Lessons from SSA Demonstrations for Disability Policy and Future Research

A full-day event and volume dedicated to lessons learned from the U.S. Social Security Administration's past tests of policies and programs to improve beneficiary work outcomes and directions for future research. Abt hosted the meeting and published the volume under contract with SSA.

Over the past several decades, the Social Security Administration has tested many new policies and programs. These demonstrations have covered most aspects of the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs and populations. The demonstrations examined family supports, informational notices, changes to benefit rules, and a variety of employment services and program waivers.

This volume draws out lessons from those demonstrations, both to improve outcomes and to highlight directions for future research. The papers and discussion in this volume were originally presented at a “State of the Science Meeting,” held June 15, 2021.