The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has issued a report with the title Inspectors General: Implementing Thousands Of Open Recommendations Could Save Taxpayers Almost $26 Billion. Guess which agency had the biggest share of that $26 billion. This agency could save the taxpayers $8.63 billion annually according to the report, even more than the $7.70 billion at Department of Health and Human Services and far more than the paltry $1.51 billion at the Department of Defense. You guessed it -- the Social Security Administration.
How could there be that much money to be saved at Social Security? Here is a quote from the report about one area where Social Security could save money, "In April 2006, the Social Security Administration IG estimated that the agency could save more than $2 billion annually by ceasing payments to people who no longer meet the eligibility criteria for disability benefits due to medical improvement or employment status." There is a simple explanation why Social Security has not implemented this recommendation -- they lack enough personnel to implement it. It would probably take thousands of additional personnel to fully implement this. It might cost a few hundred million dollars a year to do it. That has been completely out of the question, so far out of the question that Social Security's Commissioner, Michael Astrue, has been unable to bring himself to even ask Congress for the funding. The explanation is probably the same for most of the other unimplemented Inspector General recommendations at Social Security. Spending money to save money is an unfathomable paradox for some.
Update: This report is starting to draw attention from the media and Social Security gets mentioned prominently.
How could there be that much money to be saved at Social Security? Here is a quote from the report about one area where Social Security could save money, "In April 2006, the Social Security Administration IG estimated that the agency could save more than $2 billion annually by ceasing payments to people who no longer meet the eligibility criteria for disability benefits due to medical improvement or employment status." There is a simple explanation why Social Security has not implemented this recommendation -- they lack enough personnel to implement it. It would probably take thousands of additional personnel to fully implement this. It might cost a few hundred million dollars a year to do it. That has been completely out of the question, so far out of the question that Social Security's Commissioner, Michael Astrue, has been unable to bring himself to even ask Congress for the funding. The explanation is probably the same for most of the other unimplemented Inspector General recommendations at Social Security. Spending money to save money is an unfathomable paradox for some.
Update: This report is starting to draw attention from the media and Social Security gets mentioned prominently.
2 comments:
Um, the tried to do it in the 1980s and there was a significant backlash. Politicians learn.
Those found to have improved filed appeals and the bleeding heart ALJs reversed the decisions.
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