NB21-19: Beyond Health: A Comprehensive Measure of the Benefits of Disability Programs

The benefits provided by DI and SSI provide critical insurance to Americans against health risks that limit earnings potential. But the safety net provided by these programs also insures against non-health risks, such as job loss, divorce, or circumstances of birth. In this project, we go “beyond health” to provide a full accounting of the benefits of DI and SSI. We will present new facts on how disability recipients and applicants compare to the general population on the basis of health and non-health factors, including adverse life events such as job loss and divorce, resources available to cope with adverse events, and measures of “permanent income” such as consumption, education, and geographic location. We will then translate these descriptive facts into a comprehensive measure of the value of DI.