The Dynamics of Disability Measuring and Monitoring Disability for Social Security Programs (2002) / Chapter Skim
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4. Survey Measurement of Disability
4. Survey Measurement of Disability
Pages 65-87
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From page 65... ...
SSA considers NSHA as the cornerstone of its long-term disability research plan aimed at understanding the growth of the disability programs. It is also needed to answer policy and research questions about the nature and extent of disability in the United States.
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From page 66... ...
It also discussed some of the limitations as they related to the efficiency of the sampling plan in terms of accepted statistical principles and practices. The committee's third interim report reviewed and provided guidance on the sample design, instruments and procedures, and response rate goals for the pilot study.
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From page 67... ...
SSA is currently assessing the impact of He Ticket to Work program that would allow Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries to keep $1 for every $2 earned. Another information goal added for the survey is to identify the effects of planned or possible increases in the retirement age on the disability program.
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From page 68... ...
people currently receiving disability benefits under the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and/or the Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
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From page 69... ...
Data Collection Plans Data collection for the NSHA involves · a screening interview of a household respondent; · a personal interview and physical performance tests; · an extensive medical, and if needed, psychological examination; and · a series of core and special medical tests. In addition, SSA would obtain all medical evidence of record identified by the respondent and by third party reports on all persons in the sample to supplement information from the interviews and medical examinations in order to determine if the person meets SSA's current definition of disability.
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From page 70... ...
The purposes of the pilot study were to experiment with several data collection methods and procedures, and to ensure that the questionnaires were clear and concise, that all procedures ran smoothly and efficiently, and that the burden and discomfort placed on He respondent were kept to a m~umum. Other purposes included testing the effectiveness of the screening instruments and measuring the accuracy of the screening algorithm; evaluating procedures to maximize response rates both total and item response; and developing estimates of prevalence rates to determine the final sample sizes for the main study.
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From page 71... ...
Decisions had to be made throughout the process, and the results of the pilot shady made it obvious that there was insufficient time to resolve issues and test alternatives before launching the national survey. Several reports evaluating the results of the pilot study were prepared by Westat identifying corrective revisions made during and immediately following the pilot study, and recommendations to SSA for further revisions that would be tested before implementation in the main survey.
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From page 72... ...
The time frame provided little flexibility in terms of the amount of time available to make deliberate and rigorous decisions on issues of design, procedures, and questionnaire if problems are uncovered during the pilot study. The committee recommended that SSA revise the project schedule to allow significantly more time to plan and analyze the pilot study and test alternative solutions for problem areas before starting the national study.
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From page 73... ...
The committee notes that since then, SSA has approved significant additional time to the schedule to adequately evaluate the results of the pilot study and to test alternative solutions for problem areas before starting the national study. Given the complexity of the NSHA, the committee in its interim report (IOM, l999b)
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From page 74... ...
NEEDED RESEARCH IN THE MEASUREMENT OF DISABILITY IN A SURVEY CONTEXT The experience to date with the NSHA, as well as work with other surveys that include measurement of disability, makes clear that the measurement of people with work disabilities is complex. The complexity stems, in part, from differences in conceptual models of the enablementdisablement process and alternative interpretations of the various conceptual models discussed in Chapter 3.
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From page 75... ...
Coverage Error Coverage error is produced by He failure to include all eligible people on the list or frame used for identifying and sampling the population of interest. The use of screening questions to identify the population of interest leads to an additional source of coverage error the exclusion of persons due to inaccurate classification at He time of the screening.
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From page 76... ...
Yet locating and screening respondents for eligibility require special efforts involving careful, and long-term planning, large amount of staff resources, considerable time, and high levels of funding. Homeless people present problems in scheduling, interviewing, and administering performance tests and medical examinations.
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From page 77... ...
These mechanisms might include incentives, refusal conversion efforts, switches to alternative modes of data collection, and 3: soon. Also, there was no indication by SSA how it would deal with people with hearing loss, communication disorders, mental and cognitive impairments, and emotional disturbances.
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From page 78... ...
The NSHA pilot study demonstrated that while the cost of using a sample from the RDD frame was lower than that of an area frame, the resulting response rates (a risk indicator for nonresponse error, reviewed below) were much lower.
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From page 79... ...
Westat believes that the use of proxies in the initial screening process will make it oversensitive; for purposes of the initial screener, however, that would be acceptable. Beyond the initial screener, Westat plans to avoid using proxy reporters but does expect to have proxy-assisted interviews.
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From page 80... ...
The differences in outcomes resulting from changes in policies or procedures is likely to be minimal, if any, for persons with severe disabilities, but some real differences could show up among borderline cases under alternative conditions. The committee expressed similar concerns in its third interim report and continues to have several questions and concerns about the adequacy of the total sample size and especially about We allocation of people among the four subgroups.
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From page 81... ...
The committee has learned recently that SSA is re~irUcing these targets. As a result of experience with the pilot study, SSA has reevaluated the response rates and now believes that response rates of 85 percent for the screening interview; 85 percent for the in-person interview; 90 percent for the medical examination; and an overall response rate of about 60 percent are more realistic to achieve.
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From page 82... ...
In its third interim report the committee recommended that SSA revise the project schedule to allow significantly more time to plan and analyze the pilot study and test alternative solutions for problem areas before starting the national survey (IOM, l999b)
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From page 83... ...
3. Assessment ofthe elects of essential survey designfeatures: Estimates of persons with disabilities or persons with work disabilities vary as a function of essential survey design features.
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From page 84... ...
assessment of the difference between self and proxy subjective reports of environmental conditions. To summarize, the empirical literature examining measurement error associated with specific questions, albeit limited, suggests that items cur/
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From page 85... ...
Without an understanding of the extent to which coverage error and nonresponse error impact estimates of work disability, it will be difficult for SSA to monitor the size and characteristics of the potential pool of applicants based on survey data. SSA, in collaboration with other federal agencies, should engage in an ongoing program of research on measurement issues, taking into consideration the conceptual developments in the field.
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From page 86... ...
established by SSA in May 2000 could serve as a useful vehicle for the conduct of the research discussed above. FUTURE SURVEYS OF DISABILITY AND WORK The enduring lesson of the NSHA for other survey efforts to be undertaken by SSA as part of the work disability program is clear careful survey design and measurement require considerable development and field-testing prior to implementation.
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From page 87... ...
Such a goal implies ongoing measurement of the size and characteristics of the eligible population, with updated instrumentation to reflect any changes in conceptual and measurement issues and in SSA's eligibility protocol that may have occurred in the intervening years. The next chapter discusses the design choices for obtaining the needed information on an ongoing basis using a reduced set of measures in the intervening years between the conduct of the large surveys.
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