Promoting Work through Early Intervention Project (PWEIP)

Objective

The Promoting Work through Early Interventions Project (PWEIP) is a joint undertaking of the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of this partnership is to better understand the effects of interventions that aim to improve the employment and economic outcomes of low-income individuals with little or no work history, current or foreseeable disabilities, and ties to the U.S. safety net, who have not yet applied for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). During this partnership, SSA and ACF will support rigorous evaluation of existing employment support and training programs informed by evidence and shown to be promising for SSA and ACF’s population of joint interest. Evaluations of each program will include impact evaluation and implementation research. A select number of evaluations will also include cost analysis.

Status

SSA and ACF began working together in June 2018 to review contractors’ recommendations for programs to fund, that would use promising early intervention for people wanting to start or return to paid employment. Each of the programs recommended for SSA funding were approved by our Associate Commissioner Susan Wilschke. SSA Commissioner Saul and ACF Assistant Secretary Johnson signed a Jointly Financed Cooperative Arrangement (JFCA) on August 8, 2019 to sustain the partnership, select programs for evaluation, and ensure those evaluations meet both agencies’ goals. As of February 2021, SSA approved participation in and funding to evaluate eight programs. Additional information for each of these programs, including the study/organizations, location(s), enrollment periods, and enrollment updates, is described in the Key Activities and Design section below.

PWEIP contract activities were initially set to expire in September 2023. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic effects that stymied enrollment, all projects extended their enrollment period end dates (see details below).

In September 2023, SSA and ACF agreed to extend the JFCA for an additional three-year period. All program activities are continuing and data use agreements, with exchange dates, are in place until the extended JCFA ends. As of FY2024 (Q1), one PWEIP program has reached its enrollment target and others will likely do so before their respective enrollment periods conclude.

Key Activities and Design

A total of eight projects were jointly funded by ACF and SSA in FY2021 and FY2022. ACF established contracts with two firms, MDRC, responsible for Building Evidence on Employment Strategies (BEES programs), and Mathematica, responsible for Next Generation of Enhanced Employment Strategies (Next Gen programs).

Results

SSA expects to receive a final report on all PWEIP activities and evaluations on or before the expiration of the renewed JFCA, on or before the JCFA expires in September 2026.