Toward a Social Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Programs to Expand Supported Employment Services: An Interpretive Review of the Literature

Unlike traditional vocational rehabilitation programs that provide extensive training prior to job placement, Individual Placement and Support (IPS) supported employment (SE) focuses on placing individuals in jobs then tailoring post-placement training and support to the needs of the job. A large volume of compelling evidence has accumulated from random controlled trials demonstrating that IPS SE programs achieve higher rates of employment--and, in particular, competitive employment--compared traditional vocational rehabilitation services. Although evidence of the IPS SE model’s cost-effectiveness has been harder to document, it is promising, especially when substituting for services that have little or no rehabilitative potential. [50 PDF pages]