Recent European trends in disability and related programs.

In most countries and especially in industrialized societies, social insurance disability programs and beneficiaries are often affected by external factors that can exert a profound impact over which there is little control. Among these factors are the effects that recessionary economies and aging populations can have on program financing as well as on application and award rates. Although these factors influence other social insurance programs too, this article particularly examines the impact on disability benefits and other related programs, such as health care and rehabilitation, in 5 European countries--France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom--with information on the United States provided for comparative purposes.