Not all eligible households participate in means-tested programs. This indicator reflects “take up rates” – the number of families that actually participate in the program as a percent of those who are eligible.
Figure IND 10a. AFDC Caseload versus Number of Eligible Families: Number of Cases & Percentage of Total Eligibles
Source: Participation rates estimated by the Urban Institute using TRIM model simulations. Caseload based on data from DHHS, Administration for Children and Families.
- The percentage of all eligible families who participated in AFDC has varied between 77 percent and 86 percent according to estimates for selected years between 1981 and 1995. Estimates of the total eligible population varied from 4.5 million to over 6 million families over the same time period.
Table IND 10a. AFDC Caseload as a Percentage of Eligible Families
| 1981 | 1983 | 1985 | 1987 | 1989 | 1990 | 1992 | 1994 | 1995 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source: Participation rates estimated by the Urban Institute using TRIM model simulations. Caseload based on data from DHHS, Administration for Children and Families. | |||||||||
| Average Monthly Eligibles | 4,827 | 4,700 | 4,655 | 4,933 | 4,512 | 4,834 | 5,565 | 6,143 | 5,775 |
| Average Caseload | 3,871 | 3,651 | 3,692 | 3,784 | 3,771 | 3,974 | 4,768 | 5,046 | 4,869 |
| Participation rate | 80 | 78 | 79 | 77 | 84 | 82 | 86 | 82 | 84 |
Figure IND 10b. Food Stamp Households as a Percentage of Eligible Households
Source: Table IND 10b.
- In all years, larger percentages of children in eligible households received Food Stamps compared to other age groups, and smaller percentages of the elderly in eligible households received Food Stamps compared to other adults and children.
- For disabled persons under age 60, the percentage in eligible households who received Food Stamps increased substantially between 1985 and 1994, from 47 percent in 1985 to 71 percent in 1994.
Table IND 10b. Food Stamp Households as a Percentage of Eligible Households
| Persons | Households | Elderly | Children | Disabled Under 60 | Adults 18-59 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Trends in Food Stamp Program Participation Rates, various years. | ||||||
| August 1985 | 64 | 59 | 37 | 74 | 47 | 65 |
| January 1988 | 59 | 56 | 34 | 70 | 55 | 66 |
| January 1989 | 59 | 56 | 29 | 68 | 57 | 60 |
| January 1992 | 74 | 69 | 33 | 86 | 67 | 77 |
| January 1994 | 71 | 69 | 35 | 80 | 71 | 73 |
Figure IND 10c. SSI Adult Recipients as a Percentage of Eligible Adults
Source: Table IND 10c.
- For all adults, the percentage of those eligible that received SSI remained constant between 1993 and 1994 (63 percent) and increased substantially in 1995 (from 63 percent to 70 percent).
- For all adults in 1995, a larger percentage of eligible disabled adults in one-person units participated in the SSI program (74 percent) compared to both eligible aged adults in oneperson units (65 percent) and adults in married-couple units (52 percent).
Table IND 10c. SSI Adult Recipients by Type as a Percentage of Eligible Group
| 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Note: The figure for married-couple units is based on very small sample sizes–married couple units were only about 5 percent of the adults units in the average month of 1995. Source: Participation rate estimated by the Urban Institute using the TRIM model. |
|||
| All adults | 63 | 63 | 70 |
| One-person units– aged | NA | NA | 65 |
| One-person units– disabled | NA | NA | 74 |
| Married-couple units | NA | NA | 52 |
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