The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program currently serves approximately 1 million children, and a growing body of evidence shows that it improves outcomes for child recipients and their families. However, little is currently known about factors that drive applications and take-up among eligible populations and the extent to which disparities exist in applications and take-up along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and geographic location. In the proposed research, we examine disparities in applications and take-up of SSI among low birth weight (LBW) infants in the state of Florida, exploiting Social Security Administration (SSA) rules that make infants born below 1200 grams automatically eligible for SSI. We then examine the extent to which parental, community, and hospital characteristics are associated with the measured disparities, as a means to identifying barriers to participation among underserved populations.
Projects /
Racial, Hospital, and Geographic Disparities in Supplemental Security Income Applications and Take-up in Florida: Evidence from Birth Weight Eligibility Cutoffs
Published: 2025
Project ID: UM25-03