Understanding disability benefits decision-making among adults with self-reported work disabilities: A qualitative study

Background: Take-up gaps in safety net programs, long documented in the US, are an important policy problem as non-take up compromises the equity objectives and efficacy of programs. The Social Security Disability program is an example of this: more than 20 million adults report a work disability, but only around 11 million currently receive disability benefits through the Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income programs.

Objectives: We examine decision-making around benefits application among adults with self-reported work disability who have never applied for disability benefits.

Methods: We conducted 39 interviews with work-disabled adults who have never applied for disability benefits. Thematic analysis identified key barriers and inhibitors to disability application.

Results: High transaction costs involved in disability applications coupled with the widespread perception of low approval rates was mentioned as a critical deterrent. Uncertain and lengthy medical processes after disability onset were also frequently reported as a key deterrent. Stigma about receiving disability benefits did not emerge as a factor in application behavior, although a change in self-concept involving an adjustment to benefit-receiving, work-disabled status was cited as a barrier to claiming.

Conclusion: Our results broadly align with those of other research that examined the information, transaction, and social costs of applying for benefits. Nevertheless, the qualitative data afford a more in-depth, grounded understanding of the primary factors affecting application decisions, and how those interact. These insights are important to inform targets for interventions to reduce barriers to take-up of benefits among potentially eligible adults with disabilities.