Each year, millions of workers in the United States develop a chronic illness, disability, or other serious medical problem. Many are at risk of exiting the labor force, especially if they do not receive timely and effective return-to-work (RTW) supports. These workers and their families...

This brief details factors that help states and communities successfully implement the SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) initiative, a program to improve access to disability benefits for people who are homeless.

This study describes the extent to which vocational rehabilitation (VR) applicants receive Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits before or after VR application. SSD entry varies with VR applicant characteristics; those with relatively high SSD entry include non-Hispanic whites, those not...

This report follows a sample of working-age Social Security Disability Insurance program beneficiaries for five years after their first benefit award to learn how certain factors help or hinder achieving four important milestones: (1) first enrollment for employment services provided by a state...

Despite decades of growth in federal disability expenditures, the economic status of people with disabilities has eroded relative to the status of those without disabilities. Rather than tighten eligibility or reduce program benefits to slow expenditure growth, this article outlines an...

This final report of the Accelerated Benefits (AB) Demonstration found that participants made extensive use of program services, AB health care benefits increased health care use and reduced reported unmet medical needs, and AB Plus services encouraged people to look for work but did not...

This paper presents the findings from a longitudinal examination regarding the extent to which new Social Security Disability Insurance beneficiaries return to work and use disability insurance work incentives, based on Social Security Administration data.

This brief discusses the characteristics of working-age individuals receiving Social Security disability benefits and describes their employment success. The findings suggest that beneficiaries fall into three broad groups based on work-related efforts and expectations. For 60 percent, gainful...