From working to permanent disability: a study based on data from the General Social Security Regime (RGPS) in Brazil from 1999 to 2002

Abstract

This article has the objective of estimating the probability that individuals registered with the General Social Security Regime (RGPS) in Brazil would pass from the state of working to that of permanent disability, by sex and by age, from 1999 to 2002. The results show that the risk of men retiring due to disability rises with age until the age of 65, and then falls. For women, the probability of retiring due to permanent disability continues to rise up to the highest age measured. This pattern can be explained in part by the competition between, on the one hand, the risk of retiring due to disability and, in contrast, other benefits provided by the Brazilian social security system to individuals who have postponed retirement or have not yet fulfilled the minimum requirements for such. Since the information in this article refers to the vast majority of persons registered with the social security regime, it is intended as a contribution for a broader understanding of disability, especially in the areas of insurance and social security.