EMF24-03: Administrative Burden and the Disability Process in Rural America

Disability benefit programs managed by the Social Security Administration (SSA) represent one of the few ways that economically-disadvantaged families can receive cash assistant from the federal government. Nearly 10 million people in the United States currently receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and there are typically 2 million or more applications each year. However, the vast majority of applications are denied, typically for technical reasons. Attorneys, vocational consultants, administrative law judges, and other professionals are critical to the appeals and application process for both programs. This project explores their role in facilitating appeals for disability benefits, particularly for applicants from rural communities. Applicants are typically evaluated based on potential employment capabilities, but rural job markets often lack viable options for people living with disabilities. How do experts account for spatial variation when navigating an appeals process? How do these processes and outcomes vary across spatial and racial categories? The project engages with these questions interviewing professionals by interviewing professionals in three metro areas: Memphis, New Orleans-Baton Rouge, and Lexington, Kentucky. The project builds on previous interview studies with low income, SSDI and SSI recipients in the rural Deep South and Appalachia.