Evaluating the vocational rehabilitation program using longitudinal data. Evidence for a quasiexperimental research design. |
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Authors: | D H Dean R C Dolan R M Schmidt |
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Affiliation: | Economics Department, University of Richmond, USA. |
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Abstract: | The study presents benefit-cost ratios for 14 disability cohorts served by the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Program. The earnings impacts are estimated in a quasiexperimental framework using an internal comparison group. The earnings data are from a unique national panel constructed by linking client data of the Rehabilitative Services Administration with earnings histories from the Social Security Administration. These earnings data accommodate a series of statistical tests that allow us to identify and control for the presence of selection bias when estimating treatment impacts. The results indicate that the VR program is cost-effective in general, although not universally so across specific disabilities. |
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