Indiana Facilitates the Employment of Individuals with Mental Health Conditions through the Implementation of Individual Placement and Support

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration is pleased to announce the results of the competitive request for funding opportunity for Community Mental Health Centers to become individual placement and support early adopters. ​

The RFF is the result of a unique collaboration between the Division of Mental Health and Addiction, the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services and the Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning working together toward the common goal to increase competitive integrated employment for individuals with mental health diagnoses. Indiana has a long-term goal of increasing the number of CMHCs that provide IPS. These early adopter CMHCs will provide feedback to the state on local implementation, which will inform systemic alignment of policy and braiding and sequencing of funding to support a widespread IPS implementation long-term.

Employment is a health intervention. Employment leads to better health. Unemployment leads to poor health and social disconnection. Research shows that people with mental health diagnoses lose 10 to 25 years of life from modifiable health conditions. The fastest and most efficient way to help people with serious mental illness obtain and keep jobs is by using the evidence based practice of IPS supported employment. Twenty-eight randomized controlled trials showed a significant advantage for IPS, with a mean of 56% achieving competitive employment vs 23% for those in the cohort without IPS. Medicaid expenditures are reduced by 20-40% for those that work, per various studies.

Following a request for funding opportunity distributed to all Indiana CMHCs, Aspire Indiana, Inc. (serving Boone, Hamilton, Madison, Marion counties) and Grant-Blackford Mental Health, Inc. in collaboration with Carey Services (serving Grant and Blackford counties) have been awarded as IPS early adopters. FSSA is very excited to work with these two entities leading the initiative with an anticipated project kickoff in Oct. 2021.

These early adopters will receive technical assistance and training with the support of federally funded subject matter experts assigned to Indiana through the Department of Labor’s Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment initiative. The technical assistance and training will involve CMHC leadership, clinical and employment personnel, and persons with lived experience to work together to implement the eight principles of IPS, leading to systemic change in how mental health services are provided. The principles are:

1. Focus on competitive employment: Agencies providing IPS services are committed to competitive employment as an attainable goal for people with behavioral health conditions seeking employment. Mainstream education and specialized training may enhance career paths.
2. Eligibility based on client choice: People are not excluded based on readiness, diagnoses, symptoms, substance use history, psychiatric hospitalizations, homelessness, level of disability or legal system involvement.
3. Integration of rehabilitation and mental health services: IPS programs are closely integrated with mental health treatment teams.
4. Attention to worker preferences: Services are based on each person’s preferences and choices, rather than providers’ judgments.
5. Personalized benefits counseling: Employment specialists help people obtain personalized, understandable, and accurate information about their Social Security, Medicaid, and other government entitlements.
6. Rapid job search: IPS programs use a rapid job search approach to help job seekers obtain jobs directly, rather than providing lengthy pre-employment assessment, training, and counseling. If further education is part of their plan, IPS specialists assist in these activities as needed.
7. Systematic job development: Employment specialists systematically visit employers, who are selected based on job seeker preferences, to learn about their business needs and hiring preferences.
8. Time-unlimited and individualized support: Job supports are individualized and continue for as long as each worker wants and needs the support.

More information about the initiative can be found here. Questions can be directed to Kelsi Linville, DMHA bureau chief, Adults with Mental Illness and Co-occurring Disorders, at [email protected].