Pre-Application Activities of Social Security Disability Insurance Applicants

In this brief, we describe the employment and program participation patterns of people with disabilities before they apply for SSDI, adding to the existing literature by focusing on patterns as much as 42 months before application and including a range of programs. A better understanding of the experiences of people immediately before SSDI application can inform policies and programs designed to help potential applicants remain in the workforce and stem growth in the SSDI rolls.