In the 1990s, reforms to welfare and federal disability insurance programs had two goals: promoting employment among traditional recipients of public income assistance and reducing dependency on public income assistance. Little is known about the impact of these reforms on individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs). This research aims to:

• determine the impact of reforms to welfare and Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSI/DI) on employment among low-income individuals with SUDs;
  
  
• determine the impact of these reforms on health outcomes, including substance use and abuse, substance-abuse treatment, symptoms of mental illness, and general health outcomes for individuals with SUDs;
  
  
• determine how reforms to welfare and SSI/DI influence public program participation and related social costs.