Disability and Employment Policy Research

Commonwealth Medicine, the health care consulting division of UMass Medical School, has a team of researchers studying the many barriers that prevent people with disabilities from joining the workforce.

Commonwealth Medicine’s Center for Health Policy and Research evaluates policies, programs, and practices designed for people with disabilities — and we promote them to enhance opportunities and outcomes for these individuals. We especially focus our research on the experiences of youth and adults with disabilities who meet government criteria for public disability benefits, or are served by public programs.

MI-CEO Grant

In 2008, our Center for Health Policy and Research was awarded a federal Medicaid Infrastructure and Comprehensive Employment Opportunities (MI-CEO) grant, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston. The grant is funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, with anticipated funding through 2011.

Through the MI-CEO grant, we are working to increase employment opportunities and improve outcomes for people with disabilities in Massachusetts. The grant aims to enhance state infrastructure and create systemic changes.

A key objective is to evaluate and promote the MassHealth CommonHealth program, which allows workers with disabilities to obtain health insurance coverage when their earnings are too high to qualify for the Medicaid’s standard MassHealth program.

Disabilities Evaluation and Research

Commonwealth Medicine’s Center for Developmental Disabilities Evaluation and Research (CDDER), a part of the Center for Health Policy and Research, provides research and support services to public health and managed care agencies serving people with developmental disabilities. Located at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center, CDDER also provides research, education, and services for people with developmental disabilities and their families.