Disability Research Consortium Annual Meeting 2018

Millions of people with disabilities rely on a system of government programs designed to help them supplement their income and meet the challenges of getting an education, finding employment, and maintaining good health. But the cost and complexity of the U.S. system present their own major challenges, both for policymakers who seek to meet rising needs with limited resources and for beneficiaries who experience a fragmented provision of services and poor health and economic outcomes. The Disability Research Consortium (DRC) is helping build the evidence base needed to improve the national disability support system, improve the lives of people with disabilities, and reduce government spending in the long term.

This conference highlighted the DRC’s latest research findings and their implications for the future of state and federal disability policies and programs.

DETAILED AGENDA(*Presenter)

Welcoming Remarks

Mark Warshawsky, Deputy Commissioner, Office of Retirement and Disability Policy, Social Security Administration 

Panel 1: Health, Absenteeism and Health Insurance

Absenteeism and Presenteeism Among American Workers
Nicole Maestas, Harvard Medical School and NBER; and Kathleen Mullen* and Stephanie Rennane, RAND
Slides    Summary    
Discussant: Amal Harrati, Stanford University    Discussion 

Health, Absenteeism and Disability in a Large Working Cohort
Amal Harrati*, Stanford University; Sepideh Modrek, San Franciso State University; and Mark R. Cullen, Stanford University and NBER
Slides    Summary    
Discussant: Yonatan Ben-Shalom, Mathematica    Discussion 

Impacts of Parental Health Insurance Coverage Availability on Disability Benefit Applications of Young Adults
Michael Levere and Heinrich Hock*, Mathematica; and Nancy Early, Social Security Administration
Slides    Summary    
Discussant: Priyanka Anand, George Mason University    Discussion 

Panel 2: Occupational Factors 

Occupational Changes Following Disability Onset in the Late Working Years
Jody Schimmel Hyde and April Yanyuan Wu*, Mathematica
Slides    Summary    
Discussant: Brooke Helppie-McFall, University of Michigan    Discussion 

Are Alternative Work Arrangements a Risk Factor for Long-Term Disability and Labor Force Exit?
Nicholas Broten, Michael Dworsky* and David Powell, RAND
Slides    Summary    
Discussant: David Mann, Mathematica

The Effect of Worker Employment Histories and SSDI Program Rules on SSDI Application, Benefit Receipt and Benefit Levels

Till von Wachter*, UCLA and NBER, and Jae Song, Social Security Administration
Discussant: Robert R. Weathers, Social Security Administration

Luncheon Speaker: David Autor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NBER
The Work of the Future: Challenges and Opportunities for Workers with Disabilities in the Robot-ificial Intelligence Era

Panel 3: Health and Well-being of Beneficiaries

Making Ends Meet: How Low-Income DI Beneficiaries Meet Their Needs
Jack Gettens* and Alexis Henry, UMass Medical School
Slides    Summary    
Discussant: Nanette Goodman, National Disability Institute    Discussion 

Disability and Distress: The Effect of Disability Programs on Financial Outcomes
Manasi Deshpande*, University of Chicago and NBER; Tal Gross, Boston University and NBER; and Yalun Su, University of Chicago
Discussant: Jeffrey Hemmeter, Social Security Administration

The Effects of Medicaid Policy on the Health Care Utilization and Health of SSI Beneficiaries
Timothy Layton and Nicole Maestas*, Harvard Medical School and NBER
Slides    Summary    
Discussant: Jody Schimmel Hyde, Mathematica    Discussion 

Panel 4: Characteristics of Applicants and Beneficiaries

The Role of Non-Attorney Representation in the SSDI Determination Process: A Case Study of One Prominent Intermediary
Yonatan Ben-Shalom and Dara Lee Luca*, Mathematica
Slides    Summary    
Discussant: Stephanie Rennane, RAND    Discussion 

Great Expectations but Poorer Outcomes: Declining Employment among a Growing Group of Work-oriented Beneficiaries
Gina Livermore*, Purvi Sevak, and Marisa Shenk, Mathematica
Slides    Summary    
Discussant: John T. Jones, Social Security Administration    Discussion 

How Do Work-Related Overpayments Affect the Earnings of Social Security Disability Insurance Beneficiaries?
Denise Hoffman*, Mathematica; Priyanka Anand, George Mason University; and John Jones, Social Security Administration
Slides    Summary    
Discussant: Michael Dworsky, RAND    Discussion