This paper measures the causal effect of time out of the labor force on subsequent employment of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) applicants and distinguishes it from the discouragement effect of receiving disability benefits. Using a unique Social Security Administration workload...

The authors present the first causal estimates of the effect of Social Security Disability Insurance benefit receipt on labor supply using all program applicants. They use new administrative data to match applications to disability examiners, and exploit variation in examiners' allowance rates...

As the population ages in the United States and other countries, encouraging older individuals to work would help counter increasing dependency ratios and improve national economic outcomes. Extending working lives is likely not simply a function of improving monetary incentives. Instead, job...

As health insurance becomes available outside of the employment relationship as a result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the cost of applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) — potentially going without health insurance coverage during a waiting period totaling 29 months from...