Disability Research Consortium
Mathematica's Center for Studying Disability Policy is one of two policy research centers that led the Social Security Administration's Disability Research Consortium (DRC). The seven-year cooperative agreement fostered new research from a team of disability policy experts and researchers at Mathematica as well as the University of Illinois-Chicago, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the University of Washington.
In its work under the DRC, the Center for Studying Disability Policy and its partners conducted more than 60 studies intended to add to the evidence base needed for policy changes to the disability support system. Links to findings from these studies are listed below, by topic area.
In 2018, SSA established the Retirement and Disability Research Consortium (RDRC), combining what were previously two separate consortia. Mathematica’s Center for Studying Disability Policy partnered with the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College in this effort. More information about the RDRC can be accessed here.
DRC publications by topic area
SSI and SSDI beneficiary characteristics, employment, and well-being
Health insurance and access to health care
People with mental health conditions
Early intervention
"Examining the Consequences of Poor Neonatal Health on the Family," (DRC Working Paper 2019-10), Dara Lee Luca and Purvi Sevak, November 2019.
"New Work-Limiting Health Events and Occupational Transitions Among Older Workers," (DRC Working Paper 2019-01), Jody Schimmel Hyde and April Yanyuan Wu, March 2019.
"DI Applicants' Characteristics and the Implications for Efforts to Help Them Remain in the Labor Force," (DRC Brief 2018-07). Yonatan Ben-Shalom and Steve Bruns, December 2018.
"Using Predictive Analytics for Early Identification of Short-Term Disability Claimants Who Exhaust Their Benefits," Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, edited by Yonatan Ben-Shalom and Jody Schimmel Hyde. Kara Contreary, Yonatan Ben-Shalom, and Brian Gifford, December 2018.
"Worth the Wait? Improving Predictions of Prolonged Work Disability," (DRC Brief 2018-02), Kara Contreary, Yonatan Ben-Shalom, and Brian Gifford, July 2018.
"Early Identification of Potential SSDI Entrants in California: The Predictive Value of State Disability Insurance and Workers' Compensation Claims," Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, Frank Neuhauser, Yonatan Ben-Shalom, and David Stapleton, June 2018.
"Employment Patterns Before Applying for Disability Insurance," Social Security Bulletin, Kara Contreary, Todd Honeycutt, Michelle Stegman Bailey, and Joseph Mastrianni, November 2017.
"Predicting Receipt of Social Security Administration Disability Benefits Using Biomarkers and Other Physiological Measures: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study," Journal of Aging and Health, Laura Blue, Lakhpreet Gill, Jessica Faul, Kevin Bradway, and David Stapleton, October 2017.
"Firm-Level Early Intervention Incentives: Which Recent Employers of Disability Program Entrants Would Pay More?" Journal of Disability Policy Studies, David C. Stapleton, David R. Mann, Pragya Singh, and Jae Song, September 2017.
"Demonstration to Maintain Independence and Employment in Texas: Long-Term Follow-Up of Health Services Utilization and Employment Outcomes," (DRC Brief 2017-05), Judith A. Cook, Jane K. Burke-Miller, and Thomas M. Bohman, September 2017.
"Patterns of Employment and Allowances for Disability Insurance Applicants," (DRC Brief 2017-04), Kara Contreary, Todd Honeycutt, Michelle Bailey, and Joseph Mastrianni, June 2017.
"A First Step to Helping California Workers Keep Their Jobs: Identifying Likely SSDI Entrants Using State Disability Claims," (DRC Brief 2017-01), Yonatan Ben-Shalom, Frank Neuhauser, and David Stapleton, February 2017.
"Increasing Employer Responsibility for Disability Benefits: Analysis of an Approach to Social Security Disability Insurance Reform," (DRC Brief 2015-02) David R. Mann and David C. Stapleton, February 2015.
"To Apply or Not to Apply: The Employment and Program Participation of Social Security Disability Insurance Applicants and Non-Applicants," (DRC Working Paper 2014-05), Allison Thompkins, Todd Honeycutt, Claire Gill, Joseph Mastrianni, and Michelle Bailey, June 2014.
Participation in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) programs
"A New Approach to Analyzing Opioid Use among SSDI Applicants," (DRC Working Paper 2020-01), April Yanyuan Wu, Peter Mariani, Jia Pu, and Andrew Hurwitz, January 2020.
"Examining the Consequences of Poor Neonatal Health on the Family," (DRC Working Paper 2019-10), Dara Lee Luca and Purvi Sevak, November 2019.
"The Impact of the Great Recession on SSDI Awards: A Birth-Cohort Analysis," (DRC Working Paper 2019-18), Michael Anderson, Yonatan Ben-Shalom, David Stapleton, and Emily Roessel, November 2019.
"Recent Changes and Reforms to the United Kingdom's Income Support Program for People with Disabilities," (DRC Working Paper 2019-16), Hande Inanc and David R. Mann, October 2019.
"Child Disability, Maternal Labor Supply, and Household Well-Being," (DRC Working Paper 2019-09), Dara Lee Luca and Purvi Sevak, September 2019.
"How Does Losing Health Insurance Affect Disability Claims? Evidence from the Affordable Care Act's Dependent Care Mandate," (DRC Working Paper 2019-04), Michael Levere, Heinrich Hock, and Nancy Early, September 2019.
"The Pathway to SSA Disability Program Entry Among Medicaid Enrollees 2007-2011: The Role of Serious Mental Illness, Multiple Impairments, and Recent Healthcare Utilization," (DRC Working Paper 2019-08), Judith A. Cook and Jane K. Burke-Miller, March 2019.
"Do Older SSDI Applicants Denied Benefits on the Basis of their Work Capacity Return to Work After Denial?" (DRC Brief 2018-01), Jody Schimmel Hyde and April Yanyuan Wu, July 2018.
"Accounting for Geographic Variation in Social Security Disability Program Participation," Social Security Bulletin, Jack Gettens, Pei-Pei Lei, and Alexis Henry, May 2018.
"The Benefit Receipt Patterns and Labor Market Experiences of Older Workers Who Were Denied SSDI on the Basis of Work Capacity," (DRC Working Paper 2018-01), Jody Schimmel Hyde, April Yanyuan Wu, and Lakhpreet Gill, March 2018.
"Impacts of the 2010 VA PTSD Rule Change on Veterans' Disability Compensation and Reported Cognitive Disability," Journal of Disability Policy Studies, Kara Contreary, Jennifer Tennant, and Yonatan Ben-Shalom, December 2017.
"Employment Patterns Before Applying for Disability Insurance," Social Security Bulletin, Kara Contreary, Todd Honeycutt, Michelle Stegman Bailey, and Joseph Mastrianni, November 2017.
"Predicting Receipt of Social Security Administration Disability Benefits Using Biomarkers and Other Physiological Measures: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study," Journal of Aging and Health, Laura Blue, Lakhpreet Gill, Jessica Faul, Kevin Bradway, and David Stapleton, October 2017.
"Healthcare Utilization and Interest in Employment Services among Behavioral Health Home Patients with Mental Health Disorders," (DRC Working Paper 2019-06), Judith A. Cook, Pamela J. Steigman, Lisa A. Razzano, Jane K. Burke-Miller, and Nicole Pashka, September 2017.
"Child Participation in Supplemental Security Income: Cross- and Within-State Determinants of Caseload Growth," Journal of Disability Policy Studies, Lucie Schmidt and Purvi Sevak, June 2017.
"Patterns of Employment and Allowances for Disability Insurance Applicants," (DRC Brief 2017-04), Kara Contreary, Todd Honeycutt, Michelle Bailey, and Joseph Mastrianni, June 2017.
"Supplemental Security Income and the Transition to Adulthood in the United States: State Variations in Outcomes Following the Age-18 Redetermination," Social Service Review, Jeffrey Hemmeter, David R. Mann, and David C. Wittenburg, March 2017.
“What Can We Learn from County-Level Variation in Child SSI Participation Rates?” (DRC Brief 2016-08), Purvi Sevak and Lucie Schmidt, June 2016.
"Trends in Obesity Among Social Security Disability Applicants, 2007–2013," (DRC Working Paper 2016-02), Jody Schimmel Hyde, Joseph Mastrianni, Yong Choi, and Jae Song, February 2016.
"The Effect of a 1999 Rule Change on Obesity as a Factor in Social Security Disability Determinations," (DRC Working Paper 2016-01), Anne Stahl, Jody Schimmel Hyde, and Harnam Singh, February 2016.
"The Prevalence of Obesity Among Recent Applicants to Federal Disability Programs," (DRC Brief 2016-03), Jody Schimmel Hyde, January 2016.
"The Role of Obesity in Federal Disability Determinations," (DRC Brief 2016-04), Jody Schimmel Hyde, January 2016.
"Vocational Factors in the Social Security Disability Determination Process: A Literature Review," (DRC Working Paper 2014-07), David R. Mann, David C. Stapleton, and Jeanette de Richemond, July 2014.
"To Apply or Not to Apply: The Employment and Program Participation of Social Security Disability Insurance Applicants and Non-Applicants," (DRC Working Paper 2014-05), Allison Thompkins, Todd Honeycutt, Claire Gill, Joseph Mastrianni, and Michelle Bailey, June 2014.
SSI and SSDI beneficiary characteristics, employment, and well-being
"A New Approach to Analyzing Opioid Use among SSDI Applicants," (DRC Working Paper 2020-01), April Yanyuan Wu, Peter Mariani, Jia Pu, and Andrew Hurwitz, January 2020.
"Recent Changes and Reforms to the United Kingdom's Income Support Program for People with Disabilities," (DRC Working Paper 2019-16), Hande Inanc and David R. Mann, October 2019.
"Trends in Medical Conditions and Functioning in the U.S. Population, 1997-2017," (DRC Working Paper 2019-11), Anna Hill and Purvi Sevak, September 2019.
"Declining Employment Among a Growing Group of Work-Oriented Beneficiaries, 2005-2015," (DRC Working Paper 2019-03), Gina Livermore, Purvi Sevak, and Marisa Shenk, August 2019.
"Making Ends Meet: How Low-Income DI Beneficiaries Meet Their Needs," (DRC Brief 2019-02), Jack Gettens and Alexis Henry, May 2019.
"Making Ends Meet: How Low-Income DI Beneficiaries Meet Their Needs," (DRC Working Paper 2019-02), Jack Gettens and Alexis Henry, April 2019.
"Comparison of Department of Defense, Veterans Administration, and Social Security Administration Disability Determination Processes," (DRC Brief 2019-05), John Kregel and Lucy Miller, March 2019.
"In What Occupations did SSDI Applicants Work? New Statistics and their Implications for Policy," (DRC Brief 2019-04), April Yanyuan Wu, December 2018.
"Social Security Administration Payments to State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies for Disability Program Beneficiaries Who Work: Evidence from Linked Administrative Data," Social Security Bulletin, Jody Schimmel Hyde and Paul O'Leary, December 2018.
"What Have we Learned about SSA and VR Program Interactions?" (DRC Brief 2018-05), David R. Mann, December 2018.
"New Evidence on DI Overpayments Following Return to Work and Implications for Initiatives to Reduce Them," (DRC Brief 2018-04), Denise Hoffman and Christopher Jones, December 2018.
"A Qualitative Study of Employment Experiences of DI Beneficiaries after Receipt of an Overpayment," (DRC Working Paper 2018-06), John Kregel, December 2018.
"Developing Income-Related Statistics on Federal Disability Beneficiaries Using Nationally Representative Survey Data," (DRC Working Paper 2018-05), Jody Schimmel Hyde, Sarah Croake, Alex Bryce, and Matt Messel, October 2018.
"The Postretirement Well-Being of Workers With Disabilities," Journal of Disability Policy Studies, April Yanyuan Wu and Jody Schimmel Hyde, August 2018.
"Work-Related Overpayments of Social Security Disability Insurance Beneficiaries: Prevalence and Descriptive Statistics," (DRC Working Paper 2018-04), Denise Hoffman, Benjamin Fischer, John Jones, Andrew McGuirk, and Miriam Loewenberg, July 2018.
"Quantifying the Work-Related Overpayments of Social Security Disability Insurance Beneficiaries," (DRC Brief 2018-03), Denise Hoffman, Benjamin Fischer, and John Jones, July 2018.
"Pathways Taken by New Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income Awardees," Journal of Disability Policy Studies, Priyanka Anand and Yonatan Ben-Shalom, June 2018.
"Disability Beneficiary Work Activity, 2002-2014: Evidence from the Social Security Administration's Disability Analysis File (DAF)," (DRC Working Paper 2018-02), Michael Levere, Jody Schimmel Hyde, Su Liu, and Francoise Becker, April 2018.
"Impacts of the 2010 VA PTSD Rule Change on Veterans' Disability Compensation and Reported Cognitive Disability," Journal of Disability Policy Studies, Kara Contreary, Jennifer Tennant, and Yonatan Ben-Shalom, December 2017.
"Characteristics of Adults with Psychiatric Disabilities Participating in the Federal Disability Programs," Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, Gina A. Livermore and Maura Bardos, June 2017.
"The Financial Vulnerability of Former Disability Beneficiaries in Retirement," (DRC Brief 2017-02), Jody Schimmel Hyde and April Yanyuan Wu, March 2017.
"Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance Beneficiaries with Intellectual Disability," Social Security Bulletin, Gina A. Livermore, Maura Bardos, and Karen Katz, January 2017.
"Course of Mental Illness and Role of Multiple Health Conditions Among People Under Age 50 in Predicting Change in Public Disability Benefit Status and Labor Force Participation," (DRC Working Paper 3019-05), Judith A. Cook and Jane K. Burke-Miller, October 2016.
“Disability Benefits for Veterans: Interactions Among Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, and Social Security Administration Programs,” (DRC Brief 2016-07) John Kregel and Lucy Miller, June 2016.
“Paths Taken By New Awardees of Federal Disability Benefits,” (DRC Brief 2016-06), Priyanka Anand and Yonatan Ben-Shalom, May 2016.
"Characteristics of SSI and SSDI Beneficiaries Who Are Parents," (DRC Data Brief 2016-02), Gina Livermore and Maura Bardos, January 2016.
"Characteristics of Disability Beneficiaries with High Earnings," (DRC Data Brief 2015-06), Gina Livermore and Maura Bardos, November 2015.
"How Disability Beneficiaries Fared Before and After the Great Recession," (DRC Data Brief 2015-01), Gina Livermore and Maura Bardos, January 2015.
"Why Are Some SSDI-Only Beneficiaries Poor? Insights from the National Beneficiary Survey," (DRC Data Brief 2014-04), Gina Livermore and Maura Bardos, July 2014.
"Employment Services and Supports Available to Veterans with Disabilities Through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Other Federal Agencies," (DRC Working Paper 2014-03), Michael West and John Kregel, March 2014.
Health insurance and access to health care
"How Does Losing Health Insurance Affect Disability Claims? Evidence from the Affordable Care Act's Dependent Care Mandate," (DRC Working Paper 2019-04), Michael Levere, Heinrich Hock, and Nancy Early, September 2019.
"How Did Expansions of Children's Public Health Insurance Affect Participation in the Supplemental Security Income Program?" (DRC Brief 2019-03) Michael Levere, Sean Orzol, Lindsey Leininger, and Nancy Early, June 2019.
"Contemporaneous and Long-Term Effects of Children's Public Health Insurance Expansions on Supplemental Security Income Participation," Journal of Health Economics, Michael Levere, Sean Orzol, Lindsey Leininger, and Nancy Early, March 2019.
“Quantifying the Health and Insurance Needs of Employed and Potentially Employed Persons with Disabilities,” (DRC Brief 2016-09), Jack Gettens, Alexis Henry, and Pei-Pei Lei, August 2016.
“Estimating the Cost and Utilization of Wraparound Coverage for Employed People with Disabilities,” (DRC Brief 2016-05), John Gettens, Denise Hoffman, and Alexis D. Henry, April 2016.
“Expenditures and Use of Wraparound Health Insurance for Employed People with Disabilities,” Disability and Health Journal, John Gettens, Denise Hoffman, and Alexis D. Henry, April 2016.
"Federal Financial Benefits and Health Care Coverage for Veterans with Disabilities," (DRC Working Paper 2015-03), Lucy Miller and John Kregel, December 2015.
"Using American Community Survey Disability Data to Improve the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Accuracy," (DRC Brief 2015-05), Jack Gettens, Pei-Pei Lei, and Alexis D. Henry, September 2015.
"Leveraging the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for Disability Research," (DRC Brief 2015-03), Jack Gettens, Alexis D. Henry, and Christine Clifford, September 2014.
"Employment-Related Health Insurance and Service Delivery Needs of Persons with Disabilities," Journal of Disability Policy Studies, John Gettens and Alexis D. Henry, August 2014.
"Employment-Related Health Insurance and Service Delivery Needs of Persons with Disabilities," (DRC Brief 2014-02), John Gettens and Alexis D. Henry, April 2014.
Youth with disabilities
"Examining the Consequences of Poor Neonatal Health on the Family," (DRC Working Paper 2019-10), Dara Lee Luca and Purvi Sevak, November 2019.
"Child Disability, Maternal Labor Supply, and Household Well-Being," (DRC Working Paper 2019-09), Dara Lee Luca and Purvi Sevak, September 2019.
"How Did Expansions of Children's Public Health Insurance Affect Participation in the Supplemental Security Income Program?" (DRC Brief 2019-03), Michael Levere, Sean Orzol, Lindsey Leininger, and Nancy Early, June 2019.
"Long-Term Outcomes for Transition-Age Youth With Mental Health Conditions Who Receive Postsecondary Education Support," Journal of Disability Policy Studies, Priyanka Anand and Todd C. Honeycutt, May 2019.
"Contemporaneous and Long-Term Effects of Children's Public Health Insurance Expansions on Supplemental Security Income Participation," Journal of Health Economics, Michael Levere, Sean Orzol, Lindsey Leininger, and Nancy Early, March 2019.
"What Have We Learned About SSI Receipt Among Children?" (DRC Brief 2018-06), Purvi Sevak and Steven Bruns, December 2018.
"The Relationship Between Youth Services and Adult Outcomes among Former Child SSI Recipients," Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, Denise Hoffman, Jeffrey Hemmeter, and Michelle Stegman Bailey, March 2018.
"Public Provision of Postsecondary Education for Transition-Age Youth with Mental Health Conditions," Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, Todd C. Honeycutt, Priyanka Anand, Max Rubinstein, and Steven N. Stern, June 2017.
"Child Participation in Supplemental Security Income: Cross- and Within-State Determinants of Caseload Growth," Journal of Disability Policy Studies, Lucie Schmidt and Purvi Sevak, June 2017.
"Vocational Rehabilitation: A Bridge to Self-Sufficiency for Youth Who Receive Supplemental Security Income?" (DRC Brief 2017-03), Denise Hoffman, Jeffrey Hemmeter, and Michelle Stegman Bailey, April 2017.
"Supplemental Security Income and the Transition to Adulthood in the United States: State Variations in Outcomes Following the Age-18 Redetermination," Social Service Review, Jeffrey Hemmeter, David R. Mann, and David C. Wittenburg, March 2017.
“What Can We Learn from County-Level Variation in Child SSI Participation Rates?” (DRC Brief 2016-08), Purvi Sevak and Lucie Schmidt, June 2016.
"Young Adult SSI and SSDI Beneficiaries," (DRC Data Brief 2016-01), Maura Bardos and Gina Livermore, January 2016.
"Bridging the Gap: A Comparative Assessment of Vocational Rehabilitation Agency Practices with Transition-Age Youth," Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, Todd Honeycutt, Maura Bardos, and Stephanie McLeod, October 2015.
"State Differences in the Vocational Rehabilitation Experiences of Transition-Age Youth with Disabilities," Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, Todd Honeycutt, Allison Thompkins, Maura Bardos, and Steven Stern, January 2015.
"Youth with Disabilities at the Transition Crossroads: Employment and SSA Outcomes After Seeking VR Services," (DRC Brief 2014-03), Todd Honeycutt, Maura Bardos, and Allison Thompkins, July 2014.
"Youth with Disabilities at the Crossroads: The Intersection of Vocational Rehabilitation and Disability Benefits for Youth with Disabilities," (DRC Working Paper 2014-06), Todd Honeycutt, Allison Thompkins, Maura Bardos, and Steven Stern, July 2014.
"Bridging the Gap: A Comparative Assessment of Vocational Rehabilitation Agency Practices with Transition-Age Youth," (DRC Working Paper 2014-04), Todd Honeycutt, Maura Bardos, and Stephanie McLeod, April 2014.
"International Efforts to Serve Youth with Disabilities: Lessons for the U.S. Disability Support System," (DRC Issue Brief 2014-01), Todd Honeycutt, Jennifer A. Lyons, and Lorenzo Moreno, March 2014.
"Programs Serving Transition-Age Youth: A Comparative Analysis of the U.S. and 10 Other Countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)," (DRC Working Paper 2014-01), Lorenzo Moreno, Todd Honeycutt, Stephanie McLeod, and Claire Gill, February 2014.
"Experiences of Germany and the Netherlands in Serving Transition-Age Youth," (DRC Working Paper 2014-02), Todd Honeycutt, Lorenzo Moreno, February 2014.
People with mental health conditions
"The Pathway to SSA Disability Program Entry Among Medicaid Enrollees 2007-2011: The Role of Serious Mental Illness, Multiple Impairments, and Recent Healthcare Utilization," (DRC Working Paper 2019-08), Judith A. Cook and Jane K. Burke-Miller, March 2019.
"Supported Employment for People with Intellectual Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Schizophrenia: A Propensity Matched Comparison of Vocational Rehabilitation Outcomes," (DRC Working Paper 2019-07), Fong Chan and John Kregel, March 2019.
"Long-Term Impacts of Employment Interventions Targeted to People with Mental Health Conditions," (DRC Brief 2019-01), Rachel Miller and Gina Livermore, January 2019.
"The Relationship of Multiple Program Benefits and Employment to SSI/DI Enrollment and Reliance Among Working-Age Adults with Serious Mental Illness," (DRC Working Paper 2017-03), Judith A. Cook and Jane K. Burke-Miller, October 2017.
"Healthcare Utilization and Interest in Employment Services among Behavioral Health Home Patients with Mental Health Disorders," (DRC Working Paper 2019-06), Judith A. Cook, Pamela J. Steigman, Lisa A. Razzano, Jane K. Burke-Miller, and Nicole Pashka, September 2017.
"Demonstration to Maintain Independence and Employment in Texas: Long-Term Follow-Up of Health Services Utilization and Employment Outcomes," (DRC Brief 2017-05), Judith A. Cook, Jane K. Burke-Miller, and Thomas M. Bohman, September 2017.
"Characteristics of Adults with Psychiatric Disabilities Participating in the Federal Disability Programs," Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, Gina A. Livermore and Maura Bardos, June 2017.
"Course of Mental Illness and Role of Multiple Health Conditions Among People Under Age 50 in Predicting Change in Public Disability Benefit Status and Labor Force Participation," (DRC Working Paper 3019-05), Judith A. Cook and Jane K. Burke-Miller, October 2016.
“Long-Term Effects of Evidence-Based Supported Employment on Earnings and on SSI and SSDI Participation Among Individuals With Psychiatric Disabilities,” American Journal of Psychiatry, Judith A. Cook, Jake K. Burke-Miller, and Emily Roessel, April 2016.
"Reasons for Job Separations Among People with Psychiatric Disabilities," (DRC Brief 2015-04), Judith A. Cook, Jane K. Burke-Miller, and Dennis D. Grey, May 2015.
"Impact of Contingent Work on Subsequent Labor Force Participation and Wages of Workers with Psychiatric Disabilities," (DRC Working Paper 2015-02), Judith A. Cook, Jane K. Burke-Miller, and Dennis D. Grey, May 2015.
