No matter where they came from, people born outside the United States
but working here are much less likely to receive Social Security
Disability Insurance benefits than those born in the U.S. or its
territories. Foreign-born adults, according to a study published in the
December issue of the journal Demography, are less likely to
report health-related impediments to working, to be covered by
work-disability insurance, and to apply for disability benefits.
The researchers used data from the American Community Survey (ACS)
to determine the prevalence of work disability and records from the
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program to determine the
incidence. They found that over the ten-year period from 2001 to 2010,
about 6.56 people per thousand born in the U.S. received benefits
through the SSDI program.
Foreign-born individuals make up about 13 percent of the U.S.
population, and a somewhat larger proportion (16.7 percent) of the U.S.
labor force. They are, however, significantly less likely to report work
disability and to receive work disability benefits. The researchers
found that only 4.16 per thousand foreign-born men and 4.36 per thousand
foreign-born women were approved for benefits. ...
I don't think this means much. Many of the native born Americans who end up receiving Social Security disability benefits have health problems that were coming on for a long time, sometimes since birth. People who emigrate are unlikely to have serious, chronic health problems at the time they emigrate. If they had been sick, they probably would have stayed in their native countries. The addition of healthy productive workers is one of the many ways that America benefits from immigration.
Is there a breakdown of children born to a foreign born in the US?
ReplyDeleteThe report does not seem very complete. It compares people on disability compared to the entire adult population as opposed to those who are actually insured for disability. Also no breakdown by age is given. The immigrant population is generally younger and so less likely to qualify for disability. I am not sure if SSI was even included in the study
ReplyDeletesome cultural issues maybe also? I was an ALJ for over 25 years, heard 10,000 cases (estimated), and Chinese, Japanese, and Korean claimants I could count on two hands, and I live on the west coast.
ReplyDeleteThat's a real stretch Charles. Most of the claimants I see do not have lifelong disabilities. They have assorted back and mental impairments that have developed in mid to late adulthood.
ReplyDelete8:23 take everyone who develops an impairment early in life. Odds are they won't end up in the US because they probably won't get the work skills and work history to get sponsored for a work permit. So you immediately skim that population off the top before you get started.
ReplyDeleteThen take the people injured and left with a chronic condition. Same issue, they won't have the work history to get sponsored either.
So you start off with a group that will be healthier than the general population.
Now anyone who has worked disability cases knows the higher the earnings, the higher the motivation to try to find some way to work through their condition. You will see some six figure earners but they are under-represented. Immigrants tend to be better skilled and higher earners as a group so while the guy cutting the guts out of chickens who has a bad back can't easily address his impairment and has to go apply while the guy sitting at a desk who has a bad back can try different pads to make sitting more comfortable, has a bit more safety leeway on what he/she can take in the way of medication and still work, and may be able to use an adjustable desk to alternate sitting and standing.
More skils, higher earnings, less physical exertion, much easier to accommodate and continue working longer.
In most of western Europe, the benefits to the disabled are better and easier... less hard, to get. In most of the rest of the world, the disabled will probably be unable to make enough money to immigrate to the US, much less be approved. Canada is even harder for the disabled to move to. Even the children are kept out, due to not wanting to pay for their health care!
ReplyDelete