Developing Occupational Information for SSA Disability Programs

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Developing Occupational Informationfor SSA
Disability Programs

• Sylvia Karman
• Social Security Administration
• International Association for Rehabilitation
  Professionals
• Forensic Conference
• October 31, 2008
• Fort Lauderdale, FL

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Overview

• The Two-pronged solution to the DOT problem
• Short-Term Project
• Goals
• Status
• Long-Term Project
• Goals
• Phases
• Status

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Two-Pronged Approach

• Short-term project will evaluate and select
  updated DOT-based occupational information
• Long-term project will develop national
  occupational information tailored to SSAs needs

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Short TermProject Goals

• Provide SSA with updated DOT-based information
  while SSA pursues long-term solutions
• Do not change SSA policies, forms, or processes
  for short term
• Provide information that may be useful to
  long-term project

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Short-Term Project

• Two Requests for Information (RFIs) released
  March 2008
• Updated DOT-based information
• Independent Evaluation (IE) of DOT-based
  information
• RFPs for Updated DOT-based information and IE
  published June 2008

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Short Term Project Status

• Contracts awarded August 2008 to
• Independent Evaluator ICF International
• Occupational Information CPSSI, Inc.
• Evaluation expected to run 9 months
• Criteria Updates DOT-like data elements
• DOLs Revised Handbook of Analyzing Jobs
• Reflects occupations nationally
• Plans If appropriate, SSA to use updated
  DOT-like data by December 2009

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Long Term Project Goals

• Develop an integrated national occupational
  information system tailored for SSAs disability
  programs
• Update SSAs disability policies, forms, and
  processes in light of new occupational data
• Establish an ongoing process to keep the
  occupational information current

NOTE Project assumes no changes to Social
Security Act
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What Do We Mean by Integrated?

• Integrate
• Most viable methods to collect and classify
  occupational data
• Any relevant DOT data elements into new
  methodology
• New occupational information into SSAs
  disability policy and process/systems
• Future data updates and policy development

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Long Term Project Phases

• Outreach
• Research and Development
• (Including data collection)
• Policy Development
• Disability Process and Systems Integration
• Ongoing Maintenance and Support

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Outreach and RD

• What type of information do we really want? What
  would be most critical for SSA disability
  evaluation?
• How do we go about getting it?
• Build on work done earlier
• Talk to the experts and groups with an interest
  in outcome

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Research Development FACA

• Establish Advisory Panel under the Federal
  Advisory Committee Act
• Experts in these areas
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Occupational Analysis
• Physical and Occupational Therapy
• Disability Insurance
• Disability Claimant Representation
• Physiatrist/Psychology/Psychiatry/

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Research and DevelopmentDetermining What We Need

• SSA Workgroup Convened
• Identify which physical and mental job demands
  are most relevant to disability evaluation
• Study effects of using these new demands in
  residual functional assessment
• Use study results to develop instruments
  metrics for job demands, including other data SSA
  needs

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Research and DevelopmentDetermining How to Get
It

• Develop data collection and sampling plans
• Collect and validate occupational information

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Policy Development

• Study effects of introducing nonexertional work
  demands (e.g. mental, postural, manipulative)
  into med-voc rules
• Study effects of vocational factors (age,
  education, work skills) on disability claims
• Develop test policy options
• Draft publish revised regulations, rulings,
  policy guidance, etc.
• Develop conduct training

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Disability Process and Systems Integration

• Develop a free-standing occupational
  information system, and
• Develop an occupational information system as
  part of SSA disability process systems.

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Ongoing Maintenance and Support

• Develop occupational methods and processes to
  keep occupational information current
• Keep Ongoing Maintenance in mind during RD!