Sexuality & Gender Diversity

The Social Security Administration (SSA) office is the most frequently reported government service used by LGBTQ+ older adults. But we know very little about what barriers LGBTQ+ older adults experience when interacting with this agency. We are conducting a community-based participatory research study of barriers faced by LGBTQ+ older adults in applying for and accessing SSA benefits and interacting with SSA offices. Through analysis of focus group and interview data, we will identify potential experiences of implicit bias. Findings from this study will be used to develop policy and programmatic recommendations aimed at reducing service barriers.

This project is funded by the Social Security Administration (SSA) through the New York Retirement and Disability Research Center (NY-RDRC), which is part of the SSA’s Retirement and Disability Research Consortium. The NY-RDRC, led by Na Yin, Ruth Finkelstein, and Teresa Ghilarducci, is a collaboration of the CUNY Institute for Demographic Research at Baruch College, the Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging, and the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis at The New School.