Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA): Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries will receive a 5.8 percent COLA for 2009.
Tax Rates Remain Unchanged: Employee 7.65%; Self-Employed 15.30%
Social Security Disability Thresholds: Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)
Non-Blind $980/mo.
Blind $1,640/mo.
Trial Work Period (TWP) $ 700/mo.
SSI Federal Payment Standard: Individual $674/mo; Couple $1,011/mo.
SSI Resources Limits: Individual $2,000; Couple $3,000
SSI Student Exclusion: Monthly limit $1,640; Annual limit $6,600
Illinois Threshold: $26,852
Study: Supported Employment 3 Times More Cost-Effective than Sheltered Work
A
recent study in Research & Practice for Persons with Severe
Disabilities compares the cost-effectiveness of participants receiving
sheltered work versus supported employment services. Unlike other
studies, this one reviewed complete costs throughout the entire time
individuals receive services. This is important because supported
employment typically has higher upfront costs during career planning
and job development phases, and then costs decrease as supports
decrease over time.
Findings: the cumulative costs of supported
employment ($6,619) were about two thirds cheaper than sheltered work
($19,338). Stated another way, for every person funded in sheltered
work, 2.82 supported employees could have been funded in the community.
The study did not even take into account the wages and cost-efficiency
advantages of supported employment found in other research.
Cimera, R.
(2007). Research & Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities.
Vol. 22, No. 4. p. 247 (Thanks to InfoLines)
