TANF-SSI Disability Transition Project
Objective
Federal program data indicate a substantial overlap in the populations served by two major federal income assistance programs— the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, administered at the federal level by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). More specifically, prior research revealed that many parents receiving TANF benefits are living with a disability; depending on how studies define disability, the proportion of adult TANF recipients with disabilities was estimated to range from 10 percent to 44 percent. While SSA and ACF have common goals of supporting vulnerable populations while encouraging their self-sufficiency and employment, the two agencies’ differing missions, definitions of disability, and rules and incentives related to work pose challenges to clients trying to navigate their way through both programs and to staff members seeking to coordinate their efforts. To better understand how to assist TANF recipients with disabilities, SSA and ACF undertook the TANF-SSI Disability Transition Project (TSDTP) in 2008. The goals of the TSDTP were to explore the connection between the two programs, build knowledge about ways to encourage work among TANF recipients with disabilities, facilitate informed decisions about applying for SSI when appropriate, and help eligible SSI applicants receive awards as quickly as possible while also reducing administrative costs.
Status
This project was completed in 2013 with the issuance of multiple project reports conveying the results of the study’s various data collection and analysis activities.
To conduct this study, SSA and ACF contracted with the research firm MDRC. In close collaboration with SSA, ACF, and participating state and county TANF agencies, MDRC: (1) conducted field assessments at multiple sites (including Los Angeles and Riverside Counties, California; the Ocala region in Florida; Genesee, Mason, and Oceana Counties, Michigan; and Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, Minnesota) of existing services for TANF recipients who may have disabilities, documenting how TANF agencies serve recipients living with disabilities and how the TANF agencies interact with local SSA agencies; (2) implemented and tested three pilot programs—in Ramsey County, Minnesota; Los Angeles County, California; and Muskegon County, Michigan—that took separate approaches to improving services for TANF clients with disabilities; and (3) analyzed merged national- and state-level TANF and SSI program data to estimate the extent to which adult TANF recipients are applying for and receiving SSI benefits.
Evidence developed through the TSDTP countered the common assumption that TANF programs are referring a large number of recipients to SSI. In particular, the study found that: (1) the overlap between the TANF and SSI programs is not particularly large—in fiscal year 2007, less than 10 percent of TANF recipients had an open SSI application; (2) TANF recipients who apply for SSI are not markedly different from other SSI applicants; (3) TANF recipients who applied for SSI were somewhat less likely to be awarded SSI, especially at the initial level, than other SSI applicants; (4) most TANF recipients who apply for SSI do so long before nearing their federal benefit time limits; (5) in fiscal year 2007, it took on average more than a year (specifically 13.7 months) for TANF recipients applying for SSI to receive final decisions on their disability claims (for non-TANF recipients it took 11.3 months). The study also found that little coordination occurred between the TANF programs and the SSA field offices or between the TANF programs and the DDSs. Finally, in examining the outcomes of the project’s pilot interventions, the study identified mixed results including the following: (1) the integrated medical, mental health, and Individual Placement and Support (IPS) employment services tested in the Ramsey County, Minnesota, pilot program appeared to improve employment, earnings, and participation in work activities; (2) the Los Angeles pilot project did not appear to have changed the quality of SSI applications or altered initial medical allowance rates; (3) the components of the Muskegon County, Michigan, pilot program did not always work well together and included some long delays in program start-up and clients’ transitions between services.
Examining the Interaction Between Welfare and Disability: Lessons from an In-Depth Data Analysis
Connections between TANF and SSI: Lessons from the TANF/SSI Disability Transition Project
Assessing and Serving TANF Recipients with Disabilities
Understanding Supplemental Security Income: A Guide for TANF Staff Members
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