Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/325487 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
Working Paper Series No. 87
Publisher: 
University of Waterloo, Canadian Labour Economics Forum (CLEF), Waterloo
Abstract: 
How does in-person support affect access to safety net programs? I study this question by examining how the closure of field offices has changed welfare and disability assistance caseloads. Using rich administrative data and a staggered difference-in-differences design, I estimate that closures, on average, reduced local caseloads by 11.5% for welfare and a statistically insignificant 1.6% for disability assistance. Declines in welfare caseloads (i) occurred across demographic, health, education, and eligibility groups, (ii) were somewhat larger among young and healthier individuals, and (iii) were suggestively larger among persons less familiar with the programs. On the whole, I find limited change in the relative targeting of benefits.
Subjects: 
welfare
disability assistance
screening
take-up
JEL: 
H31
H83
H75
H53
I32
I38
J18
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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