This item was found on a government website that promotes federal business opportunities. This announcement informs that Social Security, in connection with the Department of Labor, is looking for a contractor to evaluate a project that is intended to reduce long-term disability and get people off Social Security disability and back to work. Sounds like a great concept, but it is easier said than done. The budget associated with this project and seeking a contractor to evaluate it would have been better spent by increasing Social Security’s operating budget to address the unprecedented backlog the agency faces related to disability hearings.
Background On This Project
SSA is seeking the assistance of a contractor to conduct an evaluation of the Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN) demonstration projects. RETAIN is a joint demonstration with the Department of Labor (DOL) that will test early interventions to help workers stay at work or return to work after experiencing a work-threatening injury, illness, or disability. The ultimate policy goal is to reduce long-term disability – including the need for federal disability programs – and increase labor force participation among those individuals. Partnering with DOL’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, which is broadly tasked with providing services and supports to workers with disabilities, will allow for identifying and serving such workers well before they apply for SSA’s disability benefits.
Response Information
In order for SSA to assess a firm’s capability, firms must submit a response that provides enough detail to indicate that it can provide the services that meet the requirements identified above and in the draft Statement of Work (SOW).
One has to wonder what will become of this evaluation and how it is going to address people who are severely impaired and unable to work.
