Benefits Counseling to Preserve Function Among Disability Applicants
Benefits Counseling to Preserve Function Among Disability Applicants
This study will address the problem that claimants with psychiatric disabilities who apply for and receive disability benefits go on to work less than those whose claims are denied.
The objective of this research is to conduct a 6-month randomized clinical trial comparing participants assigned to Benefits Counseling and to those assigned to the control condition, VA Orientation. Benefits Counseling is an adaptation of two counseling approaches to foster veterans' involvement in work and work-related activity compared to the control condition, VA Orientation. The first approach helped recipients of Social Security disability benefits for psychiatric illness return to work in part by alleviating beneficiaries' concerns that they would lose their benefits if they worked. The second approach is a Motivational Interviewing approach that showed great promise in engaging veterans with psychiatric disabilities in compensated work therapy.
Inclusion Criteria:
Has never received VBA benefits
Able to provide valid consent
Expresses willingness to discuss benefits with a counselor
Difficulty working as evidenced by a "Yes" to either (a), (b), or (c) of the question below about work-related difficulties: During the past 4 weeks, have you had any of the following problems (such as feeling depressed and anxious):
Expresses willingness to try Benefits Counseling if assigned to it
An evaluation by a psychiatrist or psychologist is scheduled
Exclusion Criteria: