Work-related overpayment and benefit suspension experiences of federal disability beneficiaries

Abstract

This paper examines the work-related overpayment and benefit suspension experiences of recently employed Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries using data from the 2017 National Beneficiary Survey. It documents overpayment and benefit suspension rates and the characteristics of beneficiaries experiencing these events and examines the association between knowledge of Social Security Administration work incentive provisions and beneficiaries' expectations, benefit suspensions, and overpayments. It also documents reasons that some who achieve benefit suspension discontinue or reduce their work effort and return to receiving benefits. The findings are descriptive and do not attribute causality to the relationships between awareness of program provisions and the overpayment and benefit suspension experiences.