First National Survey of SSI Children and Families Since 1978

Policymakers and program operators need updated information about children with disabilities and their family circumstances. The last comprehensive survey of these issues was conducted over 20 years ago. To fill this information gap, Mathematica collected data on children with disabilities and their families who were receiving or had applied for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), as part of the National Survey of SSI Children and Families (NSCF). This $4.7 million, two-year project provided data to the Social Security Administration for policymaking and program planning. It is also valuable to researchers interested in children’s health and disability issues.

The survey, which Mathematica helped design, had two major objectives:

• To provide information on the characteristics, experiences, and needs of SSI child recipients and their families
• To evaluate the effects of welfare reform on SSI children

Using computer-assisted telephone and personal interviewing techniques, Mathematica interviewed about 9,900 children and young adults. Interviewers used two different versions of the questionnaire—one for children and one for young adults—that were similar in content but allowed for differences in living situations, SSI eligibility, and other age-specific issues. The questionnaire asked about child’s health status and functional limitations, health care utilization, health insurance coverage, receipt of services, and SSI experience. In addition, we examined the socioeconomic status of children’s households, including earned and unearned income, and housing characteristics. 

Public use files for the survey data are now available. The data files are accompanied by a user's manual that includes a detailed codebook and information about the sample design, questionnaire design and content, data collection procedures, variable construction, and other topics.

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