Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 98 Part 2.djvu/647

 PUBLIC LAW 98-460—OCT. 9, 1984

98 STAT. 1807

Security pursuant to section 706 of the Social Security Act prior to 42 USC 907. June 1, 1985. 0)X1) The Advisory Council shall include in its review and report, Report. studies and recommendations with respect to the medical and vocational aspects of disability, including studies and recommendations relating to— (A) the effectiveness of vocational rehabilitation programs for recipients of disability insurance benefits or supplemental security income benefits; (B) the question of using specialists for completing medical and vocational evaluations at the State agency level in the disability determination process, including the question of requiring, in cases involving impairments other than mental impairments, that the medical portion of each case review (as well as any applicable assessment of residual functional capacity) be completed by an appropriate medical specialist employed by the State agency before any determination can be made with respect to the impairment involved; (C) alternative approaches to work evaluation in the case of applicants for benefits based on disability under title XVI and 42 USC i38i. ' recipients of such benefits undergoing reviews of their cases, including immediate referral of any such applicant or recipient to a vocational rehabilitation agency for services at the same time he or she is referred to the appropriate State agency for a disability determination; (D) the feasibility and appropriateness of providing work evaluation stipends for applicants for and recipients of benefits based on disability under title XVI in cases where extended work evaluation is needed prior to the final determination of their eligibility for such benefits or for further rehabilitation and related services; (E) the standards, policies, and procedures which are applied or used by the Secretary of Health and Human Services with respect to work evaluations in order to determine whether such standards, policies, and procedures will provide appropriate screening criteria for work evaluation referrals in the case of applicants for and recipients of benefits based on disability under title XVI; and (F) possible criteria for assessing the probability that an applicant for or recipient of benefits based on disability under title XVI will benefit from rehabilitation services, taking into consideration not only whether the individual involved will be able after rehabilitation to engage in substantial gainful activity but also whether rehabilitation services can reasonably be expected to improve the individual's functioning so that he or she will be able to live independently or work in a sheltered environment. (2) For purposes of this subsection, "work evaluation" includes (with respect to any individual) a determination of^ (A) such individual's skills, (B)the work activities or types of work activity for which such individual's skills are insufficient or inadequate, (C) the work activities or types of work activity for which such individual might potentially be trained or rehabilitated, (D) the length of time for which such individual is capable of sustaining work (including, in the case of the mentally

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