DI & SSI Program Participants: Characteristics & Employment, 2021 examines the work activity of working-age adult Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) beneficiaries and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients before and after disability award. It covers work activity, employment expectations and characteristics, employment service use, and factors affecting employment. This chartbook is a companion to National Beneficiary Survey: Disability Statistics, 2019, which presents statistics on beneficiary characteristics from National Beneficiary Survey data.

Policymakers seek effective ways to encourage DI beneficiaries and SSI recipients to return to work, and to help, SSA offers numerous work supports and services. This chartbook provides context for beneficiaries' and recipients' return-to-work efforts by presenting detailed information on their work patterns before and after award.

Seth Hartig and Paul O'Leary prepared this chartbook. Ben Pitkin and Jessie Dalrymple edited it and designed it for publication.

Direct any questions, ideas, or comments about the publication to ORDES.DAF@ssa.gov.

Susan B. Wilschke
Associate Commissioner for Disability Policy
May 2025