Monday, July 12, 2010

Forward (but slow) motion on replacing the DOT...

The link below is a solicitation dated July 8, 2010 for what appears to be the first concrete effort to develop a replacement for the aging Dictionary of Occupational Titles DOT, and its companion volumes, which have not been updated since 1991. This paper further notes the failures of O*NET with regard to its application to disability adjudication. Responses are due in August.

This has long been needed, especially with regard to jobs of a technical nature. Imagine the computer, calculator, or communications devices that you had in 1991 as compared to today. Now imagine that the success of your disability case depends on job criteria that were written and developed during that same era. If your substantial gainful activity requires (or required) much in the way of technical expertise, this is a very scary thought indeed!

https://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/PublicPages/PublicSearch/Public_Opportunities.aspx

C-1 PURPOSE
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is developing a new occupational information system (OIS) tailored specifically for the agency’s disability programs and adjudicative needs. The new OIS will provide the agency with a long-term replacement for the occupational information that it currently obtains from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) and other companion volumes such as the Selected Characteristics of Occupations (SCO) and the Revised Handbook for Analyzing Jobs (RHAJ). The OIS Development Project addresses a critical need within the agency and it is anticipated that the new OIS will improve the timeliness and quality of the agency’s disability determination process. For this reason, the OIS Development Project is included in the agency’s strategic plan.
The purpose of this contract is to obtain the services of an expert in the field of industrial and organizational (I/O) psychology or an equivalent field to develop a prototype instrument which SSA can use to conduct analyses of work which exists in the national economy. I/O psychology consists of the scientific application or extension of psychological facts and principles to the problems concerning human beings operating within the context of business and industry

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