Abstract
The Social Security Administration's income support programs for persons with disabilities experienced tremendous growth in adult applications and awards from 1988 to 1992. An important feature of this growth is that it was not uniform across impairment categories. Applications and awards based on mental disorders and musculoskeletal conditions grew much more rapidly than applications and awards based on other impairments. Based on information obtained from a variety of sources, explanations for the especially high growth in these categories include: change in SSA eligibility criteria; state and local shifting and outreach efforts; recession; and demographic changes. The findings suggest important implications for the future demand for and potential success of vocational rehabilitation services for program beneficiaries.
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