RETAIN Kentucky Impact Evaluation

The Retaining Employment and Talent after Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN) demonstration is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) to improve employment outcomes for individuals who experience injuries or illnesses that put them at risk of exiting the labor force and relying on disability programs and other public supports in the long term. RETAIN projects include a combination of medical provider services, stay-at-work/return-to-work (SAW/RTW) coordination services, and other SAW/RTW services. This evaluation will focus on The Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet's implementation of "RETAIN KY" statewide. The evaluation will document how the project is implemented, describe enrollees, estimate the project's impacts on enrollees' outcomes, and assess whether the benefits outweigh the costs.

Inclusion Criteria: * Individuals who are at risk of exiting the workforce due to non-work-related illness of injury * Individuals who are employed or have been employed within the last 12 months and made at least $1,000 in one of those months * Individuals who reside in the Kentucky * Individuals must not have applied for or be receiving federal disability benefits including SSDI and SSI within the last 5 years Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals who are do not have a non-work-related illness or injury that puts them at risk of exiting the workforce * Individuals who unemployed or have not been employed within the last 12 months * Individuals who have not made at least $1,000 in the past 12 months * Individuals who do not reside in the Kentucky * Individuals who have applied for or be receiving federal disability benefits including SSDI and SSI within the last 5 years