Data & Surveys

The Disability Analysis File (DAF) is an analytical file consisting of agency administrative data in an easy-to-use format. We create a new version of the file and documentation each year. The file contains historical, longitudinal, and one-time data on all beneficiaries with disabilities who participated in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) programs at any time between 1996 and the year of the file. Each DAF is an updated version of all prior DAF files, so users should use the most recent file available. For more information about the restricted access version of the data, see Disability Analysis File Restricted Access File.

The NBS collects data on a wide range of variables not available in the agency’s administrative systems, including socio-demographic information, health and functional status, health insurance, interest in work, barriers to work, use of services, employment, income, and experience with Social Security programs. The NBS Public Use File offers a wide variety of pertinent variables and topics for the general public to use.

The NSCF is a collection of data on the health status and functional limitations, health care utilization, health insurance coverage, receipt of services, SSI experience, socioeconomic status of children’s households, and housing characteristics of over 8,000 children who were receiving, had received, or were applying for SSI.

Our disability process uses data from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) and, its companion, Selected Characteristics of Occupations, as primary references for information about jobs and job requirements. To address this, we partnered with DOL’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to explore the National Compensation Survey (NCS) for updated occupational information. BLS used the NCS infrastructure to develop the Occupational Requirements Survey, collecting data since 2015.

The objective of this study is to collect information from a sample of working-age SSDI program beneficiaries and SSI program recipients to help assess the feasibility and value of incorporating the WD-FAB into our continuing disability review process.

The objective of the Beyond Benefits Study (BBS) is to understand the needs (e.g., service, medical and employment) of individuals who, due to medical improvement, have “exited” (known as Exiters) or are likely to “exit” (known as Possible Exiters) the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, or both. This project does not yet have results, but we will release a public use file containing deidentified data from the survey participants at the end of the study.

PROMISE was a joint project with the Departments of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services to promote positive outcomes for children who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and their families. The programs intended to provide educational, vocational, and other services to youth and make better use of existing resources by improving service coordination between state and local agencies. The public use files include a subset of the data collected for the evaluation’s impact analysis that assessed whether each PROMISE program improved the outcomes of the youth and families who were offered PROMISE services as of 18 months and as of five years after they enrolled in the program.

Fast-tracked cases consist of those cases identified as Quick Disability Determination (QDD), Compassionate Allowance (CAL), or both. The datasets provide, by state, the total number and percentage of initial disability fast-track and electronic cases that were received and accepted by the Disability Determination Services (DDS), Extended Service Team (EST), or a federal site beginning with fiscal year (FY) 2010.

The Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN) demonstration tests promising early intervention approaches to improve the labor force participation and retention of individuals with acquired injuries and disabilities and to reduce their future need for Social Security disability benefits. The final process analysis report is expected in September 2025, and the final impact analysis report is expected in November 2025. Restricted Access Files and a Public Use File will be generated prior to the end of the project in 2026.

The SED Public Use File (PUF) is an analytical file consisting of data acquired from 2944 enrollees who provided survey responses at baseline and on a quarterly basis throughout their 3-year enrollment in the SED. In addition, SSA administrative data on claiming behaviors (e.g., appeals) and outcomes (e.g., allowances and denials, payments) for participants during the study period are also included in the analytic file. The files available in the PUF provide deidentified data for study participants and present final outcomes from the study.