Promoting the Readiness of Minors in Supplemental Security Income

1. Sponsored jointly by the U.S. Department of Education, Social Security Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of Labor NYS PROMISE Promoting the Readiness of Minors in Supplemental Security Income

2. The Problem The number of youth on SSI continue to grow exponentially in NYS A composite picture is one of a youth who rarely gets of the rolls, completes school, works, or participates in vocational rehabilitation, is more likely to be incarcerated, and less likely to access transition support services. A composite picture of their families is a family with more than one member with a disability, low educational achievement, and lack of information to increase self-sufficiency

3. STUDENTS NEED... • person-centered transition planning • connections to state and local services • meaningful education programs • incentives to stay in school FAMILIES NEED… • opportunities to increase their educational levels • connections to career planning and employment services STUDENTS & FAMILIES NEED… • to be equipped and integrated into planning • to understand their rights • access to information to aid • them in making informed • choices regarding their • financial and economic • well-being THE CHALLENGE

4. NYS PROMISE will utilize an indigenous model that naturally equips and engages schools, local disability service providers, independent living centers, one stop centers, literacy zones, regional parent training centers, work incentive planners, regional transition specialists, and other community transition stakeholders to achieve higher postsecondary employment, education and economic outcomes for SSI youth by...

5. Improving state, regional and local collaboration across agencies and providers serving SSI youth. Implementing an outcomes-based payment system for service providers. Building local and regional capacities in implementing best practices, conducting impact assessment, and exercising continuous quality improvement in transition to adulthood services. Collecting high quality evidence for studying program effectiveness of the NYS PROMISE intervention.

6. SYSTEMS BUILDING... • Comprehensive Employment Systems Grant • Partnership Employment Exchange Grant • Work Incentive Grant and Disability Employment Initiative • Transition Systems Change RESEARCH… • NYWORKS - State Partnership Initiative • Two, Youth Transition Demonstrations • Model Transition Program STATE CAPACITY… • Transition Professional Development Support Center / Network • Employment First Momentum • Partners in Policy Making • Gubernatorial support • Current MOUs • NYESS NYS ADVANTAGE

7. The Design To be implemented across three diverse geographic areas (western NY, capital region, and NYC) 20-25 local education agencies will serve as the research demonstration sites 2,000 students between the ages of 14-16 who receive SSI—half of which will be randomly assigned to an intervention group with the other half assigned to a control group

8. The Outcomes-Based Intervention Case management and coordination Parent training and support Age-appropriate transition skills assessment and career development activities Preparation for community living, including independent living skills, financial literacy, and assistive technology training Work-based learning and paid employment Individualized person-centered planning with students and their families—including training and skills enhancement for families Benefits, work incentives, and asset accumulation, planning and assistance Quality outcome payments

9. Project Community Support Research and data collection support Intervention fidelity assessment and assistance Just-in-Time toolkits and organizational development support for demo sites/partners Local leadership development through Partners in Policy Making and Citizen-Centered Leadership Development Community of Practice NYESS technical assistance

10. Toll-free technical assistance and referral (1-888-224-3272 or TDD: 1-877-671-6844) Regional Parent Training Center coordination National technical assistance from partners Monthly NYESS Coordinating Council Meetings Steering Committee Meetings - TBD Annual two-day project learning event in Albany

11. Office of Mental Health • State Education Department, Special Education and Vocational Rehabilitation • Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped • Department of Labor • Office of Persons with Developmental Disabilities • Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance • Department of Health • Developmental Disabilities Planning Council State Partners

12. Schools • Disability Service Providers • Independent Living Centers • Literacy Zones • One Stop Centers • Benefits and Work Incentives Planners • Regional Parent Centers • Regional Transition Specialists • Regional Transition Councils • State Agency, District Offices Local Partners

13. National Secondary & Transition Technical Assistance Center • Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures • Transitions RTC • PEPnet-2 • Employer Practices RRTC • National Dropout Prevention Center for Persons w/Disabilities • Northeast ADA Center • National Employer Technical Assistance Center • National Collaboration on Workforce and Disability for Youth Nat’l Partners

14. The Management

15. NYS PROMISE Research Design and Program Logic Model

16. Recruitment Three regions – Western NY, Capital Region, NYC Bronx and Manhattan Sampling frame from SSA administrative data LEAs with 80-100 SSI youth will be invited to participate – in-person site visit Outreach letters to families of SSI youth and invitation to participate community forums organized by PTC Recruitment packets provided at community forums and/or through school case managers Intake data entered in TID by Cornell University

17. Recruitment Package One page non-technical description of the project Resource links and contact information, including toll free number for neighborhood legal services Parent informed consent form Program intake form Refusal to participate form Unique serial numbers to track

18. Primary Program Outcomes – Student- and parent-level Improved educational outcomes– reduced dropout, secondary school completion, enrollment in postsecondary education and training, increased access to educational opportunities for parents Improved employment outcomes – participation in internships, paid work in integrated settings at or above minimum wage, increased utilization of work incentives, full-time work and job retention, career advancement and work opportunities for parents Improved economic outcomes – increased skills/abilities in financial planning for youth and parents, reduced sense of reliance on public benefits, increase in income from work and increase in total household income, reduced reliance on public benefits

19. Primary Program Outcomes – System-level Increase in person-centered, coordinated and developmentally appropriate transition to adulthood services for SSI youth Increase in interagency collaboration and reduction in program and policy barriers for access to services

20. Secondary Program Outcomes Student- and parent-level: Increase in parental and youth participation in transition planning Improvement in self-determination, independent living skills and higher expectation for postsecondary success Improved satisfaction with transition to adulthood services for SSI youth and families Improved health and well-being for SSI youth and their families

21. Secondary Program Outcomes System-level: Increase in the quality and types of services provided by agencies and service providers for transitioning SSI youth and their families Establishment of state-level coordination committees for sustaining collaboration and program impact Increased utilization of outcomes-based payment system across agencies

22. Research Questions Did the intervention result in improved education, employment and economic outcomes for SSI youth and their parents as compared with their peers in the control group? Did training and technical assistance increase horizontal collaboration and coordination across agencies providing services at the state, regional and local levels? If yes, how did this work? Did connecting state, regional and local partners to feedback and data from the continuous quality improvement system result in critical reflection and more customized technical assistance at the state, regional and local levels? Specifically what changes resulted?

23. Research Questions (cont.) Did the intervention result in improved participation by SSI youth and their parents in transition planning and services as compared with their peers in the control group? What local factors & strategies are most associated with increased participation? Did the outcomes-based funding system improve services at the local level? If so, how did this work? Did youth and parents improve their attitudes, awareness, knowledge and skills? What was the experience of treatment group SSI youth and their parents navigating the transition process? How did their experiences compare with those of the control group? Were local educational agencies, local providers, treatment group SSI youth and parents satisfied?

24. MIS: Tracking Participation, Service Needs, and Outcomes

25. MIS: Tracking Referrals, Services Received, and Program Implementation

26. MIS: Tracking System-level Changes

27. Program Fidelity Assessment Multiple sources Intervention design manual Monitoring intervention of delivery Monitoring intervention receipt Establish baseline with periodic follow-up annually

29. SRC Considerations • QAI Subcommittee: • Quarterly outcome data • Fidelity assessment and progress • Policy Subcommittee: • Consideration of policy and practice facilitators and inhibitors to transition success • Interface between Special Education and VR • Workforce Subcommittee: • NYESS and DOL interface • Promising work-based learning policies and practices

30. Contact Information • John Allen, Co-Principal Investigator, Operations • Andrew Karhan, Project Director Office of Mental Health 44 Holland Avenue, Albany NY 12234 518.473.6579 (phone) Andrew.Karhan@omh.ny.gov (e-mail) John.Allen@omh.ny.gov (e-mail) • Thomas P. Golden, Co-Principal Investigator, Training and Capacity • Arun Karpur, Co-Principal Investigator, Research and Design Cornell University, Employment and Disability Institute 201 Dolgen Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-3901 607.255.2731 (phone) tpg3@cornell.edu (e-mail) ak564@cornell.edu (e-mail) • Website (forthcoming): www.nyspromise.org • Toll-free technical support: 1.888.224.3272 0r 1.877.671.6844 (TDD)