The Retirement and Disability Research Consortium (RDRC) was established by the U.S. Social Security Administration in 2018. The CRR receives support under the RDRC to conduct and disseminate research along with its partner organizations: Mathematica – Center for Studying Disability Policy, Syracuse University, the Urban Institute, and the Brookings Institution.

Other organizations funded through the RDRC include:

Read more about the Consortium’s evolution and research contributions: Social Security Bulletin 69(4); and Social Security Bulletin 80(1).

Learn more about the Consortium’s funding opportunities.

The Annual Meeting was held virtually on August 4-5, 2022.

FY2023 projects:

1. “Who Pays the Employer Share of the Payroll Tax?”
by Laura Quinby and Gal Wettstein, Boston College

2. “How Do the Disadvantaged Assess their Claiming Experience?”
by Jean-Pierre Aubry, Boston College

3. “What Factors Explain the Decline in DI Awards from 2010 to 2020?”
by Laura Quinby and Siyan Liu, Boston College

4. “How Can Social Security Children’s Benefits Help Grandparents Raising Grandchildren?”
by Siyan Liu and Laura Quinby, Boston College

5. “Why Do Late Boomers Have So Little Wealth and How Will Early Gen Xers Fare?”
by Anqi Chen, Alicia H. Munnell, and Laura Quinby, Boston College

6. “How Did Suspending In-Person Services Affect DI and SSI Applications and Allowances?”
by Michael Anderson, Monica Farid, and Gina Freeman, Mathematica and Chris Earles, U.S. Social Security Administration

7. “How Do Continuing Disability Reviews Affect Child SSI Recipients?”
by Michael Levere and David Wittenburg, Mathematica and Jeffrey Hemmeter, U.S. Social Security Administration

8. “How Has COVID Affected the Experiences and Behaviors of People with Disabilities?”
by Amal Harrati and Marisa Shenk, Mathematica

9. “Has Access to Vocational Rehabilitation Services Improved Outcomes for SSI Youth?”
by Todd Honeycutt and Isabel Musse, Mathematica and Jeffrey Hemmeter, U.S. Social Security Administration

10. “How Can Changes to Social Security Benefits Promote Racial Equity?”
by Richard Johnson and Karen Smith, Urban Institute

11. “How Can SSA Improve Service Delivery to Tribal Communities?”
by Barbara Butrica, Stipica Mudrazija, and Jonathan Schwabish, Urban Institute

12. “How Does a Structural Equation Model Explain Disability Disparities by Race/Ethnicity?”
by Stipica Mudrazija and Barbara Butrica, Urban Institute

13. “How Do High-Pressure Labor Markets Affect the Retirement Security of Low Earners?”
by Barbara Butrica and Stipica Mudrazija, Urban Institute

14. “How Does Past Incarceration Impact Work, Disability, and SSI?”
by Gary V. Engelhardt, Syracuse University

15. “What Is the Insurance Value of Social Security by Race and Socioeconomic Status?”
by Gal Wettstein, Karolos Arapakis, and Yimeng Yin, Boston College

16. “How Will Employer Health Insurance Affect Wages and Social Security Finances?”
by Anqi Chen, and Alicia H. Munnell, Boston College

Ongoing FY2022 projects:

1. “Does the Drop in Child SSI Applications and Awards During COVID Vary by Locality?”
by Michael Levere and David Wittenburg, Mathematica Policy Research and Jeffery Hemmeter, U.S. Social Security Administration

2. “How Might Workers Respond If Social Security’s Revenue Base Were Broadened?”
by Karen Smith and Richard Johnson, Urban Institute

3. “How Do Racial Disparities in Lifetime Earnings Shape Social Security and SSI Benefits?”
by Richard Johnson, Urban Institute and Tokunbo Oluwole, Gayle L. Reznik, and Christopher R. Tamborini, U.S. Social Security Administration

4. “How Has BOND Affected Work Outcomes by Race?”
by Amal Harrati and Denise Hoffman, Mathematica Policy Research and John Jones, U.S. Social Security Administration

Ongoing FY2019 project:

1. “Examining Mortality and Receipt of Benefits Administered by SSA as Reasons for Desistance from Homelessness among Older Adults”
by Matthew S. Rutledge, Boston College, Dennis Culhane, University of Pennsylvania, and Thomas Byrne, Boston University