Implementation and impacts of the Substantial Gainful Activity Project demonstration in Minnesota

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In 2015, the state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency in Minnesota was one of two agencies that implemented the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) Project demonstration, whose innovations were designed to improve employment outcomes of nonblind VR clients receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. OBJECTIVE: To present findings on the implementation experiences and the impacts the innovations had on service and employment outcomes. METHODS: The evaluation involved qualitative and quantitative methods from an office-level randomization design. Using interview and administrative data, we assessed implementation and impacts on service pacing, client engagement, and employment. RESULTS: Clients at treatment sites experienced shorter times for developing an individualized plan for employment and were less likely to drop out of services early, but the intervention had no impacts on employment or earnings. As a result of the intervention, agency leadership and staff changed their perceptions of the initial plan for employment, the value of site-based job placement staff, and Social Security Administration benefits knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: The SGA Project innovations generated positive impacts on key service delivery and client outcomes. Evaluation findings and staff experiences in implementing the innovations suggest a number of implications for other VR agencies interested in adopting features of the SGA Project innovations.