Benefits Counseling to Preserve Function Among Disability Applicants
- Conditions
- Veterans' Disability Claims
- Registration Number
- NCT00715650
- Lead Sponsor
- VA Office of Research and Development
- Brief Summary
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.
- Detailed Description
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.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 92
-
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):
- Cut down on the amount of time you spent on work or other activities?
- Accomplished less than you would like?
- Didn't do work or other activities as carefully as usual?
-
Expresses willingness to try Benefits Counseling if assigned to it
-
An evaluation by a psychiatrist or psychologist is scheduled
- Already receiving VA payments
- Already receiving SSI or SSDI payments
- Has a conservator
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Days of Work and Work-related Activity Month 6 Number of days in the past 28 spent engaged in any kind of work or related activity. Measured using a timeline follow-back calendar.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
VA Connecticut Healthcare System West Haven Campus, West Haven, CT
🇺🇸West Haven, Connecticut, United States
VA Connecticut Healthcare System West Haven Campus, West Haven, CT🇺🇸West Haven, Connecticut, United States