Clinical trial NCT05508802: Interventional Cooperative Agreement Program - Vocational Intervention Demonstration
Official title: Interventional Cooperative Agreement Program - Vocational Intervention Demonstration
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Spinal Cord Injuries
Brain Injuries
Employment
Spinal Cord Diseases
Keywords: employment
vocational rehabilitation
Lead sponsor: Kessler Foundation
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
First posted: 2022-08-19
Enrollment: 500
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 62
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: For many people with spinal cord injury or brain injury, seeking employment after injury is an important goal. There are services available to help people with disabilities. However, the best ways to coordinate and deliver these services are not yet known. This project will compare two ways of coordinating and delivering services that are designed to help people with spinal cord injury or brain injury obtain employment.

Detailed description: Employment is important for financial security, social connection, and life satisfaction. Unfortunately, rates of unemployment remain high among people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and brain injury (BI). To help address this challenge, the investigators are conducting a single-site, randomized, controlled trial to compare two programs intended to increase rates of employment among people with SCI or BI. In one program, services are coordinated by a counselor employed by the New Jersey State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, a state-based agency that assists people with disabilities who are interested in pursuing employment. In the other program, services are coordinated by a facilitator who is employed by the rehabilitation hospital at which the participant receives inpatient care. Services provided in both programs will be customized to the participant's needs and goals. Services will begin in inpatient rehabilitation and may include education, therapy, equipment provision, counseling, and other interventions.

The project will enroll 500 participants who are interested in becoming employed or returning to work. Information about employment status, earnings, benefits use, community participation, and health will be collected through a combination of surveys, medical record review, and information available in state and federal administrative databases. Analyses will examine the rate of participants employed at 1 year after enrollment in each group, time to employment, earnings, benefits usage, community participation, and well-being. Findings from this study will be used to determine which ways of delivering services are most effective in enabling employment, and to provide information to help other rehabilitation centers adopt effective programs.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Adults aged 18-62
* New Jersey resident
* Admitted to Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation (KIR) due to a spinal cord injury (SCI) or brain injury (BI)
* Receiving inpatient rehabilitation at KIR
* Community living in the state of New Jersey after discharge from KIR

Primary outcomes:
measure: Employment Status
timeFrame: 12-months post-enrollment
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Earnings
timeFrame: 12-months post-enrollment
measure: SSI and SSDI Benefit Applications
timeFrame: 12-months post-enrollment
measure: SSI and SSDI Benefit Awards
timeFrame: 12-months post-enrollment
measure: Job Satisfaction
timeFrame: 12-months post-enrollment
measure: Satisfaction with Services
timeFrame: 12-months post-enrollment
measure: Self-Reported Health and Well-Being
timeFrame: 12-months post-enrollment
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
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