JSIT19-03: Disability and Wealth: Exploring the Liquid Asset Trajectories of SSI and SSDI Applicants

Currently, 13% of people in the US population have a disability. Experiencing a disability has negative impacts upon economic well-being measured by earnings, consumption and family income. The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers two programs to alleviate financial strain for individuals with a disability: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). This report seeks to describe the using liquid asset trajectories for approved and denied applicants. This report employs a panel event study approach using data from the 1992-2016 Health and Retirement Study to examine the role of program application timing for liquid asset accumulation.