Priority Topics

Research on Compassionate Allowances (CAL) is of particular interest and a research priority for this program (http://www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances/).  For example, projects may:   

• Assess the severity thresholds in medical conditions that meet the criteria for CAL and the scientific, medical, or research justification for their inclusion as part of the compassionate allowance process. 
• Identify new CAL conditions and subcategories of impairments to emphasize those cases with the greatest severity.
• Evaluate new imaging and diagnostic tools used to measure severity of conditions.
• Analyze treatment guidelines that would suggest certain drugs or treatments given as a last resort may also be a measure of severity. 
• Explore new advances in technology and their application to disability determination. 

Another research priority for this program is the analysis and development of a conceptual crosswalk that compares:

• The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) concepts and terminology to the occupational requirements concepts and terminology used in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), formerly supported by the US Department of Labor
• The function-by-function descriptions of the individual’s work to residual functional capacity ratings, which are based on DOT concepts, and to possible functional equivalence to SSA Listings of Impairments. The scope could be either a global comparison for mental and physical impairments, or an analysis of specific physical or mental impairments
• This topic may be of particular interest to graduate students in occupational therapy, physical therapy, rehabilitative therapy and vocational rehabilitation counseling fields as basic conceptual research

Other Suggested Topics

Students are encouraged to develop alternative topics and formulate appropriate study designs. Some examples might include:

Medical and Rehabilitative Sciences

• What are the most common functional effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) or various types of strokes and what measurements of severity might be suitable for evaluating the functional capacity of an individual who has suffered from a TBI/stroke? How might the specific physical and cognitive functional deficit(s) resulting from a TBI/stroke affect ability to meet critical work requirements?
• Do current medical listings found in Disability Evaluation under Social Security (also known as the “Blue Book,” http://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/) provide consistent consideration regarding the use of assistive technology for disability determination purposes?

Predictive Modeling, Economics, Efficiencies

• Predictive modeling, like the quick disability determination (QDD) process used by SSA, is another research priority for this program. Focusing on information collection instruments, what are the opportunities for improving an existing disability claim intake process?
• What are the key factors in the growth of mental impairments on the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income rolls?
• What is the best way to collect information during the application process to maximize the proper identification of cases that qualify for compassionate allowance processing?

Sociology, Special Populations, Vocational Factors

• What is the relationship between homelessness and disability? What factors associated with homelessness are predictive of disability and are within the existing statutory authority to consider? Can chronic homelessness be used as a proxy for meeting criteria for the mental and other medical listings (e.g. the “B” criteria for Traumatic Brain Injury)?
• Does recent research offer guidance on a disability determination process for special populations, such as children and wounded warriors?
• Research has been published in the last decade regarding the effects of such factors as age, education, and skills on individuals ability to work.
  1. What else can be learned from published literature regarding the effects of age and education, in particular, on an individual’s vocational profile?
  2. To what extent can the effects found among the populations associated with these published studies be generalized to a disability claimant population (such as SSA’s claimant population)?
  3. How does age affect the ability to work (or the residual functional capacity) of individuals with specified impairments, such as musculoskeletal impairments or affective disorders?