Progressive Employment: 2018 Research Updates

Introduction

Since its inception in 2009 in Vermont, the PE model is now active in multiple state VR agencies across the country. The ICI’s PE Learning Collaborative (est. 2015) brings together VR agencies in Vermont, Maine, Nebraska, and Oregon to facilitate model replication and evaluation. The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) has funded the ICI to study the impact of the PE model on employment outcomes in these replication states through 2020.

 

 

Table 1. A Timeline of the Progressive Employment Model

2009	Progressive Employment emerges in Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
2010	Independent research firm surveys 100 Vermont businesses and concludes the PE model is a great fit for employers
2012	Vermont DVR publishes a comprehensive overview of the PE model entitled Progressive Employment: A Dual Customer Approach to Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2012	The Institute for Community Inclusion partners with Vermont DVR and receives NIDILRR funds to conduct a five-year PE model replication and evaluation study
2013	ExploreVR.org at the ICI launches the Progressive Employment model webpage to house PE research and informational materials
2014	ICI releases a nation-wide Request for Participation for state VR agencies to join the Progressive Employment Learning Collaborative
2015	PE is adopted in four VR agencies in Nebraska, Maine, Oregon, and Florida!
2015	ICI media production releases a video series featuring PE success stories of individuals with disabilities and businesses
2016	Kansas works with Vermont DVR to adopt PE as part of its End-Dependence Kansas effort
2016	PE is presented at the NIDILRR-funded RRTC on Evidence-Based Practice in VR State of the Science conference in Madison, WI
2016	Maine DVR is awarded an RSA Transition Work-Based Learning model demonstration project and partners with ICI to expand PE for youth, and American Institutes for Research to conduct evaluation
2017	ICI examines preliminary outcome data for over 800 VR clients in 3 replication states and finds early evidence of impact on employment outcomes and rate of early drop out
2017	Nebraska VR, Oregon Commission for the Blind, Maine DVR, and Vermont DVR present on the PE model in Washington DC at the NIDILRR Demand-Side State of the Science conference
2017	The Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation accepts the first peer-reviewed manuscript describing the PE model
2017	NIDILRR awards the ICI a 3-year field-initiated research grant to study PE outcomes and fidelity through 2020
2018	Mathematica Policy Research partners with Vermont to examine PE data
2018	ICI publishes working papers on preliminary PE outcomes in two replication states (3rd forthcoming!)
2018	Maine, Nebraska, and Oregon provide data on 1,477 VR clients that received PE for ICI study

 

Replication Site Data

• PE data were extracted from state VR agencies replicating the PE model in June 2017 and again in June 2018. The data include all cases marked as “in PE” in the states’ case management systems since the date of PE implementation.
• In 2017, the total number of PE cases across replication sites was reported to be 881. In 2018, this number is currently at 1,477. Nebraska is the largest replication site, representing about 70% of the total number of PE cases in replication site data as of 2018; however, Maine experienced the largest growth, more than tripling the number of PE cases reported in the state from 2017 to 2018 data.
• In 2017, 118 PE cases had closed successfully across replication sites. In 2018, this number is currently at 324.

The following tables display the breakdown of PE data provided to the ICI at the two points in time during 2017 and 2018.

 

Table 1. Number and Percent of Total PE Client Cases Reported in 2017 Data

Year: 2017	Number of PE Client Data Cases	Percent of Total Aggregate Cases
Nebraska	700	79%
Maine	110	12%
Oregon	71	8%
Total	881

 

 

Table 2. Number and Percent of Total PE Client Cases Reported in 2018 Data

 

Year: 2018	Number of PE Client Data Cases	Percent of Total Aggregate Cases
Nebraska	1016	69%
Maine	390	26%
Oregon[1]	71	5%
Total	1477

 

Table 3. Number of PE Clients with Successful Case Closure Reported in 2017 Data

Year: 2017	Number of PE Clients with Successful Case Closure
Nebraska	88
Maine	11
Oregon	19
Total	118

 

Table 4. Number of PE Clients with Successful Case Closure Reported in 2018 Data

Year: 2018	Number of PE Clients with Successful Case Closure
Nebraska	252
Maine	53
Oregon[2]	19
Total	324

 

 

Findings to date:

• Model Replication: The PE Model can be extracted from one VR agency (Vermont), defined, and imported into other state VR agencies even though each has unique features and histories.  Preliminary findings suggest the model can be replicated across differing agencies and service delivery systems.
• Implementation Challenges: State agencies have experienced challenges in areas such as staff turnover, data collection, working with vendors/CRPs, and questions about case costs.
• Impact on Outcomes:  In Vermont, data from May 2009 to July 2016 identified a total of 2,395 VR job seekers who participated in PE. The rehabilitation rate (successful job placement post IPE) for PE was 62% - five percentage points higher than the agency-wide rehabilitation rate of 57% for this entire time period.[3]
• Replication Site Data: Preliminary data suggest PE may decrease the rate of early dropout (e.g. exit VR before IPE), and may also increase employment outcomes (cases closed successfully into employment).  The majority of PE cases were still open at the time of analysis in 2017 – ranging from 57% for adults in Nebraska to almost 80% of youth cases in Maine. By extending the end-date for the evaluation period through 2020, we will be able to update these findings as more cases close. 
• Research agenda: How do we measure fidelity to the model, and understand the relative weight of the model components? What is the long-term impact on employment outcomes (as cases close over time)?  What implications does this have for VR and other systems?  Do high vs. low dose PE experiences differ in their impact on successful closures?  What is the median number of PE experiences for successful closures?