Social Security & Disability

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 1992-2001 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.

Figure 4.25.1 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).

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 1992-2001 retrospectives on Social Security Disability are located in “Income.” Each survey year’s Interviewer’s Reference Manual contains detailed instructions on the specific types of monies to be included and excluded when recording each income source (see Figure 4.25.1).