National Beneficiary Survey

NOTICE:

Next Round of the National Beneficiary Survey Begins in February 2015

(http://www.ssa.gov/disabilityresearch/nbs.html)

In February 2015, the Social Security Administration will launch the next round of the National Beneficiary Survey (NBS). The NBS is an important survey sponsored by the Social Security Administration to collect information about beneficiaries and recipients with disabilities.

We need your help! If a client asks you about the NBS, please encourage them to participate in this very important survey.

The NBS collects information on the programs and services used by beneficiaries and recipients with disabilities, their health, and any employment goals they may have. SSA will use this information to gain a better understanding of the characteristics of beneficiaries that are not available from our administrative records. We use the information to assess how well our programs are meeting the needs of disability beneficiaries and to develop policy. The Social Security Administration conducted the first four rounds of the NBS in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2010 and plans to conduct future rounds in 2015, 2017, and 2019.

As a token of appreciation, beneficiaries will receive a gift card for $20.00 after completing the interview.

The NBS is being conducted on behalf of the Social Security Administration by Mathematica Policy Research. Staff from Mathematica will conduct:

 

• Telephone interviews for the survey, beginning in February 2015.
• In-person interviews with beneficiaries and recipients who are not reached by phone, beginning in May 2015.

All in-person NBS interviewers are required to show a Mathematica Policy Research badge that displays:

• a color photograph of the interviewer,
• his or her name and signature,
• the name of the survey, and
• a toll free number (1-877-293-5740) that survey respondents can contact if they have any questions or complaints.

The NBS Does Not ask beneficiaries for Social Security Numbers or confidential banking information. If there is any question about the identity of the interviewer, please have your client contact Mathematica Policy Research at 1-877-293-5740.

In-person interviewers use a tablet to conduct interviews. They do not use paper interviews.

We need your help! If a client asks you about the NBS, please encourage them to participate in this very important survey. Thank you!