First year impact of SSI on economic status of 1973 adult assistance populations.

During 1973, interviews were conducted with more than 11,000 adult assistance recipients in the Survey of the Low-Income Aged and Disabled. The sample members were reinterviewed during the last 3 months of 1974, approximately 1 year after the implementation of SSI. This article analyzes the impact of SSI on the economic status of the 1973 adult assistance populations. The analysis considers the United States sample as well as samples for five individual States. Most of the 1973 adult assistance recipients were automatically transferred to SSI on January 1, 1974. The majority realized an improved economic situation during 1974, at least in part because of their transferral to SSI. There was significant improvement for the residents of each of the separate States considered because of increased assistance payments, but SSI generally proved most beneficial to the poorest persons transferred from the State public assistance programs.