$40 Million Accelerated Benefits Contract to MDRC

Social Security has awarded a $40 million contract to MDRC to design a national demonstration program for accelerated benefits. Here is a link to information about the request for proposals, describing what SSA desires. This is a brief description of what SSA says it wants:

In the Accelerated Benefits demonstration project, SSA plans to test the immediate provision of health care benefits for certain Social Security disability beneficiaries who have medical conditions that are expected to improve or could possibly improve with appropriate medical treatment. The goal of the demonstration is to provide access to medical care and treatment early enough to prevent further deterioration or help improve their medical condition and enable more beneficiaries to return to work and thereby maximize their economic self-sufficiency through employment.

The Act provides that a newly awarded SSDI beneficiary must undergo a five month waiting period after the onset of disability before cash benefits begin. This is intended to permit recovery time for those disabilities expected to improve. Once those cash benefits have begun, an SSDI beneficiary must wait an additional 24 months for Medicare benefits (or 29 months from the date of disability onset). Unfortunately, a beneficiary’s health condition may deteriorate during these periods because of the natural progression of the condition, lack of medical access and/or medical care (including prescription drugs), or even physical inactivity. SSA data also show that the likelihood of returning to work diminishes the longer one is away from the labor force.

With the AB demonstration project, SSA seeks to determine whether providing immediate medical benefits will improve the health and the subsequent return to work outcomes for certain SSDI beneficiaries. SSA expects that, with the accelerated receipt of medical benefits and appropriate employment supports, the participants may recover more quickly, re-enter the labor force sooner, and ultimately decrease their long term dependence on cash benefits.