Medicaid and employment of people with disabilities: Findings from the national survey of state systems and employment for people with disabilities

Recent public policy has sought to broaden the role of Medicaid, which typically serves people with limited income, to include increasing employment among people with disabilities and supporting people with disabilities who are working. In late 2001, we surveyed Medicaid agencies regarding their provision of services to working people with disabilities and collaboration with disability- and employment-related agencies and services. One third to one half of respondents were involved in Workforce Investment Act implementation at the state level and/or were implementing a Medicaid Buy-In option for working adults with disabilities. Collaboration with disability- or employment-focused agencies occurred at similarly moderate rates, with activities such as trainings and working groups being the most common types of collaboration reported. These findings suggest that while policy efforts to expand Medicaid's role in supporting employment of people with disabilities have been somewhat successful, there is potential for considerably more engagement of Medicaid agencies in this important issue.