Disability | MRDRC

Project

2025

A Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR) Mixed-methods Approach Involving Low-income Minority Persons with Psychiatric Disabilities to Understand How Removing Barriers to SSI Participation Can Improve Their Economic Security

This project will partner with persons with psychiatric disabilities (PwPD) who have low incomes and who are members of minority racial/ethnic groups to investigate barriers to accessing Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The Community Based Participatory Research...

Authors: Debra Brucker, Patrick Corrigan, Andrew J. Houtenville, Samantha Mestan,

Project

2025

Educational Investments, Family Resources, and the Dynamic Disincentive of Social Security

This research proposal seeks to analyze the effects of disability transfer programs on the educational attainment of individuals whose disability is early-onset (before the age of 18), comparing the implications of policies aimed at children from those targeting...

Authors: Robert Millard, Steven Stern,

Project

2025

From Bias to Inclusion: A Mixed-Methods Approach to Understanding and Addressing Employment Barriers for People with Disabilities

Significant barriers to employment exist for people with disabilities (PWD). This mixed-methods study proposes to address the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) goal of reducing these barriers by examining the impact of academic training on attitudes toward PWD...

Authors: Noel A. Ysasi, Pat Green, Susan Flowers, Joseph Pete, Derek Ruiz,

Project

2024

Race Disparities and Consequences of Cancer Diagnosis on Preretirement Work Disruption

Cancer is among the most common health problems that adults face, leading to work disruptions and, consequently, decreased economic security of workers and their families. Black adults have higher risks of cancer-related job disruptions than their white counterparts....

Authors: Dawn Carr, Askal Ali,

Project

2024

Developing a Survey to Understand Barriers to Applying for Disability Insurance

Applications for SSDI and SSI benefits have been declining by more than expected for over a decade. There are few hypotheses for this decline. In this project, we will try to understand true and perceived barriers to applying for benefits by asking people with...

Authors: David Powell, Lisa Abraham, Jessie Coe, Derek Ruiz,

Project

2024

Pathways and Persistence of Labor Force Transitions During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Using new data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we will document pathways out of the labor force during the COVID-19 pandemic; estimate the persistence of transitions into retirement, disability, and other nonwork states for near retirement workers; and...

Authors: Maria Casanova, David Knapp,

Project

2024

Inflation’s Impact on Vulnerable Older Workers’ and Retirees’ Economic Outcomes

Inflation and uncertainty over future prices recently reached their highest levels in four decades. Given lower rates of homeownership and other inflation protected assets, Black, Hispanic, and lower-income older workers and retirees may be particularly vulnerable to...

Authors: Marco Angrisani, Jeremy Burke, Francisco Perez-Arce,

Project

2023

Geographic Variation in Social Security Disability Insurance Beneficiaries’ Mortality Rates

This project aims to document and understand how SSDI beneficiaries’ mortality rates vary across counties and states, both in absolute terms and relative to nonbeneficiaries in their communities. In addition to describing the geographic dispersion in mortality, we...

Authors: Timothy J. Moore, Amanda Michaud, David Wiczer,

Project

2023

The Mortality Impacts of the SSDI Waiting Periods

Social Security Disability Insurance beneficiaries face two waiting periods before they receive benefits. There is a five-month waiting period for cash benefits and a subsequent 24-month waiting period for Medicare benefits. Because of these rules, some individuals...

Authors: David Powell, Mireille Jacobson,

Project

2023

Mixed-methods Study on Work-disabled Adults Who Do Not Apply for Social Security Disability Benefits

Fewer than 50% of all American adults with work disabilities currently receive disability benefits, presenting a stark divergence between self-reported work-disability prevalence and disability awards. Yet, we know little about how work-disabled adults make their...

Authors: Doerte Junghaenel, Lila Rabinovich,

Project

2023

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Job Characteristics and Patterns in Disability Retirement and Social Security Retirement Wealth

Using Health and Retirement Study data together with rich job characteristic data from O*NET, we will identify variables related to work context that characterize jobs based on levels of physiological and psychological stress. We will evaluate differences by...

Authors: Dawn Carr, Amanda Sonnega,

Project

2022

Investigating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Provision of Workplace Accommodations

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...

Authors: Andrew J. Houtenville, Megan Henly, Debra Brucker,

Project

2022

The Role of Physical, Cognitive and Interpersonal Occupational Requirements and Working Conditions on Disability and Retirement

This proposed research project is an expansion of the MRDRC grant UM21-05, where we investigated the role of physical occupational requirements on retirement transitions using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and from the first wave of the Occupational...

Authors: Italo Lopez Garcia, Kathleen J. Mullen, Jeffrey Wenger,

Project

2022

The Effect of the Americans with Disabilities Act on Supplemental Security Income

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was introduced in 1990 with the goal of protecting disabled workers. While a number of studies have examined the ADA’s impact on the disabled individuals’ employment, it is important to also understand its impact on their...

Authors: Timothy J. Moore,

Project

2022

Retirement Pensions and Disability Insurance for the 21st Century

This project will estimate the degree of disability risk among the older than 50 population in the United States and England, and evaluate joint reforms of disability insurance and retirement pension programs in a dynamic model of labor supply, social security...

Authors: Tom Zawisza,

Project

2022

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

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...

Authors: Lauren Nicholas,

Project

2021

Adding New Variables to the RAND HRS Longitudinal File to Better Support Research on Disability

In September 2020, the MRDRC held a data development workshop on “Disability Research with the Health and Retirement Study,” where researchers highlighted the importance and richness of the HRS for the study of disability, but identified some challenges to using the...

Authors: Susann Rohwedder,

Project

2021

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

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...

Authors: David Neumark,

Project

2021

The Relationship between Adverse Experiences over the Life Course and Later-life Retirement Due to Disability

We will use data about early- and midlife adversity from the Health and Retirement Study, including the new Life History Mail Survey, to examine the effects of adverse experiences on retirement due to disability. We hypothesize that early- and midlife adverse...

Authors: Amanda Sonnega, Brooke Helppie McFall,

Project

2021

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

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...

Authors: Andrew J. Houtenville, Megan Henly, Debra Brucker,

Project Category: Disability

A Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR) Mixed-methods Approach Involving Low-income Minority Persons with Psychiatric Disabilities to Understand How Removing Barriers to SSI Participation Can Improve Their Economic Security

Educational Investments, Family Resources, and the Dynamic Disincentive of Social Security

From Bias to Inclusion: A Mixed-Methods Approach to Understanding and Addressing Employment Barriers for People with Disabilities

Race Disparities and Consequences of Cancer Diagnosis on Preretirement Work Disruption

Developing a Survey to Understand Barriers to Applying for Disability Insurance

Pathways and Persistence of Labor Force Transitions During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Inflation’s Impact on Vulnerable Older Workers’ and Retirees’ Economic Outcomes

Geographic Variation in Social Security Disability Insurance Beneficiaries’ Mortality Rates

The Mortality Impacts of the SSDI Waiting Periods

Mixed-methods Study on Work-disabled Adults Who Do Not Apply for Social Security Disability Benefits

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Job Characteristics and Patterns in Disability Retirement and Social Security Retirement Wealth

Investigating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Provision of Workplace Accommodations

The Role of Physical, Cognitive and Interpersonal Occupational Requirements and Working Conditions on Disability and Retirement

The Effect of the Americans with Disabilities Act on Supplemental Security Income

Retirement Pensions and Disability Insurance for the 21st Century

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

Adding New Variables to the RAND HRS Longitudinal File to Better Support Research on Disability

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

The Relationship between Adverse Experiences over the Life Course and Later-life Retirement Due to Disability

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

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