Publications of the RAND Center for Disability Research

2022

• Earnings Losses and Benefit Adequacy in California's Workers' Compensation System: Estimates for 2005–2017 Injury Dates 2022

  Michael Dworsky, Stephanie Rennane, Nicholas Broten

  This final report in a series is part of a regular effort to monitor the wage losses of injured workers in the California workers' compensation system between 2013 and 2017. It updates estimates of trends in earnings losses reported in the interim reports and provides the first estimates of wage replacement rates for workers affected by benefit changes that were adopted as part of major workers' compensation reform legislation in 2012.

• Fit for Duty: Alternative Approaches for Determining Department of Defense Disability Compensation 2022

  Stephanie Rennane, Beth J. Asch, Michael G. Mattock, Heather Krull, Douglas C. Ligor, Michael Dworsky, Jonas Kempf

  RAND researchers evaluated four hypothetical alternative U.S. Department of Defense disability compensation approaches that would support a simpler disability evaluation process by reducing reliance on disability ratings.

• For Secondary Teachers Educating Students with Disabilities, 2021 Was a New Year with an Old Story: Findings from the American Educator Panels 2022

  Laura Stelitano, Heather Gomez-Bendaña, Lucas Greer

  The COVID-19 pandemic presented new challenges for educators who teach students with disabilities (SWD). The authors of this Data Note present national survey findings from secondary school principals and educators from the spring of the 2020–2021 school year, exploring educators' access to and use of supports for teaching SWD.

• Recouping Separation Pay from U.S. Service Members and Veterans Who Later Receive Veterans Affairs Disability Compensation 2022

  Stephanie Rennane, Beth J. Asch, Michael G. Mattock, Hannah Acheson-Field

  After service members separate from the military and receive separation pay, they may later qualify for compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). To avoid duplication of benefits, VA cannot pay veterans until the full amount of separation pay has been recouped, or withheld. The authors present findings on how many service members and veterans are affected by recoupment and how much more money they would receive in its absence.

• Understanding What Works: Measuring and Monitoring Quality in Medi-Cal's Home and Community-Based Services 2022

  Jordan M. Harrison, Regina A. Shih, Sangeeta C. Ahluwalia

  This issue brief describes challenges and opportunities related to measuring, reporting, and monitoring the quality of HCBS sponsored by Medi-Cal.

• U.S. Department of Defense Disability Compensation Under a Fitness-for-Duty Evaluation Approach 2022

  Stephanie Rennane, Beth J. Asch, Michael G. Mattock, Heather Krull, Douglas C. Ligor, Michael Dworsky, Jonas Kempf

  The joint U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) — Department of Veterans Affairs Integrated Disability Evaluation System is the process by which DoD determines fitness for duty and separation or retirement because of disability. In this report, the authors evaluate four hypothetical alternative DoD disability compensation approaches that would support a simpler disability evaluation process by reducing reliance on disability ratings.

• Stepped Care for Depression at Integrated Chronic Care Centers (IC3) in Malawi: Study Protocol for a Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial 2022

  Ryan K. McBain, Owen Mwale, Todd Ruderman, Waste Kayira, Emilia Connolly, Mark Chalamanda, Chiyembekezo Kachimanga, Brown David Khongo, Jesse Wilson, Emily Wroe, et al.

  This study will compare the effects of an evidence-based depression care model versus usual care on depression symptom remediation as well as physical health outcomes for chronic care conditions.

• Trends In Home Care Versus Nursing Home Workforce Sizes: Are States Converging Or Diverging Over Time? 2022

  Esther M. Friedman, Bonnie Ghosh-Dastidar, Teague Ruder, Daniel Siconolfi, Regina A. Shih

  Since 2009, most states have increased the size of their home care workforces and decreased the size of their nursing home workforces, but there is substantial variation across states. More targeted efforts may be needed to ensure that people with disabling conditions can have their needs met in their desired setting across the nation.

2021

• Absenteeism and Presenteeism Among American Workers 2021

  Nicole Maestas, Kathleen J. Mullen, Stephanie Rennane

  We analyze the relationship between absences, presenteeism, and work outcomes using data from the American Working Conditions Survey.

• How Are Teachers Educating Students with Disabilities During the Pandemic? 2021

  Laura Stelitano, Christine Mulhern, Katie Feistel, Heather Gomez-Bendaña

  In this Data Note, researchers present findings on teaching students with disabilities (SWD) during a pandemic by drawing on surveys administered via the RAND American Teacher Panel to a nationally representative sample of teachers. This Data Note provides insights into teachers' experiences educating SWD during the pandemic, exploring differences by instructional arrangement and school characteristics.

• Improving Mental Health Guardianship: From Prevention to Treatment 2021

  Amy L. Shearer, Elizabeth Bromley, Curley Bonds, Connie Draxler, Dmitry Khodyakov

  The authors sought to identify the most promising strategies for improving the mental health guardianship process in Los Angeles County for adults with mental illness who are gravely disabled.

• Is the Rise in Illicit Opioids Affecting Labor Supply and Disability Claiming Rates? 2021

  Sujeong Park, David Powell

  This paper examines how the recent transition of the opioid crisis from prescription opioids to more prevalent misuse of illicit opioids, such as heroin and fentanyl, altered labor supply behavior and disability insurance claiming rates.

• Older Adults, New Mobility, and Automated Vehicles 2021

  Laura Fraade-Blanar, Nico Larco, Ryan Best, Tiffany Swift, Marjory S. Blumenthal

  New technologies for mobility could improve access for older Americans or pass them by. Research and action are needed to promote benefits for older and other Americans.

• Post 9/11 Trends in Medical Separation and Separation for Service Members with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury 2021

  Heather Krull, Carrie M. Farmer, Molly M. Simmons, Stephanie Rennane, Samantha Cherney, Philip Armour, Evan Goldstein, Teague Ruder

  Trends in military medical discharges and disability ratings can help the U.S. Department of Defense set goals for diagnosing, treating, and evaluating service members with posttraumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury.

• RAND Review: May-June 2021 2021

  The cover story highlights the value of invention, analyzing the economic and social impacts of winners of the Lemelson-MIT Prize. A second feature focuses on human rights abuses against ethnic Uyghurs in China and what we know from satellite images.

• Trends in Department of Defense Disability Evaluation System Ratings and Awards for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury, 2002–2017 2021

  Heather Krull, Carrie M. Farmer, Stephanie Rennane, Evan Goldstein, Philip Armour, Teague Ruder

  The authors analyze trends in disability outcomes by identifying cohorts of service members who were diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI) and look prospectively at medical discharge and other career outcomes. They also look retrospectively at service members who were medically discharged with a disability rating for PTSD or TBI and examine trends in diagnoses, treatments, and other service outcomes.

• Impact of a Medicaid Policy on Preventive Oral Health Services for Children with Intellectual Disabilities, Developmental Disabilities, or Both 2021

  Ashley M. Kranz, Rachel Ross, Mark J. Sorbero, Aaron Kofner, Bradley D. Stein, Andrew W. Dick

  The authors examined the impact of state policies allowing delivery of POHS in medical offices on receipt of POHS among Medicaid enrollees with IDD.

2020

• Characteristics and Duty Limitations of Service Members Transferring Between the Active and Reserve Components 2020

  Heather Krull, Christina Panis, Katherine Anania, Philip Armour

  The authors describe policy requirements for transfers from the active component (AC) to the reserve component (RC). They analyze the characteristics and duty limitations observed among AC to RC transfers and examine the service member's time in the AC for information related to the RC medical condition. Finally, they make recommendations to reduce the number of personnel who transfer with medical conditions that limit deployability.

• A Double Safety Net? Understanding Interactions Between Disability Benefits, Formal Assistance, and Family Support 2020

  Stephanie Rennane

  This work brings together perspectives on household adjustments in response to a major health shock in the U.S. It concludes that the family plays a key role in insuring against health shocks, and that informal and formal assistance are imperfect substitutes for one another.

• The Frequency and Economic Impact of Musculoskeletal Disorders for California Firefighters: Trends and Outcomes over the Past Decade 2020

  Michael Dworsky, Seth A. Seabury, Nicholas Broten

  Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most common type of occupational injury among firefighters, so there is considerable interest among policymakers and stakeholders about how best to monitor, prevent, and treat firefighter MSDs. The authors update analyses from a 2010 study on firefighters in California, considering the impacts on injured firefighters of recent workers' compensation reforms and the economic shocks of the late 2000s.

• Wage Loss Monitoring for Injured Workers in California's Workers' Compensation System: 2016–2017 Injury Year Findings (Third Interim Report) 2020

  Stephanie Rennane, Nicholas Broten, Michael Dworsky

  The authors of this report present new estimates of wage loss for California's injured workers in 2016–2017 and compare these estimates with trends before, during, and after the Great Recession. They also analyze trends for key subgroups of interest in the workers' compensation system, including analyses by receipt of indemnity benefits, industry, type of injury, and geographic region.

2019

• Principals Could Use More Support to Help Students with Disabilities — Especially in Schools Serving Mostly Students of Color 2019

  Laura Stelitano, William R. Johnston, Christopher J. Young

  This American Educator Panels Data Note provides insights into principals' perceptions of the supports available for helping students with disabilities. These supports are district leadership support, materials and tools, staff with specific expertise within or outside their school, and training and information.

• Functional Limitations and Employment Among Disability Benefit Recipients with Musculoskeletal Conditions: A Mediation Analysis 2019

  Zachary A. Morris, Stephanie Rennane

  This paper uses the National Beneficiary Survey to study the relationship between functional limitations, health conditions and employment among disability beneficiaries with musculoskeletal conditions in a multivariate mediation analysis.

• The Relationship Between Disability Evaluation and Accession Medical Standards 2019

  Heather Krull, Philip Armour, Kathryn A. Edwards, Kristin Van Abel, Linda Cottrell, Gulrez Shah Azhar

  Anyone interested in joining the military must undergo a medical exam. If the standard in place at the time of that exam is tightened or loosened under Department of Defense or service policy, does a service member's chance of being medically discharged change? If so, how does the probability of medical discharge alter postservice costs to the department? This report answers those questions.

• Supporting Students with High-Incidence Disabilities in U.S. Schools: National Findings from the American Educator Panels 2019

  Laura Stelitano, Rachel Perera, William R. Johnston

  In this report, researchers explore the extent to which supports are available to both general and special educators who teach students with high-incidence disabilities. Research has established the importance of a supportive school culture, collaboration and planning time, resources and training, and data, but little is known about teachers' nationwide access to them and how school-level factors influence the prevalence of such supports.

• Page 1 of 4
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• Next