Citation
Ben-Shalom, Yonatan, and Mamun, Arif. (2013). Return-to-Work Outcomes among Social Security Disability Insurance Program Beneficiaries. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research, Center for Studying Disability Policy.
Highlights
- This study followed a sample of working-age Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) program recipients for five years after their first benefit award to describe how certain factors helped or hindered their return-to-work outcomes.
- The study used linear probability models to estimate how individual and environmental factors were associated with achieving return-to-work milestones, across seven primary impairment groups: affective disorders, other psychiatric disorders, intellectual disability, sensory impairments, back disorders, other musculoskeletal disorders, and other physical disorders.
- The study found that the probability of achieving employment milestones increased with sensory impairments, being black, years of education, and DI award at initial adjudication level. It decreased with age at DI award, back and other musculoskeletal disorders, higher levels of DI benefits at award, receipt of Supplemental Security Income or Medicare at time of DI award, age, and higher state unemployment rates, among other factors.
- The study also found that differences across age and impairment group persisted after accounting for other characteristics.
Reviewed by CLEAR
November 2014