Social Security & Disability
Income, Assets & Program Participation
Social Security & Disability
Young Women Social Security & Disability Variables
This section describes income from Social Security, Railroad Retirement, and disability programs such as Workers' Compensation. Refer to the Pension Benefits & Pension Plans section of this guide for information on income from pension plans.
Social Security/Railroad Retirement Payments: The 1983 and 1988-2003 surveys collected information on whether income from Social Security/Railroad Retirement benefits had been received during the past 12 months. If income was received, the survey asked about the amounts received by either the respondent or her spouse. During other years, receipt of such income was incorporated within a residual "all other" income question. The 1991 and 1993 surveys included a question for respondents reporting a current or last job on whether she was covered by Social Security/Railroad Retirement on that job.
Social Security Disability/Other Disability Payments: In 1978, 1983, and 1988-2003, the survey included questions on whether disability income had been received during the past 12 months. If the respondent or her spouse received income, the specific amount received from each of the following sources was collected: Social Security Disability, Veterans Compensation or pension, Workers' (previously Workman's) Compensation, or another disability program. In 1991, each respondent was asked whether she had ever received or applied for a pension or compensation for any existing disability; this series was updated in 1993-2003. Questions asked during the 1968-82 surveys did not differentiate disability income from other income such as rental income, dividends, etc.
Attitudes Towards Possible Future Social Security Program Reforms: In 2003, the survey introduced a series of questions about the respondents' feelings towards possible changes in the Social Security program, including hypothetical investment and payment options. These questions are found in the "Attitudes" section of the 2003 questionnaire and can be found by searching question titles for the phrase "Attitude Toward Social Security."
Survey Instruments: Users can find questions on income from and eligibility for Social Security and disability payments in the "Assets and Income" sections of the 1968-91 and 1997-2003 questionnaires and the "Current Labor Force Status and Work History" sections of the 1991-95 questionnaires.
Mature Women Social Security & Disability Variables
This section describes income from Social Security, Railroad Retirement, and disability programs such as Workers' Compensation. Refer to the Pension Benefits & Pension Plans section of this guide for information on income from pension plans.
Social Security/Railroad Retirement Payments: All survey years except 1968 included a set of income questions on whether one or more family members had received Social Security or Railroad Retirement payments during the past year. Receipt by the respondent, her husband, or another family member was specified during most survey years. During four interviews (1974, 1976, 1979, and 1981), household income from Social Security was not separated from income received from other pension sources, nor were the specific family members receiving such payments identified.
Beginning with the 1979 survey, separate questions address the current/future eligibility of the respondent and, during select years, that of her husband, for Social Security benefits. Respondents interviewed in the 1979, 1982, 1986, and 1989 surveys were asked whether they would be eligible for Social Security based on their own work record when they reached retirement age. Information on the eligibility of the respondent for benefits from her husband's or ex-husband's account was collected during 1982, 1986, and 1989. The total number of years the respondent was employed in jobs covered by Social Security or Railroad Retirement was gathered during 1984, 1986, and 1989. The 1989 and 1992 surveys included a question asking whether the respondent was covered by Social Security or Railroad Retirement in her current/last job.
Social Security Disability/Other Disability Payments: Information on receipt of and amount of benefit payments received as a result of a disability was collected during each survey year except 1968. Separate questions that differentiate income received from Social Security Disability, Veterans Compensation or pension, Workers' (previously Workman's) Compensation, or another disability payment are present in most survey years. The 1974, 1976, 1979, and 1981 question wording merges disability income with income received from interest and dividends, while the 1984 and 1986 interviews asked respondents about whether any (unspecified) disability income from such sources as Social Security Disability, Workers' Compensation, etc., had been received. Both universes (any family member, respondent or other family member, respondent or husband/partner) and time frames (past calendar year, last 12 months) vary across survey years. The 1992-2003 surveys included a set of questions on whether the respondent and/or her husband had applied for or received Social Security Disability benefits either in her lifetime or since the last interview. If so, the survey recorded the age of each family member when receipt began and the year disability benefits were last received.
Survey Instruments & Documentation: Questions on income from and eligibility for Social Security and disability are found in the "Assets & Income," "Retirement" or "Retirement and Pension," and post-1988 "Current Labor Force Status & Work History" sections of the questionnaires. The 1992-2003 retrospectives on Social Security Disability are located in "Income." Each survey year's Interviewer's Reference Manual/Field Representative's Manual contains detailed instructions on the specific types of monies to be included and excluded when recording each income source (see Figure MW1).
Figure MW1. Instructions to Census Interviewers for Coding Social Security, Disability & Other Pension Sources
| Social Security Payments | Include [those] Social Security payments received by persons who have worked long enough in "covered" employment, that is, employment in which Social Security payments were made from a person's salary, to be entitled to payments. Social Security payments may also be paid to the spouse or dependent children of covered workers. Exclude Supplemental Security payments. Do not add in Medicare premiums which are automatically deducted. |
| Railroad Retirement Benefits | U.S. Railroad Retirement benefits are based on a person's long-term employment (10 years or more) in the railroad industry. Exclude pensions established by railroad companies or unions to supplement Federal Railroad Retirement. |
| Social Security Disability Payments | Include any payments made to disabled workers under the Social Security disability insurance program (SSDI). Also include Black Lung payments to coal miners and disability payments made under the Railroad Retirement Act. Do not include payments from Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or any Social Security benefits other than disability payments. |
| Any Other Disability Payments | Include payments received from private disability insurance policies and from the type of private health insurance which provides income when the individual is unable to work because of illness or injury. Also include disability payments from unions or employers. |
| Veterans Compensation or Pension | Include money received as periodic benefits paid to disabled former members of the Armed Forces by the Veterans Administration for service-connected disability. Exclude [any] veterans pension paid to the survivor of a veteran and compensation paid to the survivor of a veteran. |
| Workers' Compensation | Workers' compensation consists of lump sum or periodic payments to employees injured in connection with their jobs. The payments may come from private insurance carriers, State funds, and self-insured employers under Federal and State workers' compensation laws. If the payments come from an insurance company, the insurance must have been paid by the employer, not the employee. |
| Source: 1992 Survey of Mature Women Field Representative's Manual (Census Bureau 1992) | |