National Beneficiary Survey: Disability Statistics, 2015

Benefits and Employment Interactions

Table 33. Work activity notification to SSA by beneficiaries employed at interview, by program (in percent)
Notification All beneficiaries DI-only beneficiaries Concurrent program beneficiaries SSI-only beneficiaries
Number (unweighted) 445 179 105 161
Number (weighted) 1,064,064 632,393 171,869 259,803
Percentage (weighted) 8.3 8.6 8.8 7.2
Notified SSA when started current job
Yes 76.4 80.0 78.8 66.2
No 19.3 16.5 17.9 27.0
Unknown 4.3 3.5 3.4 6.8
How long after job start SSA was notified (among those who notified SSA)
Less than 1 month 60.0 59.7 72.0 51.5
1–3 months 16.7 15.6 15.8 (X)
4 months or more 2.7 3.6 (X) (X)
Unknown 20.5 21.0 (X) 26.4
NOTE: (X) = suppressed to avoid disclosing information about particular individuals.
Table 34. Recently employed beneficiaries with benefit adjustments because of work activity, by program (in percent)
Benefit adjustment All beneficiaries DI-only beneficiaries Concurrent program beneficiaries SSI-only beneficiaries
Number (unweighted) 683 275 161 247
Number (weighted) 1,529,385 905,134 258,262 365,989
Percentage (weighted) 11.9 12.3 13.3 10.2
Social Security disability benefit changes needed because of work
Yes 17.9 8.4 26.6 35.5
No 68.7 81.0 54.3 48.3
Unknown 13.4 10.7 19.1 16.2
Social Security paid wrong benefit amount (among those indicating changes needed)
Yes 53.2 66.9 48.3 47.8
No or unknown 46.8 33.1 51.7 52.2
Beneficiary was asked to repay benefits because of overpayment (among those employed at interview or in 2014)
Yes, overpayment because of work 13.3 7.0 20.0 24.2
Yes, overpayment because of other reason 7.5 3.4 11.4 15.0
No 66.8 79.8 49.9 46.6
Unknown 12.4 9.9 18.8 14.2
Disability-related benefits reduced or ended because of work (among those employed at interview or in 2014)
Yes 14.0 6.9 17.4 29.3
No 60.6 68.2 54.2 46.4
Unknown 25.3 24.9 28.4 24.3
Benefit affected (among those indicating reductions or terminations) a
Social Security disability 91.8 86.9 87.8 96.4
Medicare 4.6 13.7 0.0 (X)
Medicaid b 8.2 11.7 9.5 5.6
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 7.7 0.0 12.0 10.3
Other 12.1 27.2 7.9 4.9
NOTES: Recently employed refers to beneficiaries employed at interview or in 2014.
(X) = suppressed to avoid disclosing information about particular individuals.
a. Multiple responses possible.
b. Medicaid reductions or terminations among DI-only beneficiaries could be due to loss of SSI because of work or confusion between Medicare and Medicaid among respondents.
Table 35. Eligible beneficiary awareness of Social Security work supports, by program and employment status (in percent)
Program and support All respondents eligible for support DI-only beneficiaries Concurrent program beneficiaries SSI-only beneficiaries All employed beneficiaries
SSI work incentive
1619(b) continued Medicaid coverage 10.8 . . . 11.9 10.2 17.2
Earned income exclusion 12.4 . . . 13.0 12.0 14.9
Plan to achieve self-support 8.3 . . . 9.2 7.8 7.8
Property essential for self-support 6.2 . . . 4.3 7.1 5.0
Student earned income exclusion a 8.7 . . . 7.9 8.9 13.0
SSDI work incentive
Trial work period 34.6 37.1 25.1 . . . 51.0
Extended period of medicare eligibility 16.2 16.8 13.8 . . . 30.2
SSI and SSDI work incentive
Ticket to Work 26.8 30.2 26.6 20.0 45.8
Benefits specialist 17.8 21.5 14.4 12.0 31.2
Impairment-related or blind work expenses 9.5 11.6 8.5 5.9 17.3
Expedited reinstatement 13.9 16.2 12.5 9.9 21.6
NOTE: . . . = not applicable.
a. Awareness rate was calculated as a percentage of SSI recipients aged 25 or younger who began receiving benefits before age 22.