TY  - CHAP
AB  - Abstract This article estimates the causal effect of benefit levels on elderly enrollment in two public assistance programs by using the variation in eligibility and benefit levels introduced by old-age pension benefits. The findings are threefold. First, the low take-up among the elderly is not driven by changes in the composition of the eligible pool. Second, old-age pensions decrease the use of public assistance programs by decreasing the gain of participation – the potential benefits. Third, we find program-specific responses: a $100 increase in potential Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits leads to a 4–6 percentage point increase in the take-up probability, but we are unable to estimate consistent results for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Together with the fact that eligible individuals who begin receiving old-age pensions continue to participate in SSI more often than they maintain SNAP enrollment, the different program response could be due to preference for cash over in-kind transfers.
VL  - 39
SN  - 978-1-78441-110-7, 978-1-78190-936-2/0147-9121
DO  - 10.1108/S0147-912120140000039007
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/S0147-912120140000039007
AU  - Coe Norma B.
AU  - Yanyuan Wu April
PY  - 2014
Y1  - 2014/01/01
TI  - What Impact does Old-age Pension Receipt Have on the Use of Public Assistance Programs Among the Elderly?
T2  - Safety Nets and Benefit Dependence
T3  - Research in Labor Economics
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 259
EP  - 295
Y2  - 2024/04/19
ER  -