Disability insurance

Worker Functional Abilities, Occupational Requirements, and Job Accommodations: A Close Look at Three Occupations

• June 3, 2022
• Susan Barnes
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Disability, Disability insurance, Occupational Requirements Survey

Talking about job skills: Researchers develop a common language

• May 17, 2022
• Susan Barnes
• Disability, Disability insurance, Labor force participation, O*NET, Occupational Requirements Survey, Second career

Anu: “I ran a 5k in 37 minutes.” Prasad: “I ate nine muffins as a post-race snack.” Anu and Prasad may be talking about the same 5k race. Or not. It’s hard to tell because they don’t share the same…

Workplace Injuries and Receipt of Benefits from Workers Compensation and SSDI*

• April 13, 2022
• Susan Barnes
• Disability, Disability insurance, Health and Retirement Study, Program interaction, Social Security

We use data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and matched Social Security Administration (SSA) data to study two questions. First, we examine evidence on whether workers who suffer permanently disabling injuries covered by workers’ compensation (WC) subsequently end…

Work Capacity Assessments for Disability Benefit Determinations: An International Comparison

• April 6, 2022
• Susan Barnes
• Disability, Disability insurance, International

Disability protection programs constitute a critical safety net for individuals unable to work due to disabling health conditions. Yet countries differ along a number of dimensions in terms of how their social safety nets assist people with disabilities. Learning from…

Worker Functional Abilities, Occupational Requirements, and Job Accommodations: A Close Look at Three Occupations

• December 22, 2021
• Susan Barnes
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Disability insurance, Occupational Requirements Survey

This report examines the occupational requirements, physical and mental functioning, and use of accommodations among workers in three key occupations: cashiers, receptionists, and those in nursing fields. These jobs are among the top occupations represented in the work histories of…

Workplace Injuries and Receipt of Benefits from Workers Compensation and SSDI*

• December 21, 2021
• Susan Barnes
• Disability, Disability insurance, Program interaction

We use data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and matched Social Security Administration (SSA) data to study two questions. First, we examine evidence on whether workers who suffer permanently disabling injuries covered by workers’ compensation (WC) subsequently end…

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…