b'INTRODUCTIONSupplemental Off-year Studies security income of HRS participants, all of whichrecords from the VA. For tracking mortality, the Even with all that is covered in the core andare widely used by researchers to study the impactHRS links to the National Death Index.EFTF interviews, there are still more topics ofof policy changes. At the employer level, information on pressing interest in aging. To keep the core in- Other linkages at the individual level provideemployer-provided pension plans is obtained for terview from growing longer, HRS also conductsan important complement to the health informa- businesses where respondents are or have been supplemental surveys with subsamples of 3,000tion available in the HRS. One of the main goalsemployed. The HRS is the only large-scale survey to 7,000 participants from the core sample.of the HRS is to understand the relationshipto attempt direct matching of respondents to These supplemental studies are conducted in thebetween medical history and financial status andemployer-provided pension plan information. years between core interview waves. Because thehow use of health care may change as people age.This is of particular value for understanding the samples are drawn from the full HRS sample,For all respondents who are eligible for Medicare,retirement incentives of these plans and measur-data from these supplemental studies can bethe HRS endeavors to obtain information abouting the wealth they imply. linked to the core data. The supplemental stud- diagnoses and costs of treatment from MedicareAll of these sources of linked data not only ies collect a range of information in a variety ofrecords maintained by the Centers for Medicareprovide validation of self-reported information modes. For example, the Aging, Demographics,and Medicaid Services. Similarly, for HRS partic- but also additional information not collected in and Memory Study, or ADAMS, is an in-homeipants who served in the military and obtainedthe survey.clinical interview designed to provide diagnostichealth care through the Department of Veterans information on Alzheimers disease and otherAffairs (VA), the HRS attempts to obtain medical dementia subtypes. Other supplemental studies are mail surveys, such as the Consumption and Activities Mail Survey (CAMS), which is an ongoing biennial survey that tracks changes inFIGURE A-4Longitudinal cohort design of the HRSspending and activities throughout retirement.AgeThe HRS has also conducted web-based internet90surveys on many different topics, such as health,85cognition, well-being, economics (income, assets, expectations, and consumption), and retirement.80The supplemental off-year studies are summa- 75rized in Figure A-3. 7065Administrative Linkages 60HRS data are also linked at the individual level to 55sources of administrative information. Linkage to administrative records of the Social Security501992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016Administration (SSA) has been a top priority and signal success of the HRS. SSA records provideAsset and Health Dynamics Among The Oldest Old 1924 Early Baby Boomers 1948-53earnings histories, benefit histories, and appli- Children of the Depression 1924-30 Mid Baby Boomers 1954-59cation histories for disability and supplementalHRS - Original Cohort 1931-41 Late Baby Boomers 1960-65War Babies 1942-4713'