The effect of welfare reform on SSA's disability programs: Design of policy evaluation and early evidence

Recent legislation has affected the populations served by the Social Securi ty Administration's (SSA's) disability programs. The Contract with America Advancement Act of 1996 mandated that persons whose disability determinatio n was based on drug addiction or alcoholism be removed from the Supplementa l Security Income and Social Security Disability insurance rolls. The Perso nal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (later a mended by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997) tightened the SSI eligibility cr iteria for children and converted the Aid to Families with Dependent Childr en program into a block grant, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Thi s article describes the design of three related studies evaluating the dire ct and indirect effects of these policy changes on SSA's disability populat ions. It describes the methodological challenges of the studies and the str ategies used to overcome them. It also presents early evidence from the thr ee studies and discusses future directions.