Robert Schmidt, UR received $2.5 M grant from US Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
Dr. Robert Schmidt, professor and chair of the University of Richmond Economics Department, Robins School of Business, is the lead investigator on a new grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, that will investigate the return on investment in several states’ vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs.
The award totals $2,498,878 over five years. 99% will be financed by federal money in the amount of $2,498,878, with 1% financed by non-federal funds in the amount of $25,010. The award will involve significant collaborations among UR, the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (VDARS), George Washington University Center for Rehabilitation Counseling Research and Education, and the University of Arkansas CURRENTS, along with state agencies overseeing VR programs in Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia. The University of Richmond will provide at least $25,000 in matching funds in support of this project.
This work builds on the accomplishments gained under previous awards from the same agency, led by the late Dr. David Dean in partnership with Dr. Schmidt, which also involved collaboration with Dr. Joe Ashley, Assistant Commissioner for Grants and Special Programs, and Dr. Kirsten Rowe, Grants and Systems Development Specialist, at VDARS. Economists at Richmond have collaborated with colleagues at VDARS for more than 20 years. Also continuing in the new grant is Dr. Rob Froehlich, adjunct professor in GWU’s Rehabilitation Counseling program, who will be the project coordinator. Consultants Dr. John Pepper and Dr. Steven Stern from UVA will also continue to contribute substantially.
As Dr. Schmidt stated in his application, “Return on investment (ROI) information for the state-federal vocational rehabilitation (VR) program has increasingly been seen as a way to demonstrate the effectiveness of VR…The objective of the proposed new research is to further refine and test the existing ROI models using a more heterogeneous set of state agencies and a more recent cohort of applicants for VR services. This project also proposes to test a ‘turnkey’ approach to ROI analysis that can generate rigorous and credible estimates for any size agency, for individuals with virtually any type of disability, for different types of VR services. A user-friendly web-based “ROI Estimator” will be developed to allow state agencies to simulate the impact of different VR services on the employment outcomes of VR clients and to develop ROI estimates for the entire state program.”
Dr. Schmidt has taught at the University of Richmond since 1981, after obtaining his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Economics from Duke. He has won the University’s Distinguished Educator Award and other honors, and has published numerous refereed journal articles.