Demographic Covariates, Vocational Rehabilitation Services, and Employment Outcomes of Working-Age Adults with Anxiety Disorders: A Multivariate Logistic Regression Analysis

Demographic covariates and vocational rehabilitation services as predictors of employment outcomes of people with physical disabilities: a hierarchical logistic regression analysis

PURPOSE

Stable employment is essential for the health, psychosocial, and financial well-being of people with physical disabilities (PwPD). Unfortunately, the low employment rate for PwPD in the U.S. exposes them to adverse effects of unemployment, including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and physical pain. Helping PwPD find gainful employment will improve their general health and well-being. However, few empirical studies examine factors affecting the employment outcomes of PwPD. This study aims to examine the relationship between demographic covariates, vocational rehabilitation (VR) services, and employment outcomes of PwPD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This secondary data analysis study includes 17,598 PwPD from the U.S. Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration's Case Service Report (RSA-911) dataset. Our analysical approach was hierarchical logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

For VR services, workplace support, technology support, job placement assistance, and VR counseling significantly contribute to predicting employment outcomes for PwPD. Even after entering VR services, the demographic variables (age, race, education, referral sources, low-income, long-term unemployment, and disability significancy) were still significant predictors of employment.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this study can be used by state VR counselors and other disability service providers to plan and select effective employment-related interventions to improve the employment outcomes of PwPD.

Evaluation of Active Labor Market Policy Reform: Employment Outcomes of Vocational Rehabilitation Services

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of the Estonian active labor market reform in 2016, which introduced a new policy concerning vocational rehabilitation services. As a research question, we investigate how such services may have affected the employment outcomes of people with mental and/or physical impairments.

METHODS

Our sample includes 9244 people from 2016 to 2020, with a mean age of 46 years. Due to multiple entries to the services, we have more than 11,000 cases with over 100,000 monthly observations. We use propensity score matching in combination with fixed effects panel regressions to analyze how the completion of the scheduled rehabilitation plan affected monthly employment duration.

RESULTS

Our findings indicate that completing the rehabilitation service results on average in 2.6 months longer post-rehabilitation employment, compared to matched individuals who discontinued the service. This effect was larger when already employed and male participants entered the service, while weaker effects were observed in the case of individuals with only mental disabilities.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, we conclude that while completing the scheduled rehabilitation plan has a positive effect on employment outcomes, still maintaining employment status seems to remain a challenge, based on the relatively modest effect sizes. Thus, we question the economic arguments behind the reform.

The Impact of Work Incentives Benefits Counseling on Employment Outcomes: A National Vocational Rehabilitation Study

BACKGROUND

Millions of Americans receiving Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits aspire to work and reduce reliance on disability benefits, but find the rules about entering or rejoining the workforce too complex or confusing and fear that working will cause loss of important benefits.

PURPOSE

A case control study was conducted to investigate the impact of receiving work incentives benefits counseling (WIBC) on employment outcomes, and its relationship with demographic covariates for U.S. vocational rehabilitation (VR) clients who are SSA disability benefit recipients.

METHOD

Data for this study were extracted from the Rehabilitation Service Administration (RSA-911) database. Mahalanobis distance matching procedures were used to match clients who received WIBC with those who did not receive it. Chi-square independence tests and independent samples t tests were used to compare receipt of WIBC and employment outcomes based on the demographic variables. Additionally, chi squared automatic interaction detection (CHAID) analysis was used to divide VR clients into homogeneous groups based on the covariates.

RESULTS

Clients who received WIBC were more likely to obtain competitive integrated employment (CIE). Impairment type, referral source, long-term employment and education level were significantly associated with CIE for clients who received WIBC. Additionally, VR clients with sensory/communicative impairments and low-income status were less likely to receive WIBC.

CONCLUSION

Modifying VR structure to be more inclusive; understanding of stigma; and increasing the functioning, psychological well-being and self-efficacy of VR clients might improve employment outcomes.