Addendum to the Supporting Statement for 0960-0687

ADDENDUM TO THE SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR

YOUTH TRANSITION PROCESS DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

OMB CONTROL No. 0960-0687

Revision to the Collection Instrument

SSA will be collecting three new types of information through the Youth Transition Process Demonstration (YTD) Project. Those three new information collections are as follows: the 12-month follow-up survey; the focus group sessions with the youth, staff and parents; and the discussions/interviews with program staff and service providers.

12-Month Follow-Up Survey

The 12-month follow-up survey will be used to examine employment and other outcomes such as education, income, health, and measures of life quality and well being.

A rigorous random assignment design is being used to determine the differences these YTD projects make in educational attainment, employment, earnings, and reduced use of disability benefits as well as such outcomes as living arrangements, quality of life, and other measures of well being among the transition-age youth enrolled in the study.

Under this design, youth eligible for YTD services will be randomly assigned to a treatment group (offered YTD waivers and services) or to a control group (not offered YTD waivers or services but may use existing SSA work incentives and services available in the community).

Outcomes for the two groups will be compared using data collected in follow-up interviews conducted 12 and 36 months after youth enter the demonstrations. On the basis of these comparisons, we will assess the net effects of the YTD intervention approaches for the youth enrolled in the study and the differential effectiveness of YTD services for members of certain subgroups. We will use administrative data to address impacts on SSA disability benefits receipt and the use of SSA waivers, earnings, and other public assistance.

Focus Group Sessions

The process analysis for the YTD project will document how the intervention services were delivered, including information provided to participating youth on SSA waivers and the extent to which waivers were utilized. It will identify implementation successes, issues, and challenges and will examine program costs. It also will provide details on the nature of each YTD intervention and how the projects have achieved the observed results. Data for this analysis will come primarily from site visits, project records and documents, and the projects’ management information systems. Site visits will include discussions with staff of the YTD projects and partner organizations, SSA field office staff, and other youth service providers; focus group discussions with participating youth and their families; case reviews; and program observations. The YTD program participates in recruiting focus group members and roundtable participants, including services providers who are not YTD program employees.  Most of the recruiting is done via program contacts and informal networks.  The program distributes a letter that discusses the background and purpose of the focus groups as well as logistics for the meeting. We have included drafts of the recruiting letters.  The PRA statement is on the letters.  YTD program staff participate as part of their job.   Special recruiting is not necessary.

Discussion/Interviews with Program Staff and Service Providers

Discussions and interviews with the program staff and service providers for YTD will be used as a part of the process analysis, as mentioned above in the focus group section (as mentioned, there will be focus groups which will include staff and service providers). Also, these discussions and interviews will be used as part of a comprehensive benefit-cost analysis of the YTD projects. We will start with a comprehensive cost analysis of each project; the goal is to construct an estimate of overall project costs as well as estimates of average unit costs, such as the cost per participant and cost per program component. Drawing on data reports from project records and on information from program staff interviews, we will build up an estimate of the cost of each project.

In this clearance package we have included one consent form for each original YTD program: Colorado Youth Wins; Transition Works in Erie County, New York; and the Youth Transition Project located at CUNY in New York City.  Each program has a slightly different consent form that reflects programmatic differences and, in CUNY and Colorado, different protocols that local IRBs require. Also, Focus group participants, roundtable discussion participants, and service providers will be informed of the PRA statement and OMB number on an advance letter.  Copies are attached.