The Social Security Administration (SSA) is developing an Occupational Information System (OIS) tailored specifically for their disability programs. In order to work with disability claims, SSA needs information on occupations that exist throughout the nation to determine whether an individual claiming a disability is no longer able to work.
Currently, SSA uses primary sources of information on jobs and job requirements from the Department of Labor (DOL), but from now on, DOL will not be updating their job requirements information. Therefore, SSA is taking steps to develop an Occupational Information System suited specifically for their Social Security disability program.
Several years ago, SSA established their Occupational Information Development Advisory Panel (OIDAP) and on March 22nd 2012, a meeting will be held to advise SSA on how to address the agency’s needs.
In addition, to the advice from OIDAP members, SSA is also consulting with external stakeholders, professionals, and members of the public regarding the best way to do disability evaluations and how to use occupational information to help in their disability programs.
OIDP’s activities in FY 2012 and in FY 2013, OIDP will include:
• Conducting quarterly OIDP meetings
• Collaborating and partnering with DOL and other federal agencies during the research and development phases of the project
• Identifying key OIS design elements
• Recruiting, training, and certifying job analysts to perform data collection
• Developing and pre-testing the prototype work analysis instruments involving job analysis and data collection on occupations
• Developing and testing prototype data collection methods and data management systems
• Developing the “Prototype OIS Data Analysis Plan”
• Developing a study design for a job analysis pilot to test sampling and data collection methods
• Conducting a prototype pilot for OIS data collection and job analysis processes
For more information on the Advisory Committee meeting, email Leola S. Brooks at leola.brooks@ssa.gov.
