The Social Security Advisory Board (SSAB) has just released a May 2009 report it prepared on payment accuracy in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. I have no idea why this report is just now showing up on the SSAB website.
The report shows a dramatic decline in SSI redeterminations between 2003 and 2007. The effect has been a dramatic increase in SSI overpayments.
The report also shows a dramatic increase in the backlog of SSI cases awaiting continuing disability reviews. When cases were reviewed, most of the time the only "review" was a mailing to the claimant asking some questions. Unless the claimant reported that he or she was improved or had gone back to work, there was little chance of the "review" leading to the termination of benefits.
This has been caused by budget problems at Social Security. While Republicans controlled Congress, Social Security was given such inadequate operating funds that the agency had to cut back on anything not immediately necessary. The result was poorer service to the public and poor stewardship of public funds. Things are getting better now, but only very slowly.
The report shows a dramatic decline in SSI redeterminations between 2003 and 2007. The effect has been a dramatic increase in SSI overpayments.
The report also shows a dramatic increase in the backlog of SSI cases awaiting continuing disability reviews. When cases were reviewed, most of the time the only "review" was a mailing to the claimant asking some questions. Unless the claimant reported that he or she was improved or had gone back to work, there was little chance of the "review" leading to the termination of benefits.
This has been caused by budget problems at Social Security. While Republicans controlled Congress, Social Security was given such inadequate operating funds that the agency had to cut back on anything not immediately necessary. The result was poorer service to the public and poor stewardship of public funds. Things are getting better now, but only very slowly.
What they need to publish is how the cost of those overpayments compares to the cost of doing regular reviews. SSA often finds out about unreported wages when it is too late to even count it as an overpayment because of the rules on administrative finality. SSA cannot change the payment amount back more than two years unless they can show the person committed fraud, not just carelessness in failing to report changes.
ReplyDeleteThe last time such a report was done, the money spent got about 7 dollars back for every 1 spent in reviews (RZ's and CDR's.) That's probably still true. However, now, there is an enormous accumulated debt to Treasury. Easy to collect O/P's if the person is still entitled. It's just another mess the outgoing administration created for the current and subsequent administrations to clean up.
ReplyDeleteThat $7.00 for $1.00 spent is NOT money returned to the Treasury but money assesssed as an overpayment. 'Course that's the figure someone's merit pay and bonus is based on. Many of the overpayments are waived, the larger overpayments are simply never collected, and many of the truly "artifical" overpayments (a two-year retroactive N04 because grandma's name is on someone's bank account) are later rebutted, grandma dies, or some such action. The RZ's should be targeted, and changes should be made prospectively barring fraud or similar fault. Let's leave the 80-year olds alone beyond checking that they still grace the earth.
ReplyDeleteThe "dramatic decline" in SSI redeterminations and "dramatic increases" in medical CDR backlogs are a direct result of management placing artificial limits on processing of these workloads in the field. Barnhart really started the process, her way of giving the "finger" to congress for not giving her what she wanted. Astrue has simply continued to sail the same tack.
ReplyDeleteCentral office limits the number of RZs and CDR that can be done each FY by each office. Process even one too many and the jackasses in RO and CO scream and jump up and down like retarded chimps.
The people running this agency couldn't manage a cold water stand in the middle of Death Valley!
Well, I'd give credit for the whole concept of "we only do the work we are paid to do" management to past Commissioners and past administrations. Been going on a long time. The LAE is only an artifact for the political reality that has been there in appropriations since the Reagan administration. SSA would have disappeared a long time ago if many in Congress had their way. It's just that this is one agency that refuses to be drowned in the bathtub starvation budgets create. Could past COSS's and top staff have done a better job? Well, they are political appointees. Fiscal responsibility, you know. QED
ReplyDeleteOh, about that cold water stand in the middle of Death Valley, I was gonna put in for the job (How hard could it be??) but they closed that little DO and put in a TSC instead. Oh well.