December 2010

1. December 2010 Project Director’s Report OIDAP Quarterly Meeting Baltimore, MD Sylvia Karman OIDAP Member & Director, Office of Vocational Resources Development

2. Presentation Overview Creation of the Office of Vocational Resources Development Status of OIS activities Next steps for the OVRD and the Occupational Information Development (OID)Project

3. Office of Vocational Resources Development On October 1, Office of Program Development and Research announced the establishment of a new unit dedicated to the OIS development The Occupational Information Development project team has become the Office of Vocational Resources Development (OVRD) OVRD is charged with directing and conducting the research and development for SSA’s OIS OVRD consists of two branches: one dedicated to research design and development, scientific standards, testing, data collection, and data analysis; the other branch is dedicated to program integration to ensure that the OIS is developed in a way that meets SSA’s legal, program, and operational needs

4. Objective:  To identify the primary occupational, functional, and vocational characteristics of DI and SSI applicants whose claims were approved or denied at steps four or five of the sequential evaluation process for decisions made at the initial and hearings levels. Completed reviews of initial-level cases at the end of July Presented highlights of preliminary results (based on results from 3,397 cases to Panel in August Occupational and Medical-Vocational Study 4

5. Completed quality reviews of initial-level cases Developed hearings-level Data Collection Instrument (DCI) and protocol Pre-testing of DCI expected to occur in December Reviews of hearings-level cases expected to begin in January 2011 Occupational and Medical-Vocational Study (cont’d) 5

6. Investigation of Existing Occupational Information Systems Objective:  To establish an informed basis for identification of SSA’s OIS requirements, processes, and options through examination of the development and operation of other OISs. • Conducted interviews with OIS officials from several nations and international organizations (United Nations International Labor Organization, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) and obtained information from others (European Union and the U.K.) Social Security Administration

7. Investigation of Existing Occupational Information Systems (cont’d) • Identifying relevant contacts and information sources for other domestic OIS sources (e.g. OPM and DoD OISs) • Will develop an overarching report on the key features and methods used to develop other OISs in the U.S. and in other nations Social Security Administration

8. Colloboration Involving SSA’s Office of Disability Programs’ Interagency Agreement with NIH • OVRD has met with the Office of Disability Programs regarding the NIH and Boston University studies to follow the status of this work. • OVRD staff is beginning conversations with the NIH-BU team concerning what we may learn from their research experiences. 8

9. OISD Workgroup Update • The workgroup has returned to a regular schedule of meetings after a two-month hiatus and has received a briefing on the status of the project, organization and future activities of the workgroup, which include establishing a formal charter during their December meetings. 9

10. OISD Research and Development Plan • We have completed an initial draft of a comprehensive OIS Research and Design Plan, which includes a Business Process. • This plan is currently under review within OVRD, while we also conduct some of the initial work needed to further develop portions of plan (e.g., tasks, timeframes, and resources). 10

11. Content Model • Developing a draft methodology including identification of key sources for data element identification and possible content analysis tools and techniques. Social Security 11

12. Legal Standards • OVRD is working with the Office of General Counsel to consult on the legal framework needed to support the OIS • Initial research has been provided concerning key issues in legal defensibility that has contributed to a working paper on legal, program, and technical requirements Social Security 12

13. BPA for Job Analysts • BPA awarded to ICF International, Inc. in September 2010 • ICF is conducting focus groups and literature reviews to identify and benchmark job analysis methodology across various disciplines and to document current trends in recruitment, training and certification of job analysts Social 13

14. BPA for Job Analysts (cont’d) • Draft report on Training, Certification and Recruitment due in April 2011 • Draft report on Job Analysis Methodologies due in June 2011 Social 14

15. Communications • OVRD developing a detailed communications plan • Working with internal components to define future web-based requirements • Taking steps to explore the requirements of a web-based, multifaceted, interactive site Social Security Administration 15

16. Scientific Standards We have developed a method for locating relevant scientific standards that can be applied to various OIS project activities with the primary goal of establishing requirements for the OIS that would lead to scientific defensibility. Review of the OIS research and design plan underway to identify major and minor tasks that require scientific guidance, so that there can be a strategy in place to assure such guidance is in place. 16

17. OIS Project: Next Steps in FY2011 Complete OIS research and design plan Develop job analyst recruitment, training, certification plans Prepare and implement a study design for the content model Examine methods of other OIS Follow up with the Census Bureau 17