National Beneficiary Survey: Disability Statistics, 2019

Participation in Government Programs or Other Services

Table 9. Program participation, by program and employment status (in percent)
Characteristic All beneficiaries Program Beneficiaries employed at interview
DI only Concurrent DI and SSI SSI only
SSA program participation
DI only 58.3 100.0 . . . . . . 58.7
Concurrent DI and SSI 14.0 . . . 100.0 . . . 19.0
SSI only 27.7 . . . . . . 100.0 22.3
Monthly SSA program benefit(s) in month before interview
Less than $500 8.6 4.5 4.3 19.5 26.4
$500–$1,000 48.3 25.1 82.3 79.8 38.1
$1,001 or more 43.1 70.4 13.4 0.7 35.6
Average ($) 1,089.04 1,365.40 856.19 624.55 855.76
Beneficiaries with income or assistance in month before interview
Source of income or assistance a
SSA program benefits 92.1 93.1 93.1 89.4 74.9
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 36.9 24.3 54.3 54.6 14.5
Earnings b 7.8 8.5 9.5 5.5 77.6
Pensions 6.5 11.0 0.4 (X) 1.8
Veterans' benefits 2.7 4.1 1.6 0.3 0.9
Private disability insurance 2.7 3.6 2.7 0.9 0.9
Public cash assistance or welfare 2.1 0.7 2.6 5.0 0.8
Workers' compensation 0.8 1.3 0.0 0.0 0.1
Unemployment Insurance 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.4
Other 2.6 2.9 2.7 1.8 3.2
Monthly non-SSA program benefit in month before interview
None 58.1 66.8 46.0 45.8 81.1
$1–$199 27.2 19.2 37.2 38.8 9.6
$200–$499 5.8 3.6 9.5 8.6 5.6
$500 or more 8.9 10.4 7.3 6.7 3.7
Average ($) 188.26 227.93 136.95 130.62 63.75
Months since initial SSA program award
Fewer than 24 3.5 2.8 3.4 5.0 3.8
24–59 18.3 21.0 14.6 14.5 13.1
60–119 23.8 28.3 8.7 22.0 24.0
120 or more 54.3 47.9 73.3 58.2 59.1
Average 164.3 147.3 218.1 172.8 179.7
Number (unweighted) 9,092 4,281 1,813 2,998 4,597
Number (weighted) 12,666,165 7,387,330 1,771,690 3,507,145 1,212,138
NOTE: . . . = not applicable; (X) = suppressed to avoid disclosing information about particular individuals.
a. Multiple responses possible.
b. These percentages do not match those shown in tables on characteristics of beneficiaries employed at interview because the reference month differs.
Table 10. Beneficiaries who used services in 2018, by program and employment status (in percent)
Characteristic Overall Program Beneficiaries employed at interview
DI only Concurrent DI and SSI SSI only
Service use
Yes 84.1 85.8 80.0 82.5 83.1
No 15.5 14.1 19.5 16.6 16.5
Unknown 0.4 0.2 0.5 0.9 0.4
Among service users—
Type of service used a
Medical services 97.3 98.3 95.4 96.3 85.7
Personal counseling or group therapy 36.4 33.1 46.6 38.7 37.1
Occupational, physical, or speech therapy 34.1 35.0 32.7 32.8 28.6
Special equipment or device 19.4 20.0 22.3 16.6 14.2
Work assessment or help finding a job 13.6 9.9 23.0 16.9 38.0
Job training, on-the-job training, or advice about workplace modification 13.9 11.7 22.4 14.6 54.2
Reason for using service a
To improve health or well-being 74.3 76.0 74.2 70.6 58.9
To improve ability to do daily activities 16.0 16.5 15.4 15.1 12.7
To find a job or get a better job 5.4 4.3 8.5 6.3 18.1
To access specific service or program 2.5 3.1 0.9 2.0 2.5
Pressured by someone to use 2.4 2.8 0.6 2.4 2.5
To increase income 0.9 1.0 0.4 1.0 2.6
To avoid a continuing disability review 0.2 0.3 (X) 0.1 0.1
Other 21.9 20.2 27.2 23.0 25.0
Number (unweighted)
All beneficiaries 9,092 4,281 1,813 2,998 4,597
Beneficiaries who used services in 2018 7,614 3,659 1,512 2,443 3,860
Number (weighted)
All beneficiaries 12,666,165 7,387,330 1,771,690 3,507,145 1,212,138
Beneficiaries who used services in 2018 10,647,129 6,338,401 1,417,132 2,891,597 1,007,562
NOTE: (X) = suppressed to avoid disclosing information about particular individuals.
a. Multiple responses possible.
Table 11. Beneficiaries who needed but did not receive services in 2018, by program and employment status (in percent)
Characteristic Overall Program Beneficiaries employed at interview
DI only Concurrent DI and SSI SSI only
Unmet service need reported
Yes 9.5 8.8 8.3 11.5 8.8
No 89.1 89.7 90.3 87.2 89.9
Unknown 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.3
Reason for unmet service need
Could not afford 15.5 20.8 7.8 9.9 5.2
Problems with service or agency 1.4 0.4 0.8 3.4 0.4
Wasn't eligible or request refused 11.8 13.6 6.6 10.8 13.9
Too difficult or confusing 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.8 0.7
Lack of information 11.2 11.7 12.9 9.8 16.7
Did not try to get service 2.0 3.5 0.0 0.4 8.4
Other 57.5 50.1 71.6 64.3 54.8
Unknown 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.8 0.0
Number (unweighted)
All beneficiaries 9,092 4,281 1,813 2,998 4,597
Beneficiaries with unmet service needs 1,046 497 199 350 502
Number (weighted)
All beneficiaries 12,666,165 7,387,330 1,771,690 3,507,145 1,212,138
Beneficiaries with unmet service needs 1,200,327 648,875 146,882 404,569 106,773
 
Table 12. Beneficiaries who used services in 2018, by selected impairment (in percent)
Characteristic Overall Beneficiaries reporting—
Musculoskeletal impairment Mental impairment Intellectual disability
Service use
Yes 84.1 88.9 87.8 83.3
No 15.5 11.0 11.8 16.0
Unknown 0.4 0.1 0.4 0.7
Among service users—
Type of service used a
Medical services 97.3 99.2 97.8 91.5
Personal counseling or group therapy 36.4 34.5 62.9 28.6
Occupational, physical, or speech therapy 34.1 37.1 33.9 17.5
Special equipment or device 19.4 22.4 17.7 13.0
Work assessment or help finding a job 13.6 7.3 16.6 32.3
Job training, on-the-job training, or advice about workplace modification 13.9 6.9 16.9 30.8
Reason for using service a
To improve health or well-being 74.3 79.6 75.2 67.6
To improve ability to do daily activities 16.0 17.4 15.4 14.3
To find a job or get a better job 5.4 3.8 6.8 7.6
To access specific service or program 2.5 2.2 2.0 1.1
Pressured by someone to use 2.4 2.5 1.6 1.4
To increase income 0.9 0.9 1.1 0.4
To avoid a continuing disability review 0.2 0.1 0.1 (X)
Other 21.9 19.0 20.8 32.9
Number (unweighted)
All beneficiaries 9,092 2,259 3,606 398
Beneficiaries who used services in 2018 7,614 2,014 3,191 329
Number (weighted)
All beneficiaries 12,666,165 4,914,283 4,832,203 428,559
Beneficiaries who used services in 2018 10,647,129 4,368,786 4,241,177 357,025
NOTE: (X) = suppressed to avoid disclosing information about particular individuals.
a. Multiple responses possible.
Table 13. Beneficiaries who used services in 2018, by age (in percent)
Characteristic Overall Under 30 30–49 50 or older
Service use
Yes 84.1 77.5 84.1 85.0
No 15.5 20.9 15.3 14.9
Unknown 0.4 1.7 0.6 0.2
Among service users—
Type of service used a
Medical services 97.3 89.5 95.4 99.0
Personal counseling or group therapy 36.4 38.9 43.5 33.5
Occupational, physical, or speech therapy 34.1 27.9 30.3 36.3
Special equipment or device 19.4 13.6 17.3 20.8
Work assessment or help finding a job 13.6 36.4 16.5 9.6
Job training, on-the-job training, or advice about workplace modification 13.9 39.8 18.1 9.2
Reason for using service a
To improve health or well-being 74.3 58.4 72.0 77.1
To improve ability to do daily activities 16.0 17.1 18.0 15.1
To find a job or get a better job 5.4 14.4 7.6 3.5
To access specific service or program 2.5 2.4 2.7 2.5
Pressured by someone to use 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.3
To increase income 0.9 1.1 1.4 0.7
To avoid a continuing disability review 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2
Other 21.9 27.9 21.5 21.3
Number (unweighted)
All beneficiaries 9,092 1,885 4,292 2,915
Beneficiaries who used services in 2018 7,614 1,520 3,575 2,519
Number (weighted)
All beneficiaries 12,666,165 1,129,444 3,183,724 8,352,997
Beneficiaries who used services in 2018 10,647,129 874,727 2,676,816 7,095,586
a. Multiple responses possible.