# Optimizing Disability Benefit Decisions and Outcomes in First Episode Psychosis

> **NIH NIH R01** · NEW YORK STATE PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE DBA RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HYGIENE, INC · 2022 · $787,580

## Abstract

A major NIMH goal for early psychosis treatment is to “prevent deterioration and disability among
individuals suffering from psychotic illness”. However, rates of Social Security Administration disability (SSI/DI)
enrollment remain high for young people in early psychosis treatment. Existing studies on SSI/DI have limited
information on the FEP population. Enrollment in SSI/DI may provide benefits (including cash assistance,
access to Medicaid/Medicare, and other social entitlements), but also detrimentally impact identity, vocational
aspirations, career development and employment; individuals rarely leave SSAD benefits for full-time work.
Racial disparities have also been identified, but remain poorly understood, with respect to the intersections
between race, structural racism and the poorer outcomes long-documented among ethnoracialized minorities,
particularly Black Americans. It is crucial to generate knowledge with the potential to inform decision-making
about the benefits and trade-offs inherent in SSI/DI participation and help optimize outcomes within the context
of SSI/DI participation among this population of young people (e.g. generally aged 16-30).
 The primary goal of this project is to investigate factors influencing decisions to apply for SSI/DI, the
impact of these decisions, and the longitudinal relationships between SSI/DI and career development. This
information will then be used to develop systematic strategies for improving services, supporting client decision
making and optimizing outcomes.
 The NIMH-funded Early Psychosis Intervention Network (EPINET), spanning 105 coordinated specialty
care (CSC) programs across 16 states, affords an exceptional opportunity to better understand these issues.
Leveraging the EPINET initiative, this multi-phase, mixed methods study will provide important new knowledge
regarding predictors of application and the relationship between SSI/DI and vocational functioning, will facilitate
development and evaluation of a multi-level menu of actionable targets and associatedimplementation
strategies, for example, specific ways of improving programmatic supports and policy changes designed to
strengthen SSAD-related outcomes (translation of research to practice). The project is guided by the multi-level
Disability Creation Process (DCP2) framework, and implementation activities by the Consolidated Framework
for Implementation Research (CFIR). The proposed project will utilize quantitative data from the EPINET
common dataset (n=5000), supplemented with primary quantitative (n = 330) and qualitative (n = 110) data
collection in four distinct states. The study aims are to: determine the extent and predictors of SSI/DI
application, SSAD enrollment and work/school functioning among clients enrolled in CSC programs,
systematically investigate the client experience of SSI/DI decision making (through quantitative and qualitative
data) and using implementation mapping to develop strategies to optimize CSC servi...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10521916
- **Project number:** 1R01MH125868-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK STATE PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE DBA RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR MENTAL HYGIENE, INC
- **Principal Investigator:** LISA B. DIXON
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $787,580
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-09 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10521916

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10521916, Optimizing Disability Benefit Decisions and Outcomes in First Episode Psychosis (1R01MH125868-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10521916. Licensed CC0.

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