Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Highlights
- The study's objective was to examine the impact of access to workplace accommodations on public benefits receipt for individuals with psychiatric disabilities.
- The study used a nonexperimental design to compare the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) receipt of individuals who had access to workplace accommodations to those who did not. Using data from the Employment Intervention Demonstration Project (EIDP), the authors conducted statistical models to compare outcomes between the groups.
- The study found that access to workplace accommodations for individuals with psychiatric disabilities was significantly associated with less SSI receipt.
- This study receives a low evidence rating. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to access to workplace accommodations; other factors are likely to have contributed.
Features of the Study
The study was a nonexperimental design that used data collected from the Employment Intervention Demonstration Project (EIDP), a federally funded evaluation of supported employment programs. The EIDP collected information about access to workplace accommodations and receipt of public benefits from working-aged individuals with psychiatric disabilities. Between 1996 and 2000, data were collected every six months for 24 months via structured interviews. Workplace accommodations included modifications to duties, work environment, training process, equipment and time allowed to complete tasks; permanent changes to standard work schedule or length and frequency of breaks; time off for medical or psychiatric appointments; job sharing or trading; allowing a job coach or helping professional on or offsite; and transportation provided or reimbursed by the company.
The authors used data from the EIDP to create a treatment group (those with access to workplace accommodations) and a comparison group (those without access to workplace accommodations). The study included 987 EIDP participants who received SSI at baseline. The participants included working-aged individuals with psychiatric disabilities who, at intake, were receiving outpatient mental health services. The study sample was 45% female and 41% White, with an average age of 41 years old; 6% of participants were college graduates; and 63% were diagnosed with schizophrenia. The authors used a statistical model to compare SSI receipt between individuals with and without workplace accommodations.
Findings
Public benefits receipt
- The study found that access to workplace accommodations was significantly associated with lower SSI receipt (an SSI marginal monthly savings of $11.73).
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The authors noted that the groups differed at baseline in the number of hours worked per month and gross hourly wage; however, they did not control for these differences in their statistical model. These preexisting differences between the groups—and not access to workplace accommodations—could explain the observed differences in outcomes. Therefore, the study is not eligible for a moderate causal evidence rating, the highest rating available for nonexperimental designs.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is low because the authors did not include sufficient control variables in their statistical model. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to access to workplace accommodations; other factors are likely to have contributed.