The Supplemental Security Income Program (SSI) provides federally-funded income support for disabled individuals and has become the most important means-tested transfer program in the United States. Previous studies have examined the effects of economic conditions on growth in disability caseloads, but most focus on SSDI. Most work on SSI dates from before welfare reform, which had both direct and indirect effects on the composition of the population ‘at risk’ for SSI participation. In this project, we will use data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) March Supplement and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to look at SSI participation among disabled adults and children. We will investigate the relationship between SSI participation and economic conditions, and how this relationship varies with demographic characteristics, welfare policy parameters, and state fiscal situations.
Economic Conditions and SSI Applications
Austin Nichols, Purvi Sevak, Lucie Schmidt,2015