Disability insurance

Labor-market shocks and historically-disadvantaged-groups’ access to SSI and SSDI

• October 15, 2021
• Susan Barnes
• Disability insurance, Disparities, Labor force participation, Supplemental Security Income

SSI and SSDI uptake are important mechanisms for workers with disabilities adjusting to negative shocks in the labor market. In this project, we aim to determine the extent to which structural barriers have excluded historically disadvantaged groups disproportionately affected by…

Investigating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Provision of Workplace Accommodations

• October 15, 2021
• Susan Barnes
• Disability, Disability insurance, Disparities

Accommodations improve the employment outcomes of people with disabilities, although there are racial (and possibly ethnic) disparities in accommodation receipt. This project will investigate the effect of occupation, industry, and other factors on these disparities.

Tracking Changes in the Composition of Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplement Security Income Following the COVID-19 Pandemic

• October 15, 2021
• Susan Barnes
• Administrative data link, COVID-19, Disability, Disability insurance

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered Americans’ health and work in ways that may trigger significant changes in the size and composition of disability program participation. In this project, we use Social Security Administration data to study trends in beneficiary…

The Causes and Consequences of Opioid Use among Older Americans: A Panel Survey Approach

• July 21, 2021
• Susan Barnes
• Disability insurance, Health and Retirement Study, Labor force participation, Mortality trends, Opioids

This study examines the effects of prescription opioid analgesic use for older Americans, specifically with regard to work disability and disability program participation. We draw on the long-panel structure of the Health and Retirement Study and a newly available 2009…

Do Workers Injured on the Job and Covered by Workers Compensation End Up on SSDI?

• December 16, 2020
• Susan Barnes
• Disability, Disability insurance, Health and Retirement Study

This project will use data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to study whether workers who suffer permanently disabling injuries covered by Workers Compensation (WC) subsequently end up on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). If this occurs, then the…

Occupational Requirements and Worker Functional Abilities: A Close Look at Three Key Occupations

• December 16, 2020
• Susan Barnes
• Disability, Disability insurance

This project will examine the physical/mental functioning and use of accommodations among workers in three key occupations, selected from 14 identified as physically demanding and highly prevalent among SSDI applicants. SSA’s input will be sought when selecting the three occupations.…

Setting Expectations for Claimant Ability to Work: Investigating the Occupational Requirements and Functional Capacity of Workers with Early Onset Health Conditions

• April 22, 2020
• Susan Barnes
• Disability, Disability insurance, Labor force participation

Recent Trends in Disability and the Implications for Use of Disability Insurance

• April 21, 2020
• Susan Barnes
• Demographic trends, Disability, Disability insurance, Health, Labor force participation, Older workers, Supplemental Security Income

Recent Trends in Disability and the Implications for Use of Disability Insurance

• April 16, 2020
• Susan Barnes
• Demographic trends, Disability, Disability insurance

Abstract: The health of the working-aged population is a key driver of enrollment in and spending by the two most important federal disability programs, Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Recent studies have found that some…

Setting Expectations for Claimant Ability to Work: Investigating the Occupational Requirements and Functional Capacity of Workers with Early Onset Health Conditions

• January 10, 2020
• CMT_Admin
• Disability, Disability insurance, Social Security

When determining a claimant’s eligibility for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, the Social Security Administration (SSA) assesses whether his/her health condition (e.g., back/spine problems) sufficiently impairs his/her functional capacity (e.g., ability to lift/carry weight) so that the he/she is…