Researchers examined how increased use of illicit opioids such as heroin and fentanyl affected labor market participation and claims for disability insurance.
Federal disability benefits can lead to increases in other support for beneficiaries, such as in-kind assistance from adult children. They also increase the likelihood that children are paid for their in-kind assistance and enable children who provide that assistance to reduce the amount that they work.
We compare Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) application rates across counties with varying degrees of access to high-speed internet beforehand after iClaim, a 2009 innovation that streamlined the online application process.
The Official Disability Guidelines (ODG) Medical Treatment Guidelines are an important resource for workers' compensation systems because they can be used to contain medical care costs while assuring appropriate care is provided.
Workers' compensation reforms (Senate Bill 863) have likely increased wage replacement rates for permanently disabled Californians by 21.4 percentage points since 2012. The bill is helping to offset the recession's lasting effects on earnings losses.
Following California's major reforms to the state workers' compensation system, RAND researchers assess trends in earnings loss and permanent partial disability benefits before the reforms, as well as how the reforms might affect injury compensation.
A key component for estimating the optimal size and structure of disability insurance (DI) programs is the elasticity of DI claiming with respect to benefit generosity.
With a 36 percent chance of becoming disabled at least once before reaching age 50, it is imperative that workers know their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the resources available to help them.
The authors examine the factors that influence employer accommodation of newly disabled workers and how effective such accommodations are in retaining workers and discouraging disability insurance applications.
We estimate the effect of labor market conditions, as measured by the unemployment rate, on the number of SSDI applications, the number and composition of initial allowances and denials, and the timing of applications relative to disability onset.
This video talk provides an overview of how information interventions like the personalized Statements mailed by the Social Security Administration can affect behavior.
Social Security Disability Insurance will be unable to cover 20 percent of its scheduled benefit obligations beginning in 2016. The lack of an evidentiary base to guide policy has been one of the major impediments to the consideration of changes that could modernize the program without jeopardizing its essential safety net function.
By enabling access to affordable private health insurance and expanding access to subsidized public health insurance, the Affordable Care Act alters the calculus of disability claiming decisions. Research offers empirical evidence that, on net, disability applications are likely to decrease.
National health reform makes it easier for disabled workers to stop working and apply for disability insurance. This study finds that some disabled workers continue working to keep their health insurance but disability applications do not increase.
Senior Economist; Professor of Policy Analysis and Director of Research, Analysis, & Design, Pardee RAND Graduate School
Education Ph.D. in economics, Cornell University; M.Sc. in econometrics, London School of Economics; M.A. in economics, Cornell University; B.A. in economics/literature/mathematics, Pomona College
Senior Economist; Director, RAND Center for Disability Research; Editor-in-Chief, RAND Journal of Economics
Education Ph.D. in economics, University of Chicago
Economist; Affiliate Faculty, Pardee RAND Graduate School
Education Ph.D. in economics, University of Maryland; M.A. in economics, University of Maryland; B.A. in economics, University of Michigan
