- "Denied SS - No SSI" subgroup had a greater likelihood of earnings over $1,040 (3X more likely to have such earnings compared to the SS or SSI  Beneficiaries groups) and lower hospitalization and poverty rates.
- Above results dispel assumptions concerning denied applicants' more limited labor market opportunities.
- "Denied SS - No Other" subgroup had a lower likelihood of earnings over $1,040 and higher hospitalization and poverty rates.
- Removal of denied individuals with more favorable circumstances (receiving other benefits) more accurately reflects the whole of the denied population. 
- Overall lower earnings and high hospitalization and poverty rates compared to the general population.

Analysis on Subpopulations of the Denied SS Group

- 52-54% of SS Denied individuals report having difficulty standing and or kneeling, crouching, or other similar actions, compared to 5-8% of the general population and 66-69% of SS beneficiaries.
-  44% of SS Denied individuals report being depressed and anxious often, compared to only 6% of the general population and 46% of SS beneficiaries. 
- Denied individuals have a lower likelihood of having health limitations than SS Beneficiaries individuals.
- The Other Public or Private Beneficiaries group falls into a middle category, reporting fewer health problems than SS or SSI groups but still more than the general population. 

Health Limitations in the SIPP

- Notably, the census used administrative records from the SSA to correct current survey reports (for SIPP 2014), an important innovation considering some respondents would get confused over whether they received SS or SSI.
- SS and SSI Beneficiaries groups had similar rates of hospitalization and levels of poverty compared to the 2013 SS group. 
- SSI groups experienced a high level of poverty.
- 9% of SS Beneficiaries individuals had earnings above $1,040 compared to 3.6% for 2013 SS individuals (due to SS Beneficiaries including ever-receipt individuals like those who exited the program).

Currently Receiving Social Security or SSI Disability and Administrative Data

Weaver touched on further analyses concerning subpopulations of the denied SS group, health limitations, SS beneficiaries, and more. 

University of Notre Dame

The data collected reflects the outcome of a comparative analysis of the socioeconomic, economic, healthcare impacts between SS and SSI groups. 

Main Analysis of Weaver's Study

Weaver, D. A. (2020). Social Security disability benefits: Characteristics of the approved and denied populations. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 32(1), 51–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/1044207320933538 

Social Security Disability Benefits: Characteristics of the Approved and Denied Populations

- SS Denied, SS Beneficiaries, and SSI Beneficiaries have high percentages  of persons who have no obtained a HS diploma, live in the South, and are black.
- 1 in 5 SS beneficiary applicants have less than a HS education, compared to 1 in 9 in the general population.
- 1 in 4 denied applicants are black (1 in 5 for applied, 1 in 9 for general population).
- The three named groups are also older on average and less less likely to be married.
- "Other Public or Private Beneficiaries" individuals resemble percentages of the general population and are most likely of the categories to have graduated HS.

Demographic and Socioeconomic Information on Different Social Security Disabiliy Groups

- SS Denied individuals experience a high level of poverty (38%) and material hardship (43%).
- SS Beneficiaries have relatively lower poverty and material hardship rates compared to SS Denied individuals. 
- Other Public or Private Beneficiaries and general population groups have relatively low rates of poverty and material hardship. 

Economic Well-Being of Different Social Security Disability Groups

- 27.3% of SS Beneficiaries were hospitalized, while 53.7% had more than 5 visits to a medical provider. 21.1% of SS Denied individuals were hospitalized, while 41.9% had more than 5 visits to a medical provider.
- The general population, in comparison, had 6.9% hospitalizations and 15.5% provider visits.
- These numbers are significant considering the denied group is least likely to have health insurance.
- Based on self-reported health, 6.9% of the general population reports fair or poor health. The denied group comes to 50% and beneficiaries come to 62.5%. 
- Health care utilization and self-reported health stats estimate that SS Denied individuals may have better health than beneficiaries, but, overall, both groups face significant challenges. 
- "Other Public or Private Beneficiaries" individuals fall under a "middle population, that has better health than SS denied and beneficiaries, but overall poorer health than the general population. 

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