Abstract for: Understanding the Dynamics of Declining Disability Receipts in New York State

Under the auspices of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), the Division of Disability Determinations (DDD) adjudicates New York’s Social Security Disability (SSD or Title II) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI or Title XVI) claims according to the requirements of the Social Security Administration (SSA). Over the past few years, DDD has moved from a demand environment to a planned environment to facilitate a responsive rather than reactive approach to workload changes. This report presents the findings of a study that was conducted to examine why the number of initial disability receipts received by DDD has been decreasing since 1998. To accomplish the study, a system dynamics computer simulation model was built to explore various theories that have been put forth as reasons for the decline.