IOD researchers are drawing national attention to barriers rural residents and underserved communities face when accessing Social Security disability benefits and information.
Debra Brucker’s paper, The Administrative Burden Experienced by U.S. Rural Residents Accessing Social Security Administration Benefit Programs in 2024, coauthored by Stacia Kingsbury, Megan Henly, Andrew Houtenville, and Kelly Nye-Lengerman, was recently featured by Public News Service and MSN following a radio interview with Public News Service (https://app.publicnewsservice.org/story/rural-nh-residents-struggle-to-access-social-security-benefits-1/1ad16da4-2c18-4c34-b84e-9f03886ad6c4?). The research highlights the challenges rural residents encounter when trying to access Social Security benefits and services.
Related new research from IOD researchers further explores why eligible people — particularly those in rural communities — may not enroll in government disability benefit programs. The peer-reviewed article, Barriers to Program Information for Populations Underrepresented in Social Security Disability Programs: A Scoping Review, examines how communication and outreach strategies can improve awareness, access, and equity for underserved populations. The findings offer practical recommendations for agencies and service providers to make benefit information clearer, more accessible, and more responsive to community needs.
Citation: Henly, M., Paul, S., Brucker, D.L., Houtenville, A., Nye-Lengerman, K., & Kingsbury, S. (2026). Barriers to Program Information for Populations Underrepresented in Social Security Disability Programs: A Scoping Review. Journal of Disability Policy Studies. doi:10.1177/10442073261430839 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10442073261430839
