From Social Security’s Office of Inspector
While SSA has made progress implementing corrective actions for both the OASDI and SSI programs, the Agency did not demonstrate improvements to payment integrity or achieve its tolerable improper payment rate for the SSI program. The SSI improper payment rate increased from 9.41 percent (approximately $5.3 billion) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 to 10.62 percent (approximately $6.5 billion) in FY 2023.
According to SSA, the Agency’s reliance on self-reporting by beneficiaries, recipients, and their representative payees—who are required to notify SSA when a change occurs affecting their SSI eligibility or payment amounts—leads to many improper payments. Failure to report these changes continues to be a primary cause of overpayments.
One of the leading causes of overpayments to SSI recipients is recipients’ unreported resources in financial accounts that exceed allowable amounts. SSA has tools, such as the Access to Financial Institutions (AFI) program, to help identify excess resources. Using AFI, SSA verifies alleged bank account balances with financial institutions and searches for undisclosed accounts at geographically relevant locations. SSA uses AFI when it processes initial SSI applications and periodic eligibility redeterminations.
However, according to SSA, in FY 2023, 89 percent of overpayments resulting from excess resources in financial accounts occurred because of recipients’ changes after SSA approved their initial SSI applications or completed eligibility redeterminations.
OIG estimates SSA could have prevented approximately $2 billion in overpayments in FY 2023 had it performed AFI searches between approving recipients’ initial applications and completing redeterminations.
OIG previously recommended SSA conduct a study to expand the use of AFI. SSA has not implemented this recommendation.
The problem with implementing this is probably the delay it would cause but, hey, it’s only SSI so it wouldn’t matter to a Republican if the benefits are never paid!
17 comments:
The checking on bank accounts would be after an SSI claims is approved. Is it that difficult to understand?
Hearing a lot of rumbling that RIFs are coming, and sooner than people think. Word is ODA could see cuts around 12%, Operations is mostly lean enough with buyouts, but the TSCs will see 20-25% trimming per approved OMB plan. If you think you're safe, think again. Mission critical was a novel March concept. Paused due to the injunction, but you've been warned. Good luck out there.
I’d like to see an accounting of how much money is wasted trying to accurately count and adjust for SSI recipients’ resources vs. how much money is actually properly withheld due to excess resources. I’d bet the earlier amount is far higher than the latter. But hey, we can’t let those brown folk have any extra pennies, even if it is cheaper to just give them their full check every month.
Where are you within the agency where you are hearing this?
I have heard the same thing. “Mission Critical” was a phase one term. There isn’t any such protection anymore. We are set up at the baseline and now RIFs will come as a result of our current posture to get us where OPM wants us. This includes operations (level 2 fo, level 1 and extra management in level 1) as well as OQR and OHO. The rest of the agency is and has always been fair game.
Thanks, Lee! Good try! You fooled us once!
@11:53 just two more weeks right…..then big RIFs everyone fired? Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me for believing you.
@ 2:00 No tomfoolery here. DRP 3.0 coming that targets ODA and TSCs. Heard it here first.
Rif in tsc makes no realistic sense the volume of calls is very high and the calls will fall to understaffed field offices to handle
White people make up the majority of SSI recipients. Studies have been done and money is saved by checking on bank accounts and other residents. It's about $4 to $5 saved for each dollar spent.
Rif to the TSC makes perfect sense when the "goal" is the answer rate which AI can make like 100% with 1 minute.... Nevermind whether the people are actually getting their needs met. Optics will win this one. Better answer rate, saving money with cuts. They could make the agency look great even though the service is 0%
Another day, another shitpost about a RIF. *SNORE*
Oh, I’m ver aware that whites make up the great majority of SSI recipients. But most of those white recipients will tell you the opposite is true. And their elected representatives love using the misconception to gin up racial animus and channel it toward undermining the social safety net.
@853 Must be terrible living a life where everything is due to race.
Hell, I reported a change and it still resulted in an overpayment because things are moving at a drunk snails pace. I just know not to spend the money they will eventually want back. Funny part is, when I log on to the website, it says I don't have any overpayments. Confused? Yes...yes, I am. I only get a bit over $20/mo from SSI so I can access state benefits. I got a SEVENTEEN page letter of the overpayment... I'm just wondering how much that cost, considering they they'll only get about $70 back. The letter too seemed like it was accusing me of stealing millions (that's a little exaggerated, but ya, the letter was written in a rather disturbing way). I've learned to roll my eyes a lot. I am sure they will get it worked out sometime around a week from next February. 🙄
Banks don’t do this for free. SSA has a contract that stipulates a volume and a price per transaction. If the volume of requests exceed the contract, the banks can charge more per transaction. Not only will it cost more because of additional volu’me, the additional volume could make it much more costly. Participation is also voluntary for the banks. If it becomes more trouble than it’s worth, they can always stop. This -currently- is manual work. A CS must make the request and then do a little work when the response comes back. All of those things need to be considered.
OIG is known for making pie in the sky recommendations without understanding the operational impact or constraints. Then SSA looks bad for not adopting them.
Contact your Congressperson and explain your situation. The low staffing levels can’t perform miracles.
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