About The Study

In 2021, the Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) partnered with the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and funded contractor Mathematica to support the ongoing evaluation of the Retaining Employment & Talent After Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN) demonstration projects. CEO’s contract supports enrollment data collection and the random assignment of study participants for phase 2 of the RETAIN demonstration. The impact evaluation aims to assess the effectiveness of intervention strategies from RETAIN demonstration projects operating in Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio, and Vermont.

The RETAIN demonstration project is designed to test early intervention Stay-at-Work/Return-to-Work (SAW/RTW) strategies to improve labor force participation, employment, and earnings outcomes for workers who are injured or become ill while employed. In addition, the SAW/RTW strategies are intended to increase labor force retention and reduce the need for eventual assistance from the Social Security Administration’s disability programs for workers experiencing a work-threatening injury or illness.

This jointly-funded study by SSA and the Department of Labor was a result of federal interagency collaboration to identify ways to help workers regain employment and reduce their need for federal disability benefits. It contributes to the labor evidence-base to inform disability and employment programs and policies and addresses Departmental strategic goals and priorities.

Project Duration: 48 months

Contract End Date: February 2025

Contractor: Mathematica

For More Information: ChiefEvaluationOffice@dol.gov

The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy and CEO’s research development process.