Kansas Supportive Employment Analysis

Background

Kansas Rehabilitation Service’s (KRS) four-year project, the Supported Employment Initiative of Kansas (SEIK), provided funds, training, and technical assistance for community agencies to develop supported employment services for individuals with severe and multiple disabilities.

Who

KRS asked Jim Budde, Research and Training Center on Independent Living at the University of Kansas, to evaluate its program information. Budde used KRS’ SEIK database, which contained client demographic, job placement, financial, separation, referral, transportation, and staff performance data, that had information on 111 workers participating in SEIK. Workers were predominantly white. The most common disability categories were mental retardation (42%) and mental illness.

When

1991

Method

Besides the database information, Budde used a cost-benefit estimation model.

Results

Job placements fell predominantly in the least restrictive categories and in private, for-profit businesses (87%), such as light industrial, ground maintenance, and janitorial. Supported employment program staff worked 9,943 hours providing services. The majority of these hours (9,031) were spent on the supported employment job site. More than 1,190 hours were spent in training; 5,053 in observation and 2,026 in related services. Budde projected the SEIK program in Kansas could save taxpayers $12,033 each year over a 20-year period. Workers would pay $68,044 in taxes; reduce their benefits $39,789; and increase employer benefits by $31,200 each year.

Conclusion

By amortizing the cost of the SEIK program and interest over 20 years, the SEIK program would cost about $127,000 annually and give workers with disabilities an opportunity to work in normal community settings.

Products

Besides the report for the state, there was an article about this project entitled “Supportive Employment Analysis” in the 1991Research and Training Center onIndependent Living Forum 8(2), 2.