Application deadline extended until January 6, 2012

The Disability Determination Process (DDP) Small Grant Program is a one-year stipend program that will allow graduate-level students to conduct supervised independent research on improving disability determination processes. The program is directed by Policy Research, Inc. (PRI) of Delmar, NY, and is 100% funded through a $300,000 grant from the Social Security Administration (SSA) (#IDD11000001).

Program Description

This grant program will award stipends to graduate students to conduct research on improving disability determination processes. For example, the disability determination process used for SSA’s two disability programs – Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) -- is extensive and complex, and members of the public with health problems and economic hardships often find it difficult to navigate this process. PRI hopes to improve the efficiency and reduce the complexity of disability determination processes by facilitating innovative research through stipends to a broad spectrum of graduate students and by allowing those students to access technical information on SSA disability program operations from disability experts. In exchange, PRI expects students to produce a thesis or written project relevant to disability programs by February 28, 2013.

Applicant Eligibility

Applicants must be masters, doctoral, or post-doctoral-level graduate students pursuing full-time research training in accredited programs with an academic emphasis in topics of interest to disability programs, including public health, social work, occupational medicine, vocational and rehabilitation counseling, public policy and administration, sociology, psychology, education, economics, medicine, and law. Applicants may submit more than one proposal for consideration per year, but can receive only one stipend award per year.

At the time of stipend award, selected graduate student researchers must be citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United States, or must have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible for stipend award. Members of minority and historically disadvantaged groups are encouraged to apply.

RFA and Instructions | Application | Reference Template Social Security Administration Press Release Please send email to: ddp@PolicyResearchInc.org for more information Policy Research, Inc. 345 Delaware Avenue Delmar, NY 12054 Phone: (518) 439-7415 Email: info@PolicyResearchInc.org Fax: (518) 439-7612