Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is under close scrutiny because of the increase in the number of adults with disabilities on SSI and the low rate of their return to employment. So far, the focus of investigations by federal agencies and academics has been on the individual characteristics of these SSI recipients and the inner workings of the program. As a result, the interventions now in effect and those under consideration tend to focus on individual circumstances. This article presents the results of an empirical study, based on county-by-county data, indicating that an external factor—the unemployment rate in the county—is a strong correlate of the rate of SSI participation by adults with disabilities. On the basis of these findings, the author recommends using different types of programs, ranging from vocational rehabilitation to wage subsidies to moving expenses, and other goods and services to bring back into the labor force as many adults with disabilities as possible.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Anderson, J. (1969, November/December). Use of AFDC by eligible families: A predictive model. Welfare in Review, 25—26.
2.
Bendick, M. (1979). Why do persons eligible for public assistance fail to enroll? (Working paper No. 0819-02). Washington, DC: Urban Institute.
3.
Berkowitz, S.G. (1989). Assessing the unmet service needs of elderly homebound Blacks, Hispanics, and Vietnamese in Arlington: Recommendations for improving delivery and overcoming barriers to utilization (Final report for the Gerontological Society of America). Arlington, VA: Arlington Agency on Aging.
4.
Berry, H.G. (2000). The Supplemental Security Income Program and employment for young adults with disabilities: An analysis of the National Health Interview Survey on Disability. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 15, 176—181.
5.
Burkhauser, R.V. (1998a). Policies to make work pay for people with disabilities . In K. Rupp & D. C. Stapleton (Eds.), Growth in disability benefits: Explanations and policy implications (pp. 365—371). Kalamazoo, MI: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
6.
Burkhauser, R.V. (1998b). Summing up: Reflections of the past and future disability policies. Policies to make work pay for people with disabilities . In K. Rupp & D. C. Stapleton (Eds.), Growth in disability benefits: Explanations and policy implications (pp. 391—412). Kalamazoo, MI: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
7.
Burkhauser, R.V., Glenn, A.J., & Wittenburg, D.C. (1997). Building a work-based disability policy: The disabled worker tax credit. In V. Reno, J. Mashaw, & W. Gardison (Eds.), Disability: Challenges for social insurance, health care financing and labor market policy (pp. 47—66). Washington, DC: National Academy of Social Insurance .
8.
Coe, R.D. (1985). Nonparticipation in the SSI program by the eligible elderly. Southern Economic Journal, 51, 891—897.
9.
Edelman, M.J. (1974). The political language of the helping professions . Politics and Society, 4, 295—310.
10.
Edelman, M.J. (1985). The symbolic use of politics. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
11.
Haug, M.R., & Ory, G. (1987). Issues in elderly provider interaction. Research on Aging, 9, 3—44.
12.
Hennessey, J.C. (1997). Factors affecting the work efforts of disabled-worker beneficiaries. Social Security Bulletin, 60(3), 2—20.
13.
Hennessey, J.C., & Muller, L.S. (1994). Work efforts of disabled-worker beneficiaries: Preliminary findings from the New Beneficiary Follow-up Survey. Social Security Bulletin, 57(3), 42—52.
14.
Hernandez-Gallegos, G. (1992). Utilization of formal health and community-based services by black, Latino and white elders. Unpublished doctoral dissertation , Brandeis University, Waltham, MA.
15.
Kennedy, L.D. (1999). SSI at its 25th year. Social Security Bulletin, 62(2), 52—58.
16.
Lee, J.J. (1987). Asian American elderly: A neglected minority group . Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 9, 103—116.
17.
McGarry, K. (1996). Factors determining participation of the elderly in Supplemental Security Income. Journal of Human Resources , 31, 25—36.
18.
Menefee, J.A., Edwards, B., & Schieber, S. (1981). Analysis of nonparticipation in the SSI program . Social Security Bulletin, 44(6), 3—21.
19.
Moriwaki, S.Y. (1980). Update of current status of and future directions for ethnic minority elderly groups: Pacific/Asian. In J. Cuellar, E. P. Stanford, & S. D. Miller (Eds.), Understanding minority aging: Perspectives and resources (pp. 86—110). San Diego, CA: San Diego State University, University Center on Aging.
20.
Ozawa, M.N. (1974). SSI: Progress or retreat. Public Welfare, 32(2), 33—40.
21.
Ozawa, M.N. (1980). Who seeks SSI? An empirical study of the determinants of seeking SSI payments among the low-income elderly (Final Report, The Administration on Aging Grant No. 90-AR-2079/01).
22.
Ozawa, M.N. (1999). SSI for children with mental disorders: Backgrounds and a study of participation. Children and Youth Services Review, 21, 437— 462.
23.
Ozawa, M.N., & Tseng, H.Y. (1999). Utilization of formal services during the 10 years after retirement. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 31, 3—20.
24.
Rupp, K., & Scott, C.G. (1995). Length of stay on the Supplemental Security Disability Program. Social Security Bulletin, 58(1), 29—47.
25.
Scott, C.G. (1992). SSI case closure. Social Security Bulletin, 55(4), 15—55.
26.
Social Security Administration. (1982). Implementation of Section 304(g) of Public Law 96-265, Social Security Disability Amendments of 1980: Report to the Congress by the secretary of health and human services (“The Bellmon Report”). Washington, DC: Author.
27.
Social Security Administration. (1998). SSI recipients by state and county, 1998. Washington, DC : Author.
U.S. Bureau of the Census. (1998). USA counties, 1998: A statistical abstract supplement. Washington, DC: Author.
32.
U.S. General Accounting Office. (1992). Social security: Racial difference in disability decisions warrants further investigation (GAO/HRD-92-56). Washington: Author.
33.
U.S. General Accounting Office. (1994). Social security: Rapid rise in children on SSI disability rolls follows new regulations (GAO/HEHS-95-66). Washington: Author.
34.
U.S. General Accounting Office. (1995a). Social security disability: Management action and program redesign needed to address long-standing problems (GAO/T/HEHS-95-97). Washington, DC: Author.
35.
U.S. General Accounting Office. (1995b). Supplemental Security Income: Growth and changes in recipient population call for reexamining program (GAO/HEHS-75-137). Washington, DC: Author.
36.
U.S. General Accounting Office. (1997). Social security: Disability programs lag in promoting return to work (GAO/HEHS-97-46) . Washington, DC: Author.
37.
U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means. (1998). Overview of entitlement programs: 1998 green book. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
38.
Ycas, M.A. (1995). The issue unresolved: Innovating and adapting disability programs for the third era of social security. Social Security Bulletin, 58(1), 48—56.
