Social Security: Increasing Number of Disability Claims and Deteriorating Service: HRD-94-11

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Social Security Administration's (SSA) disability programs, focusing on: (1) state disability determination services' (DDS) operations; and (2) actions taken by SSA to reduce the number of pending claims.
GAO found that: (1) between 1990 and 1992, claims backlogs and processing times for Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income benefits increased nearly 50 percent; (2) SSA and DDS have not been able to keep up with the increase in benefit claims; (3) DDS tend to have the poorest processing performance in the more populous states; (4) problems resulting from increased workloads include increased workforce stress and use of overtime, employees not performing their normal duties, a decline in workforce morale, an increase in claims being set aside, and a decline in automated systems support; (5) SSA has initiated short-term initiatives to keep up with claims processing that include funding additional DDS overtime, reallocating resources from continuing disability reviews (CDR) to initial claim processing, and reducing the number of pending claims; (6) SSA has estimated that discontinuing CDR will cost at least $1.4 billion because ineligible individuals will continue to receive benefits; (7) although SSA has developed numerous short- and long-term initiatives, the effectiveness of these initiatives could not be determined; and (8) the Secretary of Health and Human Services needs to develop a plan to reduce benefit claims backlogs and resume mandated CDR.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1289240558
• ISBN13: 9781289240554
• Release Date: July 2013
• Publisher: Bibliogov
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.29 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 7.4" x 9.7"