The COVID-19 pandemic generated large shocks to health and healthcare access, labor markets, and wealth, magnifying many pathways that have been shown in other contexts to impact retirement and labor market decisions. Focusing on older and disabled workers, who may be particularly vulnerable to these health and economic shocks, this project draws on multiple national data sets to study the spillovers of the pandemic on the take-up of retirement/survivor’s benefits (OASI), supplemental security income (SSI), and disability insurance (SSDI) benefits. Analyses are based on difference-in-differences methods, which capitalize on the spatial variation in the intensity of the pandemic shocks. The project also estimates differential impacts on take-up among racial/ethnic minorities and women in order to assess to what extent pre-existing disparities have widened as a result of the pandemic. Findings will inform the Social Security Administration’s targeting of outreach efforts to increase SSI/SSDI program take-up and narrow disparities in take-up.
