Social Security announced the creation of the Interventional Cooperative Agreement Program (ICAP) as a new vehicle for the agency to team-up with outside entities to offer grants aimed at assisting Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries.
According to an announcement of the program, the ICAP will enter into cooperative agreements with states, private foundations and other organizations to assist Social Security beneficiaries. The entire structure of the program was not identified in the announcement, but it was announced that the request for these grants can be applied for on www.grants.gov. More information about the program may also be obtained at Social Security’s website www.ssa.gov. Below was the announcement of the program.
ICAP will provide a process through which we can systematically review proposals from outside organizations (including States, private foundations, and other non-Federal groups and organizations) and enter into cooperative agreements with them for collaboration on interventional research. We hope to tap local, external knowledge about potential interventions relevant to beneficiaries who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits or recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI). ICAP research topics are as follows:
- Examining the structural barriers in the labor market, including for racial, ethnic, or other underserved communities, including people with disabilities, that increase the likelihood of people receiving or applying for SSDI or SSI benefits;
- Promoting self-sufficiency by helping people enter, stay in, or return to the labor force, including children and youth;
- Coordinating planning between private and human services agencies to improve the administration and effectiveness of the SSDI, SSI, and related programs;
- Assisting claimants in underserved communities apply for or appeal determinations or decisions on claims for SSDI and SSI benefits; and
- Conducting outreach to children with disabilities who are potentially eligible to receive SSI, and conducting outreach to their parents and guardians.
