National Profile of Adult SSI Recipients With Autism or Intellectual Disability in Medicaid

ABSTRACT

This study uses 2019 national Medicaid data to examine Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients, focusing on working-aged beneficiaries with autism or intellectual disability (ID). Our findings reveal higher-than-average SSI participation among these groups, with a significant concentration of transition-aged recipients (18 to 25 years). Notably, outpatient psychiatric services were more commonly used by SSI recipients, despite overall similar service utilization between recipients and non-recipients. Automatic enrollment states have higher SSI participation compared to states requiring separate applications, particularly in those with more restrictive Medicaid eligibility criteria, suggesting that the absence of SSI recipients not enrolled in Medicaid from the data may bias results. These insights emphasize the need for targeted policy interventions to better address the unique needs of this population.