To search exact terms or phrases, such as project ID, wrap your search in quotes. Example: "UM24-02" or "ethnic disparities"
2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
Student loan debt in the U.S. exceeds $1.3 trillion, and unlike credit card and medical debt, cannot typically be discharged through bankruptcy. Moreover, this debt has been increasing: The share of borrowers leaving school with more than $50,000 of federal student...2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
In this project, we investigate the effect of changes in the delayed retirement credit (DRC) on workers’ decisions to claim retired-worker benefits. The DRC gives workers a financial incentive to delay claiming beyond their full retirement age (FRA). The 1983 Social...2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
Understanding how health decline influences retirement decisions is fundamental for the design of targeted policies that encourage longer working lives. While there is wide agreement of the relevant role of age-related health decline in retirement decisions, the...2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
We explore the education difference in knee pain among middle-aged and older individuals. Knee pain differs greatly by education and is a key reason why disability insurance differs so much. We first show that knee pain is not strongly related to arthritis in the...2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
This paper studies how the transition of the opioid crisis from misuse of prescription opioids to misuse of illicit opioids, such as heroin and fentanyl, is altering labor supply and disability claiming rates. There is widespread interest in understanding the broader...2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
The prevalence of opioid use nationwide, coupled with the large share of new Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) awardees who have conditions associated with opioid use, suggests that opioid use may be common and increasing among SSDI applicants. But...2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
There is substantial variation in both self-reported disability and receipt of federal disability assistance (SSI and SSDI) across U.S. counties. This project examines whether and to what extent spatial variation in economic opportunity—operationalized using...2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
Social insurance programs are sometimes centralized, with all design and policy decisions made at the national level, and sometimes decentralized, with some level of local autonomy. In this paper, we study the trade-offs involved with decentralization of...2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
One in three 65-year-olds will require long-term care at some point in their lives. Medicaid currently covers these expenses for six out of 10 nursing home residents. Not all those who require care need enough help to justify moving into a nursing home, but in many...2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
Over the past 30 years, SSI caseloads have increased dramatically and currently provide 8.2 million recipients with $52 billion in cash assistance. In addition to cash and health care benefits, low-income disabled households typically qualify for housing assistance....2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
As the U.S. population becomes more diverse, it will be increasingly important for policymakers addressing Social Security’s solvency to understand various racial and ethnic groups’ reliance on the program. To date, studies on retirement wealth have tended not to...2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
The amount of financial debt held by U.S. seniors has grown substantially over the past decade. Prior research links higher debt levels to increased psychological stress and decreased physical health. For seniors, these effects may be exacerbated by fixed incomes and...2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
Insuring retirement security is an important challenge for our aging society, and policymakers are seeking ways to help individuals save more for retirement. The state of Oregon recently launched an auto-enrollment retirement savings program for private sector workers...2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
For most workers, 401(k)/IRA assets represent the main source of retirement savings outside of Social Security. These accounts can generate significant wealth if workers contribute consistently from a young age, keep their money in their accounts, and minimize their...2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
Real interest rates have been declining both in the United States and across the developed world. This project undertakes a quantitative assessment of both global and domestic factors in the determination of U.S. interest rates and evaluates the relevance of...2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
We examine a reform in Finland which relabeled retirement ages without changing average financial incentives. We find that relabeling the early retirement age as a “normal” retirement age substantially increased early retirement. This relabeling effect was large...2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
This ongoing project aims to document responsiveness in a number of countries to social security program incentives for household labor force participation, with a particular focus on spouse and survivor benefits. In the United States, Social Security benefits in a...2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
We examine nonstandard work and its impact on pension coverage via a case study of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. We define nonstandard work broadly to include alternative work, contingent work, and self-employment. We discuss how nonstandard...2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
For many people, working after beginning retirement benefit collection is a way to enhance financial security by increasing income. Existing research has shown that retirees are sensitive to the Social Security earnings test, which restricts the amount of earnings...2019
2019 RDRCAnnual MeetingsConference Papers
There is little agreement on the question of whether U.S. households are well-prepared for retirement. We revisit this debate using the Consumption and Activities Mail Survey (CAMS) linked to the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to better understand the dynamics of...