2021 – Publication Years

Is the Adjustment of Social Security Benefits Actuarially Fair, and If So, for Whom?

April 13, 2022
Susan Barnes
benefit claiming, Mortality trends, Older workers, Retirement, Social Security

Underfunded Public Sector Pension Plans, Social Security Participation, and the Retirement Decisions of Public Employees

April 13, 2022
Susan Barnes
pensions, Program interaction, Social Security

The Causes and Consequences of Opioid Use among Older Americans: A Panel Survey Approach

April 13, 2022
Susan Barnes
Disability, Opioids

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…

The Role of Physical Job Demands and the Physical Work Environment in Retirement Outcomes

March 25, 2022
Susan Barnes
Disability, Occupational Requirements Survey

We provide new evidence on the role of physical job demands and the physical work environment on retirement outcomes by linking occupation-level data on job requirements from the Occupational Requirements Survey (ORS) to individual-level data from the Health and Retirement…

On the Distribution and Dynamics of Medical Expenditure Among the Elderly

February 14, 2022
Susan Barnes
Financial well-being, Health and Retirement Study, Long-term care, Medicaid, Medicare

Using data from the Health and Retirement Study linked to administrative Medicare and Medicaid records along with the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, we estimate the stochastic process for total and out-of-pocket medical spending. By focusing on dynamics, we consider not…

Mixed-methods Analysis of Consumer Fraud Reports of the Social Security Administration Impostor Scam

February 4, 2022
Susan Barnes
Financial well-being, Fraud, Social Security

Most Americans have received fraudulent calls from impostors claiming to be officials from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Callers threaten those who respond with arrest and suspension of their bank accounts and Social Security numbers, but charges can be removed…

The Lifetime Risk of Spousal Nursing Home Use and its Economic Impact on the Community-dwelling Spouse

February 3, 2022
Susan Barnes
Financial well-being, Long-term care, Medicaid

A single person in a nursing home is relatively well-protected financially from nursing home expenses because Medicaid covers these once assets are depleted. Couples, however, are less well protected, because the high cost of nursing homes rapidly depletes household assets,…

Estimating the Impact of Missing Totalization Agreements

February 3, 2022
Susan Barnes
International, Labor Supply, Social Security, Totalization

The number of international social security agreements (totalization agreements) signed by the United States is significantly smaller than the number signed by other countries such as Canada and the U.K. This paper estimates the impact of the missing totalization agreements…

Expansion of the Totalization Program using Simplified Agreements to Eliminate Dual Taxation

February 1, 2022
Susan Barnes
International, Social Security, Totalization

The United States has signed 30 bilateral social security agreements. Some of its partner countries, such as the U.K. or Germany, have signed international agreements to eliminate double taxation for nationals working temporarily abroad with more than 50 other countries.…