Social security and mental illness: reducing disability with supported employment.
Social Security Administration disability programs are expensive, growing, and headed toward bankruptcy. People with psychiatric disabilities now constitute the largest and most rapidly expanding subgroup of program beneficiaries. Evidence-based supported employment is a well-defined, rigorously tested service model that helps people with psychiatric disabilities obtain and succeed in competitive employment. Providing evidence-based supported employment and mental health services to this population could reduce the growing rates of disability and enable those already disabled to contribute positively to the workforce and to their own welfare, at little or no cost (and, depending on assumptions, a possible savings) to the government.
Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. Robert.E.Drake@Dartmouth.edu
Robert E
RE
Drake
Jonathan S
JS
Skinner
Gary R
GR
Bond
Howard H
HH
Goldman
D004185:Disability Evaluation; D016832:Employment, Supported / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006291:Health Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational; D012943:Social Security / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014481:United States