JSIT23-03: Work Credit Accumulation & SSDI Eligibility Among Young Adults

Although the prevalence of disabilities increases with age, 26.4% of adults with disabilities were aged 18-39 years old. In fact, more than one in four 20-year-old young adults becomes disabled before reaching retirement age. Thus, meeting the eligibility criteria and having access to the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) are vital for every worker’s economic security and well-being, including young adults, who may have different labor force engagements than older workers. Therefore, this study examines young adults’ earnings history and estimates their access to SSDI based on a novel measure of SSDI work credit eligibility.