off the charts
POLICY INSIGHT
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
The number of disabled workers collecting Disability Insurance (DI) benefits tripled from 2.9 million in 1980 to 8.9 million the end of 2013. Some see this growth as evidence that the program is out of control. But most of that growth stems from five demographic factors, as our new paper explains:
- Population growth. The working-age population (conventionally defined as people aged 20 through 64) rose by 43 percent since 1980. That increase, alone, would have generated an extra 1.25 million DI beneficiaries in 2013, compared with 1980.
- Image
- Growth in women’s labor force participation. Besides having a severe impairment, DI applicants must have a steady work history — and until women joined the work force in huge numbers, relatively few of them qualified. The rise in women’s labor force participation explains why the number of insured workers grew much faster than overall population, especially among older workers. It’s responsible for another 900,000 beneficiaries in 2013, compared with 1980.
- Rise in retirement age. When disabled workers reach Social Security’s full retirement age, they begin receiving Social Security retirement benefits rather than DI. The rise in the full retirement age from 65 to 66 in the early 2000s delayed the conversion of disabled workers to retired workers. In December 2013 more than 450,000 people between ages 65 and 66 collected DI benefits; under the former rules, they would’ve received retirement benefits instead.
- Increase in women’s rate of receipt. Until the mid-1990s, women who had worked enough to qualify for DI in the event of disability were only about three-fourths as likely as their male counterparts to receive DI benefits. Now they’re equally likely to do so. This development added another 650,000 beneficiaries in 2013, compared with 1980.
Topics:
Stay up to date
Receive the latest news and reports from the Center