title: Supplemental security income among older immigrants from Central and South America: the impact of welfare reform.
abstract: This article explores the impact of federal welfare policy changes on older immigrants born in Central and South America. Using data from the 1990 and 2000 US. Census 5% Public-Use Microdata Samples, the study examines (1) the change in Supplemental Security Income (SSI) uptake rate after welfare reform for noncitizens from Latin America, naturalized Latin Americans, and U.S.-born Hispanics and (2) how much of the change can be attributed to a change in behavior rather than to a change in eligibility rates. Findings show that the decline in SSI receipt after welfare reform was greater for Latin American noncitizens compared to naturalized citizens and Hispanic U.S.-born citizens. Decomposition analyses show that among eligible elderly noncitizens, the decline in recipiency rate was due mostly to a change in behavior rather than a change in eligibility. This pattern is not found for U.S.-born and naturalized citizens, where changes were mostly due to a decline in the proportion of persons eligible for SSI. This suggests that as a result of legislative changes, older immigrants may not be applying for benefits for which they may be legally entitled. Policy implications are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Sealy Center on Aging, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, USA. kegerst@utmb.edu
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gerst
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002489:Central America / Q000208:ethnology; D004608:Eligibility Determination; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011632:Public Assistance / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012946:Social Welfare / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D013020:South America / Q000208:ethnology; D014481:United States