to GAO in July and December 2019, SSA's second demonstration project will involve testing direct referrals to VR in one state for 19 year olds who are or may become SSI or Social Security Disability Insurance beneficiaries, and involves data sharing between SSA and the state on individuals eligible to participate in the project. This project is scheduled to begin recruiting participants in January 2020, SSA also reported that it has commissioned two reports on youth services that will help it identify implementable polices related to youth.

Exploring the potential costs and benefits of employment support services for youth who receive or are at risk of being disability program beneficiaries as adults may help SSA develop programs to support the self-sufficiency of these youth. However, to date, SSA has not indicated that it has explored, or it may be too soon to explore, the costs and benefits of any of the options SSA has considered for increasing access to vocational rehabilitation agencies for youth on SSI.