The Alignment Between Self-Reported and Administrative Measures of Disability Program Application and Benefit Receipt in the Health and Retirement Study

Longitudinal surveys offer a richness for studying the experiences of disability program applicants and beneficiaries that is not available from administrative data alone. Yet research suggests that individuals may not accurately report their Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) application and benefit receipt. In this article, we examine the differences between self-reported data and administrative records of DI and SSI application and benefit receipt using Health and Retirement Study (HRS) survey data linked to the Social Security Administration's Form 831 records and Disability Analysis File. We compare application and receipt prevalence by calendar year, HRS sampling cohort, and age from 51 through full retirement age. We find that aggregate survey reports of DI and SSI application and receipt are lower than administrative records indicate and that individual-level misreporting is common, although both sources indicate similar trends by age, cohort, and survey wave.