Through improved supports and services, the Obama administration is looking to boost the long-term prospects of kids with disabilities who receive Supplemental Security Income.

The federal government announced plans Tuesday to establish demonstration projects in a handful of states that would offer coordinated services and supports to promote better educational and career outcomes for SSI recipients ages 14 to 16.

Up to $10 million a year is available for five years to each state or team of states that’s selected to participate in the new initiative known as Promoting Readiness of Minors in Supplemental Security Income, or PROMISE.

“Poor educational outcomes and low employment rates are not acceptable outcomes for any individual with a disability,” said Michael Yudin, acting assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services at the U.S. Department of Education. “With PROMISE, we hope to provide strong and effective partnerships with agencies to build capacity to achieve better results and outcomes for child SSI recipients and their families.”

In addition to the Education Department, the U.S. Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services as well as the Social Security Administration are collaborating on the new initiative.

As of 2011, more than a million children were receiving SSI benefits, which help kids with disabilities from low-income families. Most children in the program continue to receive SSI when they become adults.

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