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PolicyEngine / policyengine-us

The PolicyEngine US Python package contains a rules engine of the US tax-benefit system, and microdata generation for microsimulation analysis.
https://policyengine.org/us
GNU Affero General Public License v3.0
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Disability UBI supplement doesn't apply to blind people in household simulation #3523

Open MaxGhenis opened 9 months ago

MaxGhenis commented 9 months ago

For example, this scenario has a $6,186 disability UBI, but the blind individual only receives the adult amount @nikhilwoodruff https://policyengine.org/us/household?reform=42434&focus=householdOutput.netIncome&region=enhanced_us&timePeriod=2023&baseline=2&household=38407

MaxGhenis commented 9 months ago

Ah it's because the disabled UBI supplement goes off is_ssi_disabled, which does not consider blindness:

https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-us/blob/ab826361e111ef3c313aedc351f07a97b6ba641a/policyengine_us/variables/gov/ssa/ssi/eligibility/status/is_ssi_disabled.py#L12-L16

We capture blind people in microsimulation because we set it directly in cps.py:

https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-us/blob/ab826361e111ef3c313aedc351f07a97b6ba641a/policyengine_us/data/datasets/cps/cps.py#L160-L164

The current workaround in the household page is to set ssi_reported > 0, e.g. this.

But we should base the disability supplement on some other variable that also works on households directly for blind people.