The Administrative Burden Experienced by U.S. Rural Residents Accessing Social Security Administration Benefit Programs in 2024

Brucker, Debra L.; Bach, Stacia; Henly, Megan; Houtenville, Andrew; Nye-Lengerman, Kelly

doi:10.3390/socsci14060379

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The Administrative Burden Experienced by U.S. Rural Residents Accessing Social Security Administration Benefit Programs in 2024

by

Debra L. Brucker

^1,*,

Stacia Bach

¹

,

Megan Henly

¹

,

Andrew Houtenville

¹ and

Kelly Nye-Lengerman

²

¹

Institute on Disability, University of New Hampshire, 10 West Edge Drive, Suite 101, Durham, NH 03824, USA

²

²Mathematica, P.O. Box 2393, Princeton, NJ 08543-2393, USA

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Soc. Sci. 2025, 14(6), 379; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14060379

Submission received: 18 March 2025 / Revised: 10 June 2025 / Accepted: 13 June 2025 / Published: 16 June 2025

(This article belongs to the Section Social Policy and Welfare)

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Abstract

Grounded in the existing literature on administrative burden and using a qualitative and community-engaged research approach, the research examined the administrative burden experienced in accessing disability, retirement, and survivor benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). The research team held in person and virtual focus groups and interviews with 40 adults with disabilities, older adults, and family members of people with disabilities who resided in rural areas of the U.S. State of New Hampshire in 2024. The qualitative analysis revealed that rural residents, regardless of type of SSA benefit receipt, were experiencing high levels of administrative burden in their interactions with the SSA and preferred to turn to in-person assistance at local SSA field offices (rather than phone, mail, or web-based service options) to address these concerns. Overall, people living in rural counties that do not have local SSA field offices voiced a distinct disadvantage in terms of knowing where to turn with questions about their benefits. A lack of ready and reliable access to information and advice led to endangering their own economic stability and to increased calls and visits to the SSA. Persons with stronger social networks were better able to overcome these barriers to services.

Keywords: administrative burden; Social Security; disability; retirement; older adults

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MDPI and ACS Style

Brucker, D.L.; Bach, S.; Henly, M.; Houtenville, A.; Nye-Lengerman, K. The Administrative Burden Experienced by U.S. Rural Residents Accessing Social Security Administration Benefit Programs in 2024. Soc. Sci. 2025, 14, 379. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14060379

AMA Style

Brucker DL, Bach S, Henly M, Houtenville A, Nye-Lengerman K. The Administrative Burden Experienced by U.S. Rural Residents Accessing Social Security Administration Benefit Programs in 2024. Social Sciences. 2025; 14(6):379. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14060379

Chicago/Turabian Style

Brucker, Debra L., Stacia Bach, Megan Henly, Andrew Houtenville, and Kelly Nye-Lengerman. 2025. "The Administrative Burden Experienced by U.S. Rural Residents Accessing Social Security Administration Benefit Programs in 2024" Social Sciences 14, no. 6: 379. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14060379

APA Style

Brucker, D. L., Bach, S., Henly, M., Houtenville, A., & Nye-Lengerman, K. (2025). The Administrative Burden Experienced by U.S. Rural Residents Accessing Social Security Administration Benefit Programs in 2024. Social Sciences, 14(6), 379. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14060379

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The Administrative Burden Experienced by U.S. Rural Residents Accessing Social Security Administration Benefit Programs in 2024

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