Investigations Of Social Security Managers

The National Council of Social Security Management Associations (NCSSMA), an organization of Social Security managers, has issued a letter to its members warning of an increasing number of investigations of Social Security management personnel. The letter does not say who is doing the investigations, but a good guess is Social Security's Inspector General. Here is an excerpt from the NCSSMA letter to its members:

During the past year the NCSSMA has become aware of a number of cases involving managers or supervisors who have been subject to "investigation" and subsequent discipline because of alleged non-criminal wrong doing. These cases involved such alleged offenses as improper personnel practices and systems sanctions violations. While the odds are that you will never be the subject of such an investigation, it is important for you to know what to do and how to conduct yourself should the occasion arise.

The first thing to know is that when such investigations materialize it appears that they come with little or no warning. In some of the cases with which we are familiar the individuals were not even aware that they were the subject of the inquiry. They were not told that their answers might lead to disciplinary action. They were merely confronted by investigators and asked to answer questions about a specific situation and, in one case, six months later served with a notice of proposed discipline

The letter goes on to give practical advice to managers who face these investigations.