Health status of new retired-worker beneficiaries: findings from the New Beneficiary Survey.

In general, individuals who first received social security retired-worker benefits in June 1980-May 1981 viewed themselves as being in good health. They reported this view in response to questions in the 1982 New Beneficiary Survey conducted by the Social Security Administration. Two-thirds of the respondents in the retired-worker sample reported having no health-related work limitations and no moderate or severe functional activity limitations. However, more than half of those who did report such limitations indicated that the limitations were severe enough to keep them from any work for pay. Beneficiaries whose first monthly benefits were claimed at age 62 were more likely to report themselves in poor health than those receiving a first benefit at age 63 or older, but even among the 62-year-olds, more than three-fifths reported no work-limiting conditions.