(Press-News.org) Male disability applicants rejected for federal benefits tend to have lower earnings and labor force participation rates over the decade prior to applying for federal disability benefits, a new study finds.
Rejected applicants also work less despite being in better health than accepted applicants, according to the research led by economist Seth Giertz of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
On average, the study found, those rejected for benefits made 8.5 percent less than beneficiaries six years before applying – and nearly 22 percent less just prior to application. Also, applicants who were rejected left the workforce faster as their application dates approached than those who were approved for benefits.
The findings suggest that many of the rejections may have been because applicants were not entirely motivated by health reasons when seeking disability.
"This adds to a growing literature suggesting that financial factors may be a driving factor in a large number of disability applications," said Giertz, assistant professor of economics at UNL. "Federal disability programs have undergone tremendous growth in recent decades and appear to be discouraging able-bodied adults from staying in the labor force."
The work sheds light on the efficacy of the government's disability screening process by factoring in applicants' pre-application work characteristics, and implies that rejected and accepted disability applicants have much different labor-market experiences before applying. Most notably, the rejected applicants were worse-off economically – consistent with other research examining disability claims for those in declining industries.
On a positive note, the study suggests that the screening process does, at least to a certain degree, separate out those applicants partially motivated by economic considerations from those facing more severe health issues.
"However, the rapid growth of the program over a period where health has improved and jobs have become less physically demanding suggests that the system is broken and in need of reform," Giertz said. "Without changes, the federal disability programs are on a fiscally unsustainable path. For some, disability may be becoming a transition to retirement.
"This 'early retirement option' will be more appealing to people with fewer or declining economic opportunities – such as those in in industries experiencing a negative economic shock."
Applications to U.S. federal disability programs have grown considerably in recent decades. In 2005, more than 2.12 million people applied for benefits from the Social Security Disability Insurance program, while the Supplemental Security Income program received nearly 1.1 million applications. For the former, that's more than five times the number of applications in 1960 and almost twice its 1990 levels.
For their analysis, the economists examined the behavior of respondents in the Health and Retirement Study who were linked to Social Security earnings records. That analysis also produced these findings:
Nearly 77 percent of applicants with less than a high-school diploma were eventually accepted, the highest rate of any education group.
Those ages 31 to 40 were the most likely to be accepted, at 86.5 percent, followed by ages 41 to 50, at 77.4 percent.
Accepted applicants were more likely to have heart, circulatory or blood conditions, but many of the other health conditions had similar acceptance rates.
"The direct fiscal stress resulting from the growth in federal disability benefits is exacerbated by the fact that disability beneficiaries become eligible for either Medicare or Medicaid, the two programs at the heart of the nation's long-term fiscal problems," Giertz said.
###
The research, co-authored by economics professor Jeffrey Kubik of Syracuse University, appears in the current edition of the Journal of Labor Research.
Study finds much different work histories for disability rejects, beneficiaries
Rejected applicants were worse-off economically
2011-05-24
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
UTHealth researchers find diabetics at higher risk of tuberculosis infection
2011-05-24
HOUSTON-(May 23, 2011)-People with diabetes have a three to five times higher risk of contracting tuberculosis (TB) than non-diabetics, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).
Results of the study, which included 233 patients with TB who live in Texas and Mexico along the border, are published in the May issue of the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. It was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
"With the increase in diabetes patients in TB-endemic areas, our findings highlight the re-emerging impact ...
Improving health assessments with a single cell
2011-05-24
PASADENA, Calif.—There's a wealth of health information hiding in the human immune system. Accessing it, however, can be very challenging, as the many and complex roles that the immune system plays can mask the critical information that is relevant to addressing specific health issues. Now, research led by scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has shown that a new generation of microchips developed by the team can quickly and inexpensively assess immune function by examining biomarkers—proteins that can reflect the response of the immune system ...
Universe's not-so-missing mass
2011-05-24
A Monash student has made a breakthrough in the field of astrophysics, discovering what has until now been described as the Universe's 'missing mass'. Amelia Fraser-McKelvie, working within a team at the Monash School of Physics, conducted a targeted X-ray search for the matter and within just three months found it – or at least some of it.
What makes the discovery all the more noteworthy is the fact that Ms Fraser-McKelvie is not a career researcher, or even studying at a postgraduate level. She is a 22-year-old undergraduate Aerospace Engineering/Science student who ...
Better scheduling of admissions can reduce crowding at children's hospitals
2011-05-24
Too many admissions at a hospital at one time can put patients at risk. A new study published today in the Journal of Hospital Medicine suggests that "smoothing" occupancy over the course of a week could help hospitals reduce crowding and protect patients from crowded conditions. The strategy involves controlling the entry of patients, when possible, to achieve more even levels of occupancy instead of the peaks and troughs that are commonly encountered.
Researchers gathered inpatient information from 39 children's hospitals during 2007, using it to compare weekday versus ...
FDA predictability a top concern for medtech firms; EU preferred for product approval
2011-05-24
WASHINGTON, DC––MAY 24, 2011––Two-thirds of small medical device and diagnostic companies––the drivers of innovation in the sector––are obtaining clearance for new products in Europe first, suggesting delayed market entry in the U.S., according to a comprehensive industrywide survey about FDA's 510(k) product review process by researchers at Northwestern University.
Large and small companies reported that unclear guidelines, inconsistent implementation, and lead reviewer turnover are contributing to increasing unpredictability of the process. Only 8% of survey respondents ...
Happy guys finish last, says new study on sexual attractiveness
2011-05-24
Women find happy guys significantly less sexually attractive than swaggering or brooding men, according to a new University of British Columbia study that helps to explain the enduring allure of "bad boys" and other iconic gender types.
The study – which may cause men to smile less on dates, and inspire online daters to update their profile photos – finds dramatic gender differences in how men and women rank the sexual attractiveness of non-verbal expressions of commonly displayed emotions, including happiness, pride, and shame.
Very few studies have explored the relationship ...
New study finds that violence doesn't add to children's enjoyment of TV shows, movies
2011-05-24
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Despite growing concern about the effects of media violence on children, violent television shows and movies continue to be produced and marketed to them. An Indiana University research study concludes that violence doesn't add anything to their enjoyment of such programs and their characters.
In a research study published in the journal Media Psychology, Andrew J. Weaver, an assistant professor of telecommunications in IU's College of Arts and Sciences, and colleagues tested a common view presented by media producers that children like to watch violent ...
UT Southwestern researchers find protein breakdown contributes to pelvic organ prolapse
2011-05-24
DALLAS – May 24, 2011 – A gynecologist and a molecular biologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center have collaborated to show for the first time that pelvic organ prolapse – a condition in which the uterus, bladder or vagina protrude from the body – is caused by a combination of a loss of elasticity and a breakdown of proteins in the vaginal wall.
Pelvic organ prolapse affects many women older than 50 years of age. Besides creating pelvic pressure, prolapse can lead to other pelvic-floor disorders such as urinary and fecal incontinence, and can affect sexual function.
"We ...
WSU physicists devise new way to analyze a bloody crime scene
2011-05-24
PULLMAN, Wash.—Don't get him wrong: Fred Gittes is, in his words, "extremely squeamish."
But then a scientist with forensics training told him that crime scene investigators could use a better way to analyze blood spatters. The physicist in Gittes rose to the challenge.
"It seems as though what was being done was very crude from a physics point of view and that intrigued me," he says.
Along with Chris Varney, a doctoral candidate in physics, Gittes has worked out a system that can often determine exactly where blood spatters originate, a critical piece of evidence in ...
Unusual earthquake gave Japan tsunami extra punch, say Stanford scientists
2011-05-24
The magnitude 9 earthquake and resulting tsunami that struck Japan on March 11 were like a one-two punch – first violently shaking, then swamping the islands – causing tens of thousands of deaths and hundreds of billions of dollars in damage. Now Stanford researchers have discovered the catastrophe was caused by a sequence of unusual geologic events never before seen so clearly.
"It was not appreciated before this earthquake that this size of earthquake was possible on this plate boundary," said Stanford geophysicist Greg Beroza. "It was thought that typical earthquakes ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Study finds smoking linked to increased risk of chronic kidney disease in later stages
System to auto-detect new variants will inform better response to future infectious disease outbreaks
Key players in brain aging: New research identifies age-related damage on a cellular level
Pupil size in sleep reveals how memories are sorted, preserved
Revealing a key mechanism of rapid centromere evolution
A tour de force: Columbia engineers discover new “all-optical” nanoscale sensors of force
Ancient DNA unlocks new understanding of migrations in the first millennium AD
MIT scientists pin down the origins of a fast radio burst
Researchers reveal why the lung is a frequent site of cancer metastasis
Aging may change some brain cells more than others
Special issue of APA’s official journal focuses on psychedelic medication
Geneticist unlocks mysteries of childhood psychiatric disorders through innovative research
New study uncovers key insights into protein interactions in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, paving way for more targeted therapies
Revolutionizing fragrance design using deep neural networks (DNNs) scent profiles from chemical data
Custom-fit bone grafts: the future of craniomaxillofacial surgery
A new ‘molecular lantern’ detects brain metastasis in mice by inserting a probe thinner than a hair into the brain
McGill scientist reveals how early life experiences reshape our genes and brain health
Renowned scientist reveals vital link between inflammation and depression through groundbreaking research
Medical researcher explores economic impact of psychedelic therapy implementation
Improving immunotherapies for kidney cancer
Billing patients for portal messages could decrease message volume and ease physician workload
Study of Sherpas highlights key role of kidneys in acclimatization to high altitudes
Smartphone app can help reduce opioid use and keep patients in treatment, UT Health San Antonio study shows
Improved health care value cannot be achieved by hospital mergers and acquisitions alone
People who are immunocompromised may not produce enough protective antibodies against RSV after vaccination
Does coffee prevent head and neck cancer?
AI replaces humans in identifying causes of fuel cell malfunctions
Pitfalls of FDA-approved germline cancer predisposition tests
A rising trend of 'murderous verbs' in movies over 50 years
Brain structure differences are associated with early use of substances among adolescents
[Press-News.org] Study finds much different work histories for disability rejects, beneficiariesRejected applicants were worse-off economically