@article {9140, title = {Social Security and Total Replacement Rates in Disability and Retirement}, number = {WP$\#$2017-6}, year = {2017}, month = {05/2017}, institution = {Center for Retirement Research at Boston College}, address = {Chestnut Hill, MA}, abstract = {Social Security provides higher replacement rates to disability insurance beneficiaries than retired beneficiaries. This fact reflects two factors: 1) Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries have lower career earnings, and Social Security benefits are progressive; and 2) SSDI benefits are not reduced for claiming early. This project uses the 1992-2010 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) linked to Social Security Administration earnings records to decompose the differences between the Social Security replacement rates for retired worker and SSDI beneficiaries into these two factors. The project also examines how the total replacement rate {\textendash} which accounts for other sources of income in addition to Social Security {\textendash} differs between retirees and SSDI beneficiaries to capture the difference in overall retirement security between the two groups. The results indicate that about half of the 10-percentage-point advantage in Social Security replacement rates for SSDI beneficiaries is due to the actuarial adjustment applied to retirement benefits, implying that career earnings are not that different between retired workers and SSDI beneficiaries. But total replacement rates are substantially lower for SSDI beneficiaries, which indicates that, despite Social Security{\textquoteright}s vital role in providing a reliable income source, SSDI beneficiaries have much lower post-career well-being than retired workers.}, keywords = {Consumption and Savings, Disabilities, Retirement Planning and Satisfaction, Social Security}, url = {http://crr.bc.edu/working-papers/social-security-and-total-replacement-rates-in-disability-and-retirement/}, author = {Khan, Mashfiqur R. and Matthew S. Rutledge and Geoffrey T. Sanzenbacher} } @article {8639, title = {The Impact of Temporary Assistance Programs on the Social Security Claiming Age}, number = {CRR WP 2015-27}, year = {2015}, pages = {1-331}, institution = {Center for Retirement Research at Boston College}, address = {Chestnut Hill, MA}, abstract = {Delaying claiming past the early eligibility age of 62 has taken on increased importance. Individuals turning 62 with no job and limited income may be able to use temporary assistance programs such as Unemployment Insurance (UI), Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as sources of support prior to collecting Social Security benefits. To what extent do these programs allow recipients to delay Social Security claiming? The challenge in answering this question stems from the fact that program users{\textquoteright} dire economic straits may make them more likely to claim benefits from both Social Security and these programs, generating a misleading correlation between Social Security claiming and temporary assistance benefits. This paper constructs instruments for program generosity that vary with an individual{\textquoteright}s state of residence but should not reflect the characteristics or circumstances of the individual.}, keywords = {Older Adults, Public Health, Public Policy, Social Security, Welfare}, url = {http://crr.bc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/wp_2015-27.pdf}, author = {Geoffrey T. Sanzenbacher and April Yanyuan Wu and Matthew S. Rutledge} }