Expanding Research Capacity at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Nicole Maestas, Harvard University and NBER
Angelino Viceisza, Spelman College and NBER

On February 3, 2023, the NBER Retirement and Disability Research Center (RDRC) sponsored a data workshop with a presentation by Amanda Sonnega, a research scientist with the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) at the University of Michigan. The workshop focused on how to use the HRS for Social Security-related research. It was part of a larger project seeking to strengthen, expand, and build the capacity for conducting research on retirement and disability policy at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

Faculty and students from HBCUs and other minority serving institutions (MSIs) were invited to participate in the workshop. Afterward, the NBER RDRC solicited research applications from participants and other HBCU/MSI faculty investigators. It received nearly a dozen. The project supported the investigators in refining their proposals for submission to the Social Security Administration (SSA). Seven proposals by HBCU/MSI faculty, outlined here, were included as part of the NBER’s recent application to the SSA to continue as a Retirement and Disability Research Center.

NB24, Proposal 1: Structural Barriers to Receipt of Income Support and Health Insurance among Disabled Adults by Race and Ethnicity, Phase II 

Principal Investigator: 
Rand Obeidat, Bowie State University 
In collaboration with: 
Ellen Meara, Harvard University and NBER 
David Cutler, Harvard University and NBER

This is the second phase of a project to better understand racial and ethnic differences in Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) enrollment. Phase 1 focused on SSDI application rates by race, with some surveys suggesting that population rates of SSDI enrollment have fallen for Hispanic and Black Americans while remaining steady for Whites. The planned research focuses on the mechanisms underlying these caseload trends by race, specifically on the role of office closures and more-stringent eligibility determinations. It will analyze the impact of people’s proximity to a closed SSA office, geographic differences in application rejections, and factors such as English as a second language, rural residence, and broadband access.

NB24, Proposal 2: Improving Recipiency in US Social Insurance: A Scoping Examination 

Principal Investigator:
Isaac Marcelin, University of Maryland Eastern Shore 

This project will explore the obstacles to SSDI/SSI take-up in the United States by analyzing the population of nonrecipients who appear qualified for benefits, and by contrasting US programs with those of other OECD countries. Using qualitative and quantitative approaches, this research will compare program features, target populations, and estimated participation rates across disability insurance programs in other countries. It will develop new estimates of the population of individuals who appear qualified for SSDI and/or SSI who are not currently participating. It will also study how nonparticipation relates to household composition, income, employment, health, education, gender, age, race, geography, participation in other government programs, and attitude toward Social Security.

NB24, Proposal 3: Barriers to SSDI and SSI Program Participation for the Visually Impaired Community 

Principal Investigators:
Wendy Edmonds, Bowie State University 
LaTanya Brown-Robertson, Howard University

This project is a qualitative exploration of the barriers to SSDI/SSI participation by people with visual impairments, including the nearly 1 million Black Americans who have diabetic retinopathy. Following a review of the literature, the project will conduct a series of recorded focus groups and individual interviews with individuals in the visually impaired community, probing how they navigated and were impacted by the SSDI/SSI application process, what supports they received or wish they had received, and how prospective modifications in the application process might affect future applicants with visual impairments.

NB24, Proposal 6: Designing Digital Retirement Outreach Programs Targeting Black, Hispanic, and White Workers, Phase II

Principal Investigators: 
Luisa Blanco, Pepperdine University
Angelino Viceisza, Spelman College and NBER

This project is the next phase of work on how to better target Social Security outreach programs to people of diverse cultural backgrounds. Phase I involved the design of a digital retirement outreach program targeting low to moderate income (LMI) Black, Hispanic, and White workers as part of the Understanding America Study. The Phase II follow-up will use the findings from Phase I to develop a refined outreach intervention that will be tested in a community sample of between 450 and 900 LMI workers, recruited via community-based organizations.

NB24, Proposal 7: Assessing Underserved Communities Beneficiaries Communication Needs and Its Influence on Customer Experience and Satisfaction, Phase II 

Principal Investigator:  
Dayo Oyeleye, Bowie State University

This project is the second phase of a project to improve SSA customer service and satisfaction in underserved communities. In Phase I, which is ongoing, qualitative findings from focus groups suggest that information about Social Security benefits from SSA can be overwhelming and difficult to understand and that, for many, a lack of adequately knowledgeable SSA support staff makes it difficult to seek assistance. This Phase II continuation uses both qualitative (exploratory case studies) and quantitative (surveys) methods to evaluate whether individuals from underserved communities perceive the information they receive about SSA benefits to be “in plain language.” It also solicits recommendations for enhancing the SSA customer experience, satisfaction, and service delivery.

NB24, Proposal 16: The Perceived Influence of Race and Gender in Work History, Work Attitudes, Economic Resources, and Health on Black Women’s Retirement

Principal Investigator:  
Danielle Dickens, Spelman College

This project analyzes the retirement experience and preretirement expectations of Black women. It involves a series of interviews of Black women who have retired within the last year or plan to retire within the next three years. Background information will be collected on participants’ age, income, work history, health, and motherhood. In a 90-minute, semi-structured interview via Zoom, participants will be asked about their retirement experience or expectations, their perceptions of the influence of race and gender on their work and retirement experiences, their psychological wellbeing as it relates to retirement, why they are/were looking to retire, and how health relates to their retirement decision or plans. The project also involves a review of current literature and statistics on Black women’s retirement-related decisions and experience.

NB24, Proposal 23: Variation in Maryland’s Opioid Response Program by Race and Place-Based Economic Indicators, Phase II

Principal Investigators: 
LaTanya Brown-Robertson, Howard University
Tibebe Assefa, Bowie State University
Nega Lakew, Bowie State University
George Onoh, Bowie State University
Azene Zenebe, Bowie State University

This is the second phase of a project analyzing issues of equity and access to care in Maryland’s federally funded State Opioid Response (SOR) program. The Phase I project (NB22-17) found similar rates of program service utilization among Black and White residents, based on service needs. However, overdose death rates are high and rising for Black residents specifically. This Phase II project will drill down on the quality and type of treatment services provided by race, age, and gender, and whether there is further variation across the 11 SOR initiatives in the state.