Disability Research Consortium Annual Meeting

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

David Stapleton, Mathematica, and John Phillips, Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics, Social Security Administration

Panel 1: Workers’ Compensation and Short-Term Disability

The Effect of Unconditional Cash Transfers on Return to Work
Kathleen Mullen, RAND Corporation; Stephanie Rennane*, RAND Corporation
summary | slides
Discussant: Yonatan Ben-Shalom, Mathematica

Early Identification of Short-Term Disability Claimants Who Exhaust Their Benefits and Transfer to Long-Term Disability Insurance
Kara Contreary*, Mathematica; Yonatan Ben-Shalom, Mathematica; Brian Gifford, Integrated Benefits Institute
summary | slides
Discussant: Phil Armour, RAND Corporation

The Impact of Temporary Disability Insurance in Rhode Island on Maternal and Newborn Outcomes
Justine Hastings*, Brown University and Rhode Island Innovative Policy Lab (RIIPL); Zakary Campbell, RIIPL; Ian Chin, RIIPL; Eric Chyn, University of Virginia and RIIPL
summary | slides
Discussant: David Mann, Mathematica

Panel 2: Effects of the Economy and State Policy on SSDI Outcomes

Disability Insurance and the Great Recession
Nicole Maestas, Harvard University and NBER; Kathleen Mullen*, RAND Corporation; Alexander Strand, Social Security Administration
summary | slides
Discussant: David Stapleton, Mathematica

Controlled Substance Restrictions and Applications for Disability Insurance
David Cutler, Harvard University and NBER; Ellen Meara, Dartmouth College and NBER; Susan Stewart*, NBER
summary | slides
Discussant: Stefan Staubli, University of Calgary

Long-Term Follow-Up of the Texas Demonstration to Maintain Independence and Employment
Judith Cook*, The University of Illinois at Chicago; Jane Burke-Miller, The University of Illinois at Chicago; Thomas Bohman, The University of Texas at Austin
summary | slides
Discussant: Crystal Blyler, Mathematica

Lunch Speaker

Income and Longevity: Implications for Disability and Retirement Programs
David Cutler, Harvard University and NBER
slides (508 compliant version forthcoming)

Panel 3: Non-SSA Program Interactions

Contemporaneous and Long-Term Effects of CHIP Eligibility Expansions on SSI Enrollment
Sean Orzol, Mathematica; Lindsey Leininger, Mathematica; Michael Levere*, Mathematica; Nancy Early, Social Security Administration
summary | slides
Discussant: Steven Hill, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Long-Term Outcomes for Transition-Age Youth with Mental Health Conditions Who Receive Postsecondary Education Support
Priyanka Anand*, Mathematica; Todd Honeycutt, Mathematica
summary | slides
Discussant: Manasi Deshpande, University of Chicago and NBER

The Impact of Medicare Part D on Social Security Disability Insurance Beneficiaries
Amitabh Chandra, Harvard and NBER; Seth Seabury*, University of Southern California and NBER
summary | slides
Discussant: Gal Wettstein, Retirement Research Center at Boston College

Panel 4: Federal Disability Policy

Work-Related Overpayments of Social Security Disability Insurance Beneficiaries: Prevalence and Descriptive Statistics
Denise Hoffman*, Mathematica; Ben Fischer, Mathematica; John Jones, Social Security Administration
summary | slides
Discussant: John Kregel, VCU

Long-Term Follow-Up of the Mental Health Treatment Study
Julia Baller*, Mathematica; Crystal Blyler, Mathematica; Gary Bond, Westat; Tom Hale, Social Security Administration
summary | slides
Discussant: Kim Mueser, Boston University

Medical Recovery After Bariatric Surgery
Lauren Hersch Nicholas*, Johns Hopkins University; Justin Dimick, University of Michigan
slides
Discussant: Jody Schimmel Hyde, Mathematica