Supplemental Security Income Program Entry at Age 18 and Entrants’ Subsequent Earnings

In determining Supplemental Security Income (SSI) eligibility and payment levels for child applicants and recipients, the Social Security Administration attributes part of parental income to the child using a process called deeming. Parental-income deeming ends at age 18, relaxing a key SSI eligibility criterion for youths at that point. Using Social Security administrative records, this article presents data on the number and characteristics of youths who apply for SSI shortly before and after they turn 18. The author finds that the number of applications spikes at age 18 and that 18-year-old applicants are more likely than 17-year-olds to be allowed into the program. The author also compares the relative likelihood of subsequent employment for allowed and denied youth applicants.

[1]  M. Deshpande.  The Effect of Disability Payments on Household Earnings and Income: Evidence from the SSI Children's Program , 2016, Review of Economics and Statistics.

[2]  J. Hemmeter,et al.  Long term earnings and disability program participation outcomes of the Bridges transition program , 2015 .

[3]  T. Fraker,et al.  Final Report on the Youth Transition Demonstration Evaluation , 2014 .

[4]  P. Newacheck,et al.  Changing Trends of Childhood Disability, 2001–2011 , 2014, Pediatrics.

[5]  Joyce Nicholas.  Source, Form, and Amount of In-Kind Support and Maintenance Received by Supplemental Security Income Applicants and Recipients , 2014 .

[6]  Yonatan Ben-Shalom,et al.  Longitudinal Statistics for New Supplemental Security Income Beneficiaries , 2012 .

[7]  Diane M. Austin,et al.  Predictors of Postschool Employment Outcomes for Young Adults With Severe Disabilities , 2012 .

[8]  Mary Wagner,et al.  The Post-High School Outcomes of Young Adults with Disabilities up to 8 Years after High School: A Report from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2). NCSER 2011-3005. , 2011 .

[9]  G. Livermore,et al.  Employment of individuals in the Social Security disability programs. , 2011, Social security bulletin.

[10]  A. Mamun,et al.  Employment Among Social Security Disability Program Beneficiaries, 1996–2007 , 2011, Social security bulletin.

[11]  Richard V. Burkhauser,et al.  The Declining Work and Welfare of People with Disabilities: What Went Wrong and a Strategy for Change , 2011 .

[12]  Jae Song,et al.  Trends in Employment and Earnings of Allowed and Rejected Applicants to the Social Security Disability Insurance Program. , 2011, The American economic review.

[13]  L. Caplan,et al.  Employment and Earnings Growth Among Transition-Age Supplemental Security Income Program Participants , 2010 .

[14]  D. Osgood,et al.  Vulnerable Populations and the Transition to Adulthood , 2010, The Future of children.

[15]  J. Hemmeter,et al.  The Age-18 Redetermination and Postredetermination Participation in SSI , 2009, Social security bulletin.

[16]  Paula D. Kohler,et al.  Evidence-Based Secondary Transition Predictors for Improving Postschool Outcomes for Students With Disabilities , 2009 .

[17]  P. Davies,et al.  A life-cycle perspective on the transition to adulthood among children receiving Supplemental Security Income payments , 2009 .

[18]  M. Duggan,et al.  Why are the Disability Rolls Skyrocketing? The Contribution of Population Characteristics, Economic Conditions, and Program Generosity , 2009 .

[19]  T. Fraker,et al.  The Social Security Administration's youth transition demonstration projects , 2009 .

[20]  J. Hemmeter,et al.  Changing Circumstances: Experiences of Child SSI Recipients Before and After Their Age-18 Redetermination for Adult Benefits (Journal Article) , 2009 .

[21]  W. V. D. Klaauw,et al.  The work disincentive effects of the disability insurance program in the 1990s , 2008 .

[22]  R. Burkhauser,et al.  How Postsecondary Education Improves Adult Outcomes for Supplemental Security Income Children with Severe Hearing Impairments , 2008, Social security bulletin.

[23]  P. Loprest,et al.  Early Transition Experiences of Transition-Age Child SSI Recipients , 2007 .

[24]  Melissa S. Kearney,et al.  The impact of child SSI enrollment on household outcomes , 2007 .

[25]  David H. Autor,et al.  The Rise in the Disability Rolls and the Decline in Unemployment , 2003 .

[26]  D. Black,et al.  The Impact of Economic Conditions on Participation in Disability Programs: Evidence from the Coal Boom and Bust. , 2002, The American economic review.

[27]  Elaine M. Maag,et al.  School to where? A literature review on economic outcomes of youth with Disabilities , 2002 .

[28]  Jeffrey D. Kubik.  Incentives for the identification and treatment of children with disabilities: the supplemental security income program , 1999 .

[29]  John Bound,et al.  The Health and Earnings of Rejected Disability Insurance Applicants , 1989, The American economic review.