GAO Says Disability Programs Still "High Risk"

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued its 2009 report on what it considers the "high risk" areas of the federal government and Social Security's disability programs are on the list.

Apparently, GAO still has fondness for former Commissioner Barnhart's grand Disability Service Improvement (DSI) plan, which was in the process of failing utterly when Barnhart's replacement, Michael Astrue, suspended it. Here is what GAO has to say (on page 89):

SSA continues to struggle to keep pace with growing numbers of disability applications, leading to large claims backlogs and long waits for claimants. In 2006, it introduced a comprehensive set of reforms to improve the efficiency of the disability determination process and the accuracy and timeliness of decisions. Tight time frames, poor communication, and a lack of financial planning hampered implementation of these reforms, and by 2008 most had been superseded by more focused efforts to fully implement electronic case processing and eliminate the growing claims backlog at the hearings level. Whether concentration on fewer, more immediate issues will better position SSA to meet the challenges it faces remains to be seen. ...

Agencies have taken steps to modernize their programs, such as revising eligibility criteria. However, the revisions to eligibility criteria fall short of fully incorporating a modern understanding of how technology and labor market changes could affect eligibility for disability benefits. More importantly, steps have not been taken to develop a set of agreed-upon desired outcomes for disability policies and programs and the processes to achieve them.

I cannot imagine a more effective way to establish that one lacks any insight into the Social Security disability programs than to express nostalgia for DSI. Maybe GAO ought to investigate why our government is wasting money on GAO!