[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 194 (Tuesday, October 7, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57950-57953]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-25194]
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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Youth Transition Process
Demonstration (YTPD)
AGENCY: Social Security Administration.
ACTION: Notice of youth demonstration and SSI waivers.
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SUMMARY: The Commissioner of Social Security announces the following
demonstration project relating to the Supplemental Security Income
(SSI) program under title XVI of the Social Security Act. Under this
project, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will test the
effectiveness of altering certain SSI program rules as an incentive to
encourage SSI recipients with disabilities or blindness to work or
increase their work activity and earnings. This project, called the
Youth Transition Process Demonstration (YTPD), is being conducted under
the authority of section 1110 of the Act. SSA is conducting this
project in six states for the purpose of helping youth with
disabilities maximize their economic self-sufficiency as they
transition from school to work. The projects will work with youth aged
14-25 who receive SSI, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), or
Childhood Disability Benefits (CDB) and those at risk of receiving such
benefits, including those who have a progressive disability, who have a
prognosis for decreased functioning, or who have existing disabling
conditions prior to age 18 that would render them eligible except for
deemed parental income. SSA is publishing this notice in accordance
with 20 CFR 416.250(e).
DATES: The demonstration project will begin with cooperative agreement
awards on September 30, 2003. Subject to the availability of funds, the
demonstration project will end September 29, 2008.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Leola Brooks, Social Security
Administration, Office of Program Development and Research, 6401
Security Blvd, 3673 Annex, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401; Phone (410) 965-
2219 or through E-mail to [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
SSI is a federal program administered by SSA. The program is
financed from general federal revenue and provides monthly benefit
payments to aged, blind, and individuals with disabilities who have
limited resources and income. In 2003, the federal benefit rate for an
individual is $552 per month and $829 per month for a couple. In
addition, many states supplement the federal benefit. The supplementary
benefit amounts and the categories of persons eligible for these
benefits vary from state to state. In most states, eligibility for SSI
means eligibility for Medicaid; the extent of the Medicaid coverage
package varies by state. SSI recipients may also be eligible to receive
Food Stamps in all states but California and Wisconsin, where the
state's supplementary payments are considered to include the value of
Food Stamps.
To be eligible, a person must be age 65 or older, or have a severe
disability and have limited resources and income, and meet certain
other requirements. A person is considered to have a disability if a
physical or mental impairment or combination of impairments prevents
the person from doing any substantial gainful work and is expected to
last for at least 12 months or to result in death. Children, as well as
adults, may be eligible. SSA works cooperatively with the states, who
are responsible for making disability and blindness determinations
through their disability determination services (DDS). SSA takes a
detailed medical history from the applicant during the initial
interview and sends that information to the DDS. The DDS then secures
medical records and, if needed, arranges an additional medical
examination. Based upon this evidence, a disability or blindness
determination is made.
In addition to age, disability or blindness, an individual or
couple must meet resource, income, and residency requirements. In 2003,
the resource limits are $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a
couple. However, not everything that a person owns is counted.
An individual or couple may have earned or unearned income and
still may be eligible for the SSI program. A certain amount of income
is disregarded in determining eligibility and computing the SSI benefit
amount. People who live in a state that supplements the federal payment
may
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have higher amounts of income and still may qualify for some benefits.
To be eligible for SSI, a person must reside in the U.S. or the
Northern Mariana Islands and be a U.S. citizen, an alien lawfully
admitted for permanent residence, or an alien permanently residing in
the U.S. under ``color of law'' (PRUCOL). PRUCOL is defined in the Code
of Federal Regulations at 20 CFR 416.1618.
Description of the YTPD Projects
To further the President's New Freedom Initiative goal of
increasing employment of individuals with disabilities, we are
conducting a demonstration project, called the Youth Transition Process
Demonstration (YTPD), under the authority of section 1110 of the Act.
SSA is awarding cooperative agreements to state agencies and
universities in six states for five years, subject to the availability
of funds, for the purpose of helping youth with disabilities maximize
their economic self-sufficiency as they transition from school to work.
These projects will focus on youth ages 14-25 who receive SSI, Social
Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Childhood Disability Benefits
(CDB), and youth who are at risk of receiving such benefits. The
projects are designed to collaborate among federal, state, and local
agencies to develop and implement sustainable improvements in the
delivery of transition services and supports. The projects will test
ways to remove other barriers to employment and economic self-
sufficiency.
YTPD Project Sites
SSA is conducting seven YTPD projects in six states. The state,
title, description and project sites for each project follow.
California
Title: The Bridges to Youth Self Sufficiency Project (Bridges).
Awardee: State of California Health and Human Services Agency
Department of Rehabilitation.
Summary: The Bridges to Youth Self Sufficiency Project (Bridges)
will serve youth ages 14-25 who receive SSI, SSDI, or CDB or youth at
risk of receiving such benefits. Benefits planning and intensive
service coordination are the main services provided by this project.
Other specific program components are benefits training and education,
outreach to specialized populations, early intervention, local
partnering, youth incentives, local and state oversight bodies, and a
data driven research study. The categories of outcomes to be measured
are employment, education, level of independence, service
participation, and quality of life.
Project Sites:
1. Riverside County Office of Education
2. Whittier Union High School District
3. Vallejo City Unified School Districts
4. Capistrano Unified School District/Saddleback Valley Unified
School District Consortium
5. Irvine Unified School District/Newport-Mesa Unified School
District Consortium
Colorado
Title: Colorado Youth Work Incentive Network of Supports (WINS).
Awardee: JFK Partners of the University of Colorado Health Sciences
Center.
Summary: Colorado Youth Work Incentive Network of Supports (WINS)
overarching goal is to assist youth, aged 14-25, who are currently
receiving or are likely to receive SSI, SSDI, or CDB benefits to
maximize their economic self-sufficiency and career advancement.
Participants will work with a Transition Team (made up of a Consumer
Navigator, Benefits Planner, and a Career Counselor) located in each
selected community. The Transition Team, housed at local Workforce
Centers, will provide specialized and intensive transition services to
youth and their families. This project is designed to ensure that the
same Transition Team members will work with youth and their families
during high school and after the youth has left high school and entered
the workforce. This project will collect comparison data from
additional youth to determine the impact the intensive transition
services and waivers have on Colorado Youth WINS participants.
Comparisons will be made between participants and the control group
using both direct collect and administrative data.
Project Sites: Larimer, El Paso/Teller and Pueblo Counties.
Iowa
Title: Smart Start.
Awardee: University of Iowa's Center for Disability and
Development, Employment Policy Group.
Summary: Smart Start focuses on supporting the successful
transition of students with disabilities from school to employment and
economic self-sufficiency by addressing deficiencies and inefficiencies
that exist across the system. The project concentrates on coordinating
and integrating existing resources (services and benefits) available
through local, state, and federal programs including Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Medicaid, Workforce Investment Act,
Vocational Rehabilitation, SSI, and Ticket to Work. The purpose of
Smart Start is to design and set into motion a system of
individualized, comprehensive, and navigable transition-related
services that adequately respond to the needs and aspirations of young
people with disabilities. By removing customary bureaucratic
constraints that impede individual choice and empowerment, Smart Start
enables coordination and integration of transition services across
multiple agencies by creating a service delivery system that is market
driven. This effort presents an opportunity for local, state, and
federal agencies to meaningfully engage in cross-departmental risk-
sharing efforts. Project participants are students with disabilities
enrolled in public schools and young adults with disabilities, formerly
enrolled in public schools, who are unemployed (or who are employed but
seeking jobs), starting with youth ages 14-25 years old who receive
SSI.
Project Sites: Mason City and Waterloo Community School Districts.
Maryland
Title: The Maryland State Department of Education Youth
Demonstration Project.
Awardee: Maryland State Department of Education.
Summary: The Maryland State Department of Education Youth
Demonstration Project will have dedicated staff to assist the student
participants and their families in the development of services and
training that leads to employability and the building of a safety net
for independence. In each service site there will be a dedicated
Department of Rehabilitation Services Counselor, a Consumer Navigator,
and a Family Support and Benefits Coordinator. Areas to be addressed
include transportation, independent living, health care, and benefits
planning before exiting school. The partnership with the One Stop will
allow students, with the guidance of the Consumer Navigator, to develop
those life skills needed for employment. As a result of participation
in this project, students with disabilities will be better prepared for
life choices at the completion of their public school educational
program. Participating students will be more prepared for adulthood by
obtaining the skills and the service agency linkages to move from
dependence to independence. All
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participating students will receive the benefits of earlier involvement
with the Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) and other
employment support services.
Project Sites:
Maryland Schools for the Blind, Baltimore County, Wicomico County
Mississippi
Title: The Mississippi Youth Transition Innovations Project (MYTI).
Awardee: Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services (MDRS).
Summary: The Mississippi Youth Transition Innovations Project
(MYTI) will serve youth ages 10-25 who receive SSI, SSDI, CDB, or youth
at risk of receiving such benefits. MYTI will address the following
issues: (a) The need for development of a model transition process that
will facilitate optimal passage from school to work; (b) The
elimination of barriers when feasible to effect transition at the
local, state, and federal levels through interagency collaboration and
elimination of policies, procedures, regulations, and statutory
requirements that impede progress; and, (c) The development of natural
and new/innovative supports at all levels as needed. The MYTI Project
will be based upon individual person-centered planning, including the
use of individual training accounts involving prospective employer buy-
in to pre-career development, such as training opportunities required
to earn an Occupational Diploma. As issues arise that impede the
ability to accomplish this, local-level Transition Specialists will
address these on an individualized basis and, if necessary, bring them
to the state-level Coordination Council to facilitate barrier removal.
In the final year in the local school system, participants will be
referred to the appropriate MDRS program for vocational rehabilitation,
supported employment, and independent living services. The program will
be evaluated in terms of progress and outcome variables. Participation
analysis will compare the experiences of the project group with a
similar group of students with disabilities who did not receive project
services.
Project Sites: Gulfport City and Harrison County Schools in years
1-3 and then add the Durant Public School in year 4.
New York
Title: Transition WORKS.
Awardee: Erie 1 Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES)
with the Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals
with Disabilities, New York State Department of Education.
Summary: Transition WORKS project is designed to increase the post-
school transition success experienced by youth and young adults ages
14-25 who receive SSI, SSDI or CDB or youth at risk of receiving such
benefits. Transition WORKS proposes to provide a comprehensive,
collaborative transition planning and services model comprised of the
most effective, research-based transition practices. A research design
will test the efficacy of the component services and statistically test
several hypotheses regarding transition services. The project will
provide student- and family-centered planning for all participants (in
and out-of-school), coordination of services, parent and family
education and support, benefits advisement and work incentives
advisement in addition to waivers of SSA regulations, and participation
in career exploration activities as well as community-based work
experiences. Youth with potential for postsecondary education will
receive assistance to plan for and to enter and participate
successfully in postsecondary education.
Project Site: Erie County.
Title: CUNY's Youth Transition Demonstration Project.
Awardee: City University of New York.
Summary: CUNY's Youth Transition Demonstration Project is designed
to prepare youth aged 16-19, who receive SSI benefits, to achieve
economic self-sufficiency. The project plans to increase coordination
among public agencies and private organizations that have resources,
funding, and a mandate to provide transition services. As a forum to
deliver transition services, integrate systems and tap resources, the
project will convene an annual, four-week, Summer Institute for
participating youth. There will be a variety of workshops, information
sessions, and professional development seminars to support transition.
All students will be trained in self-determination skills. Tutoring in
basic skills, vocational assessments, benefits counseling, and work-
based learning will also be provided. College students with
disabilities will serve as peer mentors. Year round activities will
include student self-advocacy groups, parent support groups, and a
four-course, twelve-credit Certificate in Transition Services for
school personnel, staff at public and private agencies, as well as
parents and CUNY students. The project will be evaluated by comparing
the progress the experimental group makes, versus the control group, in
completing specific and objective milestones in the transition process.
Project Site: Bronx County.
Alternative SSI Program Rules that Apply to Participants in the YTPD
Section 1110(b) of the Act authorizes the Commissioner of Social
Security to waive any requirements of title XVI of the Act necessary to
carry out demonstrations that, in the Commissioner's judgment, are
likely to promote the objectives or facilitate the administration of
the SSI program.
The following alternative SSI program rules will apply to certain
project participants who receive SSI benefits or a combination of SSI
and SSDI benefits.
1. Despite the finding of a continuing disability review conducted
in accordance with section 221(i) or section 1614(a)(3)(H) of the Act
or an age-18 medical redetermination conducted in accordance with
section 1614(a)(3)(I) of the Act that an individual is no longer
eligible for benefits, SSA will continue paying benefits for as long as
the individual continues to be a YTPD participant.
2. The student earned-income exclusion (section 1612(b)(1) of the
Act), which normally applies only to students who are age 21 or younger
and neither married nor the head of a household (20 CFR 416.1866) will
apply to all participants who meet school attendance requirements,
without regard to their age or whether they are married or the head of
a household.
3. The general earned-income exclusion (section 1612(b)(4))
normally permits the exclusion of $65 plus half of what an individual
earns in excess of $65. For the YTPD, SSA will exclude the first $65
plus three-fourths of any additional earnings.
4. SSA will extend the SSI program's treatment of federally
supported individual development accounts (IDAs) (section 404(h) of the
Act) to IDAs that do not involve federal funds.
An IDA is a trust-like savings account. Except for certain
emergencies, funds in a federally supported IDA can be used only for
going to college, buying a first home, or starting a business. The
individual makes deposits from his or her earned income. The
individual's contributions are matched, at rates that can vary from 1:1
to 8:1, usually depending on the availability of funding.
Social Security excludes federally-supported IDAs when it
determines whether someone's resources exceed the SSI limit. It also
excludes matching contributions when it determines countable income.
Further, Social Security deducts the beneficiary's own
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deposits from countable income, so that SSI benefits replace the amount
deposited. As a result, an SSI beneficiary does not have to divert
scarce resources from living expenses in order to save.
Nonfederally supported IDA or ``IDA-like'' programs have emerged in
a number of states. These programs usually permit an individual to save
for one or more purposes in addition to the three mentioned above, such
as transportation. The exclusions that apply to federally-supported
IDAs normally do not extend to these programs.
5. Ordinarily, a plan for achieving self-support (PASS) must
specify an employment goal (section 1633(d) of the Act), which refers
to getting a particular kind of job or starting a particular business.
For the YTPD, SSA will approve an otherwise satisfactory PASS that has
either career exploration or postsecondary education as its goal. If
the goal is postsecondary education, the PASS must provide for
developing a work goal at least one year prior to completion of the
degree requirements.
Income that an individual uses for PASS expenses does not count
when SSA determines SSI eligibility and payment amount. Assets that an
individual uses for PASS expenses do not count as resources when SSA
determines SSI eligibility.
Evaluation
The seven YTPD projects will collect data for each participant
regarding identifying information, educational and vocational
background, services provided, education/work attempts, and outcomes
and use of the alternative SSI program rules. Each YTPD project will
use the data to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative SSI program
rules. In addition, SSA will award a separate contract to evaluate the
overall success of the YTPD, aid YTPD projects in their evaluation
activities, conduct a process evaluation, and assess cost-
effectiveness. The evaluation contractor is to conduct a net-outcomes
and process evaluation which will provide information on the
effectiveness of interventions, including the effectiveness of
alternative SSI program rules, and the feasibility of using different
types of comparison groups. It also will collect the project-level data
and prepare methodology for measuring transition services and adult
outcomes for youth with disabilities.
Dated: September 25, 2003.
Jo Anne B. Barnhart,
Commissioner of Social Security.
[FR Doc. 03-25194 Filed 10-6-03; 8:45 am]
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