Earnings and Work Expectations of Social Security Disability Beneficiaries

The passage of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 prompted several changes in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) programs intended to help disability program participants go to work. During the past eight years, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has instituted initiatives that provide information to beneficiaries about how work affects their benefits, offer more options for accessing employment services, facilitate beneficiaries ’ return to the disability rolls after unsuccessful work attempts, and simplify the processing of earnings information by SSA staff. SSA’s recent focus on employment represents an important change in the culture of the disability programs, as the programs were originally established to provide income support to individuals deemed unable to engage in substantial gainful activity (SGA).1 Historically, fewer than 3 percent of the individuals in any enrollment cohort have left the rolls as a result of securing employment (Newcomb et al. 2003). This brief presents information about the extent to which SSI and SSDI beneficiaries are currently working and engag-ing in efforts to return to work. It also examines the extent to which they are interested in increasing their earnings and self-sufficiency, and the challenges they face along the way. The statistics are based on a recent nationally representa-tive survey of working-age (age 18 to 64) SSI and SSDI beneficiaries.2 What share of working-age SSI and SSDI beneficiaries are working and what are their job characteristics? Overall, 9 percent of working-age beneficiaries were employed at the time they were interviewed in 2004, and anothe