Few of the Georgians who transitioned from institutions to a community setting through the Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration Grant, are working or volunteering one year after their transition. Health limitations, transportation issues, and not knowing how to start the job search are the biggest barriers to employment reported by MFP participants.
MFP is a Medicaid demonstration program awarded to the Georgia Department of Community Health that helps people who are living in institutions (i.e., psychiatric residential treatment facilities, nursing homes, or other long-term care facilities) return to their homes and communities while continuing to receive supportive services. GHPC analyzed surveys from 564 MFP participants one year post-transition and 424 individuals two years post-transition. Participants included older adults (14 percent of the sample at year one/12 percent at year 2), people with physical disabilities (34 percent at year one/29 percent year two), and people with developmental disabilities (51 percent year one/59 percent year two).
Only 2.5 percent of respondents were working at year one, and 4.0 percent were working at year two, yet roughly 25 percent said they wanted to be working. Volunteer positions were more common with roughly 10 percent and 11 percent holding a volunteer position at year one and two, respectively. While health limitations, transportation issues, and not knowing how to begin a job search were the most commonly cited barriers, concerns over employer accommodation and Supplemental Security Income were also consistently cited.
“While the MFP program has enabled thousands of individuals to improve their quality of life by supporting choice and control in their everyday lives, there are still opportunities for improvement in transportation, workplace accommodation, and return to work policies,” says lead author Glenn Landers, Sc.D., an associate project director at GHPC. “Additionally, through programmatic improvements, states can better assist those who have returned to the community in charting a path to gainful employment.”
This study was presented at AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (Boston) on June 27. Co-authors include GHPC’s Kristi Fuller, Mohammad Khalaf, Michelle Rushing, and Chandrika Derricho. Click Here