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The
Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach (BPAO) Survey was conducted
at the request of the Office of Employment Support Programs to obtain
feedback about the experience and opinions of BPAO program participants.
Under 116 cooperative agreements with a variety of community organizations
nationwide, specially trained benefits specialists provide different
levels of counseling services to assist disabled beneficiaries in
making informed decisions about work, including the three most intensive
categories of services: Benefits Analysis and Advisement, Benefits
Support Planning and Benefits Management. The BPAO survey was conducted
by telephone during November and December 2002 with 1,764 individuals
who were identified as having received 1 of these levels of service.
Using
SSA’s standard six point rating scale that ranges from “excellent”
to “very poor,” beneficiaries were asked to evaluate
their overall satisfaction with the information and services provided,
as well as the more tangible aspects of the experience such as the
convenience, accessibility and privacy of the location where they
met with the benefits specialists. Beneficiaries also provided their
level of satisfaction (“very satisfied” to “very
dissatisfied”) with access to the benefits specialist, both
in person and by telephone. The clarity and helpfulness of the information
and actions of the benefits specialists were assessed using a four
point scale from “strongly agree” to “strongly
disagree.” And, finally, the survey also contained questions
about the participant’s work activity and education.
Highlights
of the Survey Results
Survey
respondents reported a very positive reaction to BPAO counseling
giving an overall satisfaction rate of 89 percent excellent,
very good or good (E/VG/G). Among dissatisfied
respondents, specific complaints were that the benefits specialists
could not provide complete and accurate information, that
they failed to return calls promptly and that the program
had not provided tangible help in terms of finding employment. |
At
96 percent E/VG/G, the courtesy of the benefits specialist
was most highly rated, followed by the time they spent with
the participant (94 percent E/VG/G) and their helpfulness
(90 percent E/VG/G). |
When
considering their in person contacts with the benefits specialist,
the privacy and accessibility of the meeting location both
received E/VG/G ratings of 93 percent. In contrast,
the convenience of the meeting location was one of the lowest
rated aspects of service (84 percent E/VG/G) because of the
long distance respondents had to travel, the lack of transportation
and inadequate parking. |
Ninety-five
percent of respondents reported that they were very satisfied
or somewhat satisfied (VS/SS) with the length of time they
waited for their initial appointment with the benefits specialist.
Although still highly favorable, satisfaction was lower for
respondents trying to get through to the benefits specialist
on the telephone (90 percent VS/SS) or waiting for a return
call (89 percent VS/SS). |
Respondents
were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with several statements
concerning different aspects of the services provided by the
benefits specialist. Ninety
five percent of respondents strongly agreed or somewhat agreed
(SA/SWA) (77 percent SA) that it was helpful when the benefits
specialist contacted someone else about their situation, such
as a friend, relative, SSA or Vocational Rehabilitation.
Only 43 percent of respondents reported that the benefits
specialist took such an action during the course of their
counseling. |
Sixty-one
percent of respondents indicated that the benefits specialist
wrote something for them that explained their personal situation
and benefits. Of this group, a very high percentage
(95 percent SA/SWA; 70 percent SA) found that this written
explanation clearly told them what they needed to know. |
When
respondents considered the oral explanations they received
from the benefits specialist, most (92 percent SA/SWA; 65
percent SA) found the information about how work and earnings
would affect their benefits to be clear.
Some of the respondents who disagreed claimed that
they had never received an explanation from the benefits specialist. |
Respondents
reported the lowest level of agreement (87 percent SA/SWA;
56 percent SA) with the statement that, after talking with
the benefits specialist, they understood what they were supposed
to do or what was supposed to happen next.
Respondents
who did not agree said that the benefits specialist’s
explanation left them feeling confused and uncertain about
the next step in the process. |
Similar
proportions of respondents agreed that they were confident
the benefits specialist provided them with accurate information
(94 percent SA/SWA; 72 percent SA) and that they took actions
promptly (94 percent SA/SWA; 75 percent SA). |
Twenty-eight
percent of respondents indicated that they were working at
the time of their initial contact with the benefits specialist.
After benefits counseling, 47 percent of respondents
reported work activity (26 percent continued work that had
started before their contact; 21 percent began working subsequent
to benefits counseling). |
| Three-fourths
of respondents felt there were other issues in their life
that affected their decision about working besides the information
they obtained through benefits counseling.
The
two other factors most frequently cited by respondents were
their medical condition (53 percent) followed by their family
situation (17 percent). |
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