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Maria M Glymour - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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you say tomato i say radish can brief cognitive assessments in the us health Retirement Study be harmonized with its international partner studies
Journals of Gerontology Series B-psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 2020Co-Authors: Maria M Glymour, Lindsay C Kobayashi, Alden L Gross, Laura E Gibbons, Doug Tommet, Elizabeth R Sanders, Seoeun Choi, Shubhabrata Mukherjee, Jennifer J ManlyAbstract:Objectives To characterize the extent to which brief cognitive assessments administered in the population-representative US Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and its International Partner Studies can be considered to be measuring a single, unidimensional latent cognitive function construct. Method Cognitive function assessments were administered in face-to-face interviews in 12 studies in 26 countries (N=155,690), including the US HRS and selected International Partner Studies. We used the time point of first cognitive assessment for each Study to minimize differential practice effects across studies, and documented cognitive test item coverage across studies. Using confirmatory factor analysis models, we estimated single factor general cognitive function models, and bifactor models representing memory-specific and non-memory-specific cognitive domains for each Study. We evaluated model fits and factor loadings across studies. Results Despite relatively sparse and inconsistent cognitive item coverage across studies, all studies had some cognitive test items in common with other studies. In all studies, the bifactor models with a memory-specific domain fit better than single factor general cognitive function models. The data fit the models at reasonable thresholds for single factor models in six of the 12 studies, and for the bifactor models in all 12 of the 12 studies. Discussion The cognitive assessments in the US HRS and its International Partner Studies reflect comparable underlying cognitive constructs. We discuss the assumptions underlying our methods, present alternatives, and future directions for cross-national harmonization of cognitive aging data.
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comparison of methods for algorithmic classification of dementia status in the health and Retirement Study
Epidemiology, 2019Co-Authors: Kan Z Gianattasio, Maria M Glymour, Melinda C PowerAbstract:Background:Dementia ascertainment is time-consuming and costly. Several algorithms use existing data from the US-representative Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to algorithmically identify dementia. However, relative performance of these algorithms remains unknown.Methods:We compared performance ac
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validation of a theoretically motivated approach to measuring childhood socioeconomic circumstances in the health and Retirement Study
PLOS ONE, 2017Co-Authors: Anusha M Vable, Maria M Glymour, Ichiro Kawachi, Paola Gilsanz, Thu T NguyenAbstract:Childhood socioeconomic status (cSES) is a powerful predictor of adult health, but its operationalization and measurement varies across studies. Using Health and Retirement Study data (HRS, which is nationally representative of community-residing United States adults aged 50+ years), we specified theoretically-motivated cSES measures, evaluated their reliability and validity, and compared their performance to other cSES indices. HRS respondent data (N = 31,169, interviewed 1992-2010) were used to construct a cSES index reflecting childhood social capital (cSC), childhood financial capital (cFC), and childhood human capital (cHC), using retrospective reports from when the respondent was 0.05 vs. < 0.04) than alternative indices. Our cSES measures use latent variable models to handle item-missingness, thereby increasing the sample size available for analysis compared to complete case approaches (N = 15,345 vs. 8,248). Adopting this type of theoretically motivated operationalization of cSES may strengthen the quality of research on the effects of cSES on health outcomes.
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high hemoglobin a1c and diabetes predict memory decline in the health and Retirement Study
Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders, 2017Co-Authors: Jessica R Marden, Ichiro Kawachi, Elizabeth Rose Mayeda, Eric Tchetgen J Tchetgen, Maria M GlymourAbstract:BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is an established risk factor for dementia, but evidence for T2D and memory decline is less consistent. Understanding how T2D and blood glucose relate to memory decline is crucial to elucidating the mechanisms linking T2D and dementia. MATERIALS AND METHODS For 8888 Health and Retirement Study participants aged 50+, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was measured in either 2006 or 2008 and physician's diagnosis of diabetes was self-reported in the same year. Composite memory (z scored) was assessed biennially through 2012 using immediate and delayed word list recall or the Informant Questionnaire for Cognitive Decline. Marginal mean regression models for repeated outcomes were specified to predict memory decline as a function of diabetes or HbA1c, using age as the timescale and adjusting for health and social confounders. RESULTS Diabetes was associated with a 10% faster rate of memory decline [β=-0.04 per decade; 95% confidence interval (CI), -0.06 to -0.01). A 1 U increase in HbA1c corresponded with a 0.05 SD decrease in memory score per decade (95% CI, -0.08 to -0.03). Even among individuals with HbA1c<6.5% (threshold for diabetes), higher HbA1c was associated with memory decline (β=-0.05 per decade; 95% CI, -0.08 to -0.03). DISCUSSION Diabetes accelerated memory loss and higher HbA1c predicted memory decline even in nondiabetics.
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african ancestry social factors and hypertension among non hispanic blacks in the health and Retirement Study
Biodemography and Social Biology, 2016Co-Authors: Jessica R Marden, Stefan Walter, Jay S Kaufman, Maria M GlymourAbstract:The biomedical literature contains much speculation about possible genetic explanations for the large and persistent black–white disparities in hypertension, but profound social inequalities are also hypothesized to contribute to this outcome. Our goal is to evaluate whether socioeconomic status (SES) differences provide a plausible mechanism for associations between African ancestry and hypertension in a U.S. cohort of older non-Hispanic blacks. We included only non-Hispanic black participants (N = 998) from the Health and Retirement Study who provided genetic data. We estimated percent African ancestry based on 84,075 independent single nucleotide polymorphisms using ADMIXTURE V1.23, imposing K = 4 ancestral populations, and categorized into quartiles. Hypertension status was self-reported in the year 2000. We used linear probability models (adjusted for age, sex, and southern birth) to predict prevalent hypertension with African ancestry quartile, before and after accounting for a small set of SES meas...
Ichiro Kawachi - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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perceived social capital and binge drinking in older adults the health and Retirement Study us data from 2006 2014
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2020Co-Authors: E Villalongaolives, Josue Almansa, Felix Shaya, Ichiro KawachiAbstract:Abstract Objective Social capital has been described as having both positive influences as well as negative influences (“the dark side”) on health behaviors. We sought to test the association of perceived social capital on the risk of binge drinking among older adults, using a longitudinal design. Methods We used HRS (Health and Retirement Study) data, a nationally representative sample of US adults aged ≥50 years evaluated every two years (from 2006 to 2014). We investigated the relationship between perceived social capital (neighborhood social cohesion and neighborhood physical disorder, positive social support and negative social support) and binge drinking over time, with a multilevel structural equation modelling (MSEM) approach, modelling number of binge-drinking days as hurdle negative binomial. We used MSEM estimating the associations at person level (overall) and within waves. Results The sample included 19,140 individuals. At baseline mean age was 66.8 (SD 10.3). Over time, the number of binge drinking days decreased. Negative social support increased the average number of binge drinking days among those who drink, where one unit increase was associated with an increase of 37 % in the expected number of days binge drinking in the same wave. The association of positive social support on the number of binge drinking days was stronger for females (-0.59 (SE = 0.12)), while neighborhood social cohesion was significantly associated with binge drinking in females (-0.05 (SE = 0.01)), but not in males. Conclusions Negative social support favored binge drinking. Positive social support and neighborhood social cohesion are protective factors for binge drinking, especially for women.
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validation of a theoretically motivated approach to measuring childhood socioeconomic circumstances in the health and Retirement Study
PLOS ONE, 2017Co-Authors: Anusha M Vable, Maria M Glymour, Ichiro Kawachi, Paola Gilsanz, Thu T NguyenAbstract:Childhood socioeconomic status (cSES) is a powerful predictor of adult health, but its operationalization and measurement varies across studies. Using Health and Retirement Study data (HRS, which is nationally representative of community-residing United States adults aged 50+ years), we specified theoretically-motivated cSES measures, evaluated their reliability and validity, and compared their performance to other cSES indices. HRS respondent data (N = 31,169, interviewed 1992-2010) were used to construct a cSES index reflecting childhood social capital (cSC), childhood financial capital (cFC), and childhood human capital (cHC), using retrospective reports from when the respondent was 0.05 vs. < 0.04) than alternative indices. Our cSES measures use latent variable models to handle item-missingness, thereby increasing the sample size available for analysis compared to complete case approaches (N = 15,345 vs. 8,248). Adopting this type of theoretically motivated operationalization of cSES may strengthen the quality of research on the effects of cSES on health outcomes.
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high hemoglobin a1c and diabetes predict memory decline in the health and Retirement Study
Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders, 2017Co-Authors: Jessica R Marden, Ichiro Kawachi, Elizabeth Rose Mayeda, Eric Tchetgen J Tchetgen, Maria M GlymourAbstract:BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is an established risk factor for dementia, but evidence for T2D and memory decline is less consistent. Understanding how T2D and blood glucose relate to memory decline is crucial to elucidating the mechanisms linking T2D and dementia. MATERIALS AND METHODS For 8888 Health and Retirement Study participants aged 50+, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was measured in either 2006 or 2008 and physician's diagnosis of diabetes was self-reported in the same year. Composite memory (z scored) was assessed biennially through 2012 using immediate and delayed word list recall or the Informant Questionnaire for Cognitive Decline. Marginal mean regression models for repeated outcomes were specified to predict memory decline as a function of diabetes or HbA1c, using age as the timescale and adjusting for health and social confounders. RESULTS Diabetes was associated with a 10% faster rate of memory decline [β=-0.04 per decade; 95% confidence interval (CI), -0.06 to -0.01). A 1 U increase in HbA1c corresponded with a 0.05 SD decrease in memory score per decade (95% CI, -0.08 to -0.03). Even among individuals with HbA1c<6.5% (threshold for diabetes), higher HbA1c was associated with memory decline (β=-0.05 per decade; 95% CI, -0.08 to -0.03). DISCUSSION Diabetes accelerated memory loss and higher HbA1c predicted memory decline even in nondiabetics.
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comorbidity and functional trajectories from midlife to old age the health and Retirement Study
WOS, 2015Co-Authors: Sari Stenholm, Ichiro Kawachi, Hugo Westerlund, Jenny Head, Martin Hyde, Jaana Pentti, Mika Kivimaki, Jussi VahteraAbstract:BACKGROUND: The number of diseases and physical functioning difficulties tend to increase with age. The aim of this Study was to examine the trajectories of physical functioning across age groups and whether the trajectories differ according to disease status in different population subgroups.METHODS: Repeat data from a nationally representative population sample, the Health and Retirement Study, was used. Participants were 10,709 men and 13,477 women aged 60-107 years at baseline with biennial surveys from 1992 to 2010. Average length of follow-up was 10.3 years ranging from 0 to 18 years. Disease status and physical functioning was asked about at all Study phases and 10 items were summed to obtain a physical functioning score (0-10).RESULTS: Age modified the relationship between number of chronic diseases and physical functioning with older participants having more physical functioning difficulties with increasing number of diseases. An average 70-year-old participant with no diseases had 0.89 (95% CI: 0.85-0.93) physical functioning difficulties, with one disease 1.72 (95% CI: 1.69-1.76) difficulties, with two diseases 2.57 (95% CI: 2.52-2.62) difficulties, and with three or more diseases 3.82 (95% CI: 3.76-3.88) difficulties. Of the individual diseases memory-related diseases, stroke, pulmonary diseases, and arthritis were associated with significantly higher physical functioning difficulties compared with other diseases.CONCLUSIONS: Comorbidity is associated with greater burden of physical functioning difficulties. Of the studied diseases, memory-related diseases, stroke, pulmonary diseases, and arthritis alone or in combination limit most physical functioning.
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self rated health in the last 12 years of life compared to matched surviving controls the health and Retirement Study
PLOS ONE, 2014Co-Authors: Sari Stenholm, Ichiro Kawachi, Hugo Westerlund, Jaana Pentti, Mika Kivimaki, Jussi VahteraAbstract:Self-rated health (SRH) is a valid measure of health status and associated with mortality. Based on individual-level biannual repeat data on SRH we sought to characterize the natural history of poor SRH during the 12 years prior to death in men and women in different age groups. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the Health and Retirement Study participants who died between 1998 and 2010 and had at least two SRH measurements in the 12 years prior to death. We used a nested case-control design to compare SRH trajectories of deceased men and women aged 30-64, 65-79 and 80 years versus surviving participants. The cases comprised 3,350 deceased participants who were matched to surviving controls (n = 8,127). SRH was dichotomized into good vs. poor health. Men and women dying at age 65-79 and ≥ 80 years had 1.5 to 3 times higher prevalence of poor SRH already 11-12 years prior to death compared to surviving controls. The risk estimates remained statistically significant even after adjusting for life-style related risk factors and diagnosed diseases. Prevalence of poor SRH before death was lowest among those aged ≥ 80 years and highest in 30-64 year-olds. In conclusion, men and women who subsequently die perceive their health worse already 11-12 years prior to death compared to their surviving controls.
Daniel W Belsky - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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associations of loneliness and social isolation with health span and life span in the u s health and Retirement Study
Journals of Gerontology Series A-biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 2021Co-Authors: Christopher L Crowe, Benjamin W Domingue, Gloria Hueijong Graf, Katherine M Keyes, Dayoon Kwon, Daniel W BelskyAbstract:BACKGROUND Loneliness and social isolation are emerging public health challenges for aging populations. METHODS We followed N = 11 302 U.S. Health and Retirement Study participants aged 50-95 from 2006 to 2014 to measure persistence of experiences of loneliness and exposure to social isolation. We tested associations of longitudinal loneliness and social isolation phenotypes with disability, morbidity, mortality, and biological aging through 2018. RESULTS During follow-up, 18% of older adults met criteria for loneliness, with 6% meeting criteria at 2 or more follow-up assessments. For social isolation, these fractions were 21% and 8%. Health and Retirement Study participants who experienced loneliness and were exposed to social isolation were at increased risk for disease, disability, and mortality. Those experiencing persistent loneliness were at a 57% increased hazard of mortality compared to those who never experienced loneliness. For social isolation, the increase was 28%. Effect sizes were somewhat larger for counts of prevalent activity limitations and somewhat smaller for counts of prevalent chronic diseases. Covariate adjustment for socioeconomic and psychological risks attenuated but did not fully explain associations. Older adults who experienced loneliness and were exposed to social isolation also exhibited physiological indications of advanced biological aging (Cohen's d for persistent loneliness and social isolation = 0.26 and 0.21, respectively). For loneliness, but not social isolation, persistence was associated with increased risk. CONCLUSIONS Deficits in social connectedness prevalent in a national sample of U.S. older adults were associated with morbidity, disability, and mortality and with more advanced biological aging. Bolstering social connectedness to interrupt experiences of loneliness may promote healthy aging.
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short term mental health sequelae of bereavement predict long term physical health decline in older adults us health and Retirement Study analysis
Journals of Gerontology Series B-psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 2020Co-Authors: Benjamin W Domingue, Laramie E Duncan, Amal Harrati, Daniel W BelskyAbstract:Objective Spousal death is a common late-life event with health-related sequelae. Evidence linking poor mental health to disease suggests the hypothesis that poor mental health following death of a spouse could be a harbinger of physical health decline. Thus, identification of bereavement-related mental health symptoms could provide an opportunity for prevention. Methods We analyzed data from N=39,162 individuals followed from 1994-2016 in the US Health and Retirement Study; N=5,061 were widowed during follow-up. We tested change in mental and physical health from pre-bereavement through the 5-years following spousal death. Results Bereaved spouses experienced an increase in depressive symptoms following their spouses' deaths but the depressive shock attenuated within one year. Bereaved spouses experienced increases in disability, chronic-disease morbidity, and hospitalization, which grew in magnitude over time, especially among older respondents. Bereaved spouses were at increased risk of death compared to non-bereaved respondents. The magnitude of depressive symptoms in the immediate aftermath of spousal death predicted physical-health decline and mortality risk over 5 years of follow-up. Discussion Bereavement-related depressive symptoms indicate a risk for physical health decline and death in older adults. Screening for depressive symptoms in bereaved older adults may represent an opportunity for intervention to preserve healthy lifespan.
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short term mental health sequelae of bereavement predict long term physical health decline in older adults us health and Retirement Study analysis
medRxiv, 2019Co-Authors: Benjamin W Domingue, Laramie E Duncan, Amal Harrati, Daniel W BelskyAbstract:Objective. Death of a spouse is a common late-life event with mental- and physical-health sequelae. Whereas mental-health sequelae of spousal death tend to be transient, physical-health sequelae may persist, leading to disability and mortality. Growing evidence linking poor mental health to aging-related disease suggests the hypothesis that transient poor mental health following death of a spouse could be a harbinger of physical health decline. If so, identification of bereavement-related mental health symptoms could provide an opportunity for prevention. Methods. We analyzed data from N=35,103 individuals followed from 1994-2014 in the US Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and identified N=4,629 who were widowed during follow-up. We tested change in mental and physical health from pre-bereavement through the 5-year period following spousal death. Results. Bereaved spouses experienced an immediate increase in depressive symptoms following their spouses9 deaths but the depressive shock attenuated within one year. Bereaved spouses also experienced increases in disability, chronic-disease morbidity, and hospitalization, which grew in magnitude with time since spousal death, especially among older HRS participants. Bereaved spouses were at increased risk of death compared to HRS participants who were not bereaved. The magnitude of depressive symptoms in the immediate aftermath of spousal death predicted physical-health decline and mortality risk over 5 years of follow-up. Conclusions. Bereavement-related depressive symptoms provide an indicator of risk for physical health decline and death in older adults. Screening for depressive symptoms in bereaved older adults may represent an opportunity for intervention to preserve healthy lifespan.
Mauricio Avendano - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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transition to Retirement and risk of cardiovascular disease prospective analysis of the us health and Retirement Study
Social Science & Medicine, 2012Co-Authors: Robin J Moon, Mauricio Avendano, Maria M Glymour, S V Subramanian, Ichiro KawachiAbstract:Transitioning from work to Retirement could be either beneficial or harmful for health. We investigated the association between transition to Retirement and risk of stroke and myocardial infarction (MI). We followed US Health and Retirement Study participants age 50+ working full-time for pay and free of major cardiovascular disease (n = 5422) in 1998 up to 10 years for transition to full Retirement and self- or proxy-report of either stroke or MI (CVD; 665 events). We used discrete-time survival analysis to compare the CVD incidence for the fully retired versus the full-time working population. To distinguish short-term from long-term risks, we compared the association in the first year after Retirement to estimates 2+ years after Retirement.
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Transition to Retirement and risk of cardiovascular disease: prospective analysis of the US health and Retirement Study.
Social science & medicine (1982), 2012Co-Authors: J Robin Moon, Mauricio Avendano, Maria M Glymour, S V Subramanian, Ichiro KawachiAbstract:Transitioning from work to Retirement could be either beneficial or harmful for health. We investigated the association between transition to Retirement and risk of stroke and myocardial infarction (MI). We followed US Health and Retirement Study participants age 50+ working full-time for pay and free of major cardiovascular disease (n = 5422) in 1998 up to 10 years for transition to full Retirement and self- or proxy-report of either stroke or MI (CVD; 665 events). We used discrete-time survival analysis to compare the CVD incidence for the fully retired versus the full-time working population. To distinguish short-term from long-term risks, we compared the association in the first year after Retirement to estimates 2+ years after Retirement. In the full model adjusting for age, sex, childhood and adult SES, behavior, and co-morbidities, being retired was associated with elevated odds of CVD onset (OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.90) compared to those remaining in the full-time labor force. The odds ratio for CVD incidence within the first year of Retirement was 1.55 (95% CI: 1.03, 2.33). From the second year post-Retirement and thereafter, the retired had marginally elevated risk of CVD compared to those still working (OR = 1.35; 95% CI: 0.96, 1.91). Although confidence intervals were wide for some sub-groups, there were no significant interactions by sex or socioeconomic status. Results suggest that CVD risk is increased after Retirement.
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can self reported strokes be used to Study stroke incidence and risk factors evidence from the health and Retirement Study
Stroke, 2009Co-Authors: Maria M Glymour, Mauricio AvendanoAbstract:Background and Purpose— Most stroke incidence studies use geographically localized (community) samples with few national data sources available. Such samples preclude research on contextual risk factors, but national samples frequently collect only self-reported stroke. We examine whether incidence estimates from clinically verified studies are consistent with estimates from a nationally representative US sample assessing self-reported stroke. Methods— Health and Retirement Study (HRS) participants (n=17 056) age 50+ years were followed for self- or proxy-reported first stroke (1293 events) from 1998 to 2006 (average, 6.8 years). We compared incidence rates by race, sex, and age strata with those previously documented in leading geographically localized studies with medically verified stroke. We also examined whether cardiovascular risk factor effect estimates in HRS are comparable to those reported in studies with clinically verified strokes. Results— The weighted first-stroke incidence rate was 10.0 eve...
Nahid Tabatabai - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the social security windfall elimination and government pension offset provisions for public employees in the health and Retirement Study
Social Science Research Network, 2014Co-Authors: Alan L Gustman, Thomas L Steinmeier, Nahid TabatabaiAbstract:This article uses Health and Retirement Study data to investigate the effects of Social Security's Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) on Social Security benefits received by households. The provisions reduce benefits for individuals or the dependents of individuals whose work histories include jobs for which they were entitled to a pension and were not subject to Social Security payroll taxes (“noncovered” employment). We find that about 3.5 percent of households are subject to either the WEP or the GPO, and that the provisions reduce the present value of their Social Security benefits by roughly one-fifth. Households affected by both provisions experience benefit reductions of about one-third. Under the WEP, the Social Security benefit reduction is capped at one-half of the amount of the pension from noncovered employment, which substantially reduces the WEP penalty and prevents the WEP adjustment from falling disproportionately on households in the lowest earnings category.
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the social security windfall elimination and government pension offset provisions for public employees in the health and Retirement Study
Social Security Bulletin, 2013Co-Authors: Alan L Gustman, Thomas L Steinmeier, Nahid TabatabaiAbstract:Introduction The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), enacted in 1983, reduces Social Security benefit payments to beneficiaries whose work histories include both Social Security-covered and noncovered employment, with the noncovered employment also providing pension coverage. To be affected by the WEP, an individual must have worked in covered employment long enough to qualify for Social Security benefits; must have also worked in noncovered employment, meaning that Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) Social Security payroll taxes were not paid; and, importantly, must have earned a pension in that noncovered job. The WEP reduces the share of preRetirement earnings that Social Security benefits replace. For roughly the first $10,000 in average annual earnings, the WEP reduces the replacement rate from 90 percent to as low as 40 percent, depending on years of coverage under Social Security; however, the reduction cannot exceed 50 percent of the amount of the pension received from noncovered employment. A related provision, the Government Pension Offset (GPO), reduces Social Security benefits paid to spouses or survivors when the spouse or survivor earned a pension from a government job that was not covered by Social Security. The GPO reduction is equal to two-thirds of the amount of the pension payment from noncovered government work (SSA 2012). Although the WEP and the GPO affect only about 3.5 percent of households, the provisions may have a substantial effect on benefits in those households. Our analysis suggests that the present value of lifetime Social Security benefits for affected households is reduced by roughly one-fifth, which amounts to 5-6 percent of their total wealth. For that reason, and because the provisions leave some inequities in place, considerable political pressure has been brought to reduce their impact, with some members of Congress pressing for modifying or eliminating current law. To inform that legislative interest, the Congressional Research Service prepares annual reports on the two provisions (Scott 2013a, 2013b). Analyzing the effects of the WEP and the GPO requires information on work history in covered employment, work history in noncovered government and nongovernment employment, and pensions from noncovered employment. It also requires household-level data to determine spouse and survivor benefits. Information on household wealth allows us to compare the Social Security and pension benefits of affected households with those of households that are not affected by the provisions, and it reveals where affected households stand in the wealth distribution. (1) The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) contains all the required information. We estimate the relative importance of two WEP features: (1) the lower replacement rate (from 90 percent to as low as 40 percent up to the first bend point in the benefit calculation formula, described below) and (2) the limit on that reduction to an amount equal to 50 percent of the pension received from noncovered employment. We believe that our analysis provides useful information to policymakers considering changes in the WEP's current design. Similarly, we believe the findings regarding the wealth of households affected by the GPO are also of use to policymakers. Because both provisions affect only households that include a worker who has a pension from noncovered employment, those households typically have higher average combined pension and Social Security benefit income and higher total wealth than unaffected households. The remainder of this article is arranged in five sections. The first discusses the WEP and GPO provisions in detail. The second discusses the variables needed to estimate WEP and GPO adjustments with HRS data and the reasons we used a mix of respondent and administrative data. In the third section, we estimate WEP and GPO incidence and analyze the effects of the provisions on Social Security benefits. …
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the social security windfall elimination and government pension offset provisions for public employees in the health and Retirement Study
Research Papers in Economics, 2013Co-Authors: Alan L Gustman, Thomas L Steinmeier, Nahid TabatabaiAbstract:This paper uses data from the Health and Retirement Study to investigate the effects of Social Security’s Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) provision on Social Security benefits received by individuals and households. WEP reduces the benefits of individuals who worked in jobs covered by Social Security and also worked in uncovered jobs where a pension was earned. WEP also reduces spouse benefits. GPO reduces spouse and survivor benefits for persons who worked in uncovered government employment where they also earned a pension. Unlike previous studies, we take explicit account of pensions earned on jobs not covered by Social Security, a key determinant of the size of WEP and GPO adjustments. Also unlike previous studies, we focus on the household. This allows us to incorporate the full effects of WEP and GPO on spouse and survivor benefits, and to evaluate the effects of WEP and GPO on the assets accumulated by affected families. Among our specific findings: About 3.5 percent of households are subject to either WEP or to GPO. The present value of their Social Security benefits is reduced by roughly one fifth. This amounts to five to six percent of the total wealth they accumulate before Retirement. Households affected by both WEP and GPO lose about one third of their benefit. Limiting the Social Security benefit to half the size of the pension from uncovered employment reduces the penalty from WEP for members of the original HRS cohort by about 60 percent.
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what the stock market decline means for the financial security and Retirement choices of the near Retirement population
Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2010Co-Authors: Alan L Gustman, Thomas L Steinmeier, Nahid TabatabaiAbstract:This paper investigates the effect of the current recession on the Retirement age population. Data from the Health and Retirement Study suggest that those approaching Retirement age (early boomers ages 53 to 58 in 2006) have only 15.2 percent of their wealth in stocks, held directly or in defined contribution plans or IRAs. Their vulnerability to a stock market decline is limited by the high value of their Social Security wealth, which represents over a quarter of the total household wealth of the early boomers. In addition, their defined contribution plans remain immature, so their defined benefit plans represent sixty five percent of their pension wealth. Simulations with a structural Retirement model suggest the stock market decline will lead the early boomers to postpone their Retirement by only 1.5 months on average. Health and Retirement Study data also show that those approaching Retirement are not likely to be greatly or immediately affected by the decline in housing prices. We end with a discussion of important difficulties facing those who would use labor market policies to increase the employment of older workers.
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what the stock market decline means for the financial security and Retirement choices of the near Retirement population
National Bureau of Economic Research, 2009Co-Authors: Alan L Gustman, Thomas L Steinmeier, Nahid TabatabaiAbstract:This paper investigates the effect of the current recession on the near-Retirement age population. Data from the Health and Retirement Study suggest that those approaching Retirement age (early boomers ages 53 to 58 in 2006) have only 15.2 percent of their wealth in stocks, held directly or in defined contribution plans or IRAs. Their vulnerability to a stock market decline is limited by the high value of their Social Security wealth, which represents over a quarter of the total household wealth of the early boomers. In addition, their defined contribution plans remain immature, so their defined benefit plans represent sixty five percent of their pension wealth. Simulations with a structural Retirement model suggest the stock market decline will lead the early boomers to postpone their Retirement by only 1.5 months on average. Health and Retirement Study data also show that those approaching Retirement are not likely to be greatly or immediately affected by the decline in housing prices. We end with a discussion of important difficulties facing those who would use labor market policies to increase the employment of older workers.
