The purpose of this exploratory study was to develop a preliminary understanding of the influence of state-level contextual factors predictive of employment outcomes for State/Federal Vocational Rehabilitation System (State VR) participants with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Participants were 5,213 individuals with TBI with Individualized Plans for Employment closed during Federal Fiscal Year 2016. A four-step hierarchical logistic regression model (5.6% explained variance) containing five demographic, three state-level economic, six state TBI service climate, and nine State VR service variable expenditures correctly classified 57.0% of cases as attaining or not attaining an employment outcome at closure. Significant predictors associated with an employment closure were (a) education, veteran status, and presence of a secondary area of disability impairment; (b) state-level per-capita income; (c) State VR specialized acquired brain injury (ABI)/TBI service and state TBI Implementation Partnership grant funding; and (d) State VR service expenditures on diagnosis and treatment, occupational or vocational training, on-the-job training, job readiness training, transportation, maintenance support, and benefits counseling. The practice, policy, and research implications of these findings are presented.
The experiences of women with traumatic brain injury about the barriers and facilitators experienced after vocational rehabilitation in the Western Cape Metropole, South Africa
