Social Security: New Continuing Disability Review Process Could Be
Enhanced (Letter Report, 06/27/94, GAO/HEHS-94-118).

The Social Security Administration's (SSA) new process for conducting
continuing disability reviews relies on computer profiling and
beneficiary self-reported data. Beneficiary self-reported data, when
used with other key information SSA has, appear reliable for making
decisions about when to do full medical examinations of beneficiaries
scheduled for reviews. SSA has also taken steps to further assess the
reliability of the self-reported data and plans to continually refine
its use of computerized beneficiary data to better predict medical
improvements and likely benefit terminations. The mailer process appears
to be a significant step by SSA to make the review process more
efficient and cost-effective, with the process being substantially less
costly than SSA's previous review process. SSA needs to send out more
mailers and conduct more full medical reviews of program beneficiaries.
As SSA gains more experience with the mailer process and improves its
ability to accurately identify beneficiaries with the greatest potential
for medical improvement, it should do more full medical reviews of those
persons to achieve the most effective use of agency resources. By
focusing on beneficiaries with the greatest likelihood of improvement,
SSA can save taxpayers millions of dollars each year and help preserve
the programs' integrity by removing ineligible persons from the rolls.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  HEHS-94-118
     TITLE:  Social Security: New Continuing Disability Review Process 
             Could Be Enhanced
      DATE:  06/27/94
   SUBJECT:  Disability benefits
             Eligibility determinations
             Comparative analysis
             Supplemental security income program
             Medical examinations
             Cost analysis
             Disadvantaged persons
             Beneficiaries
             Social security benefits
             Reporting requirements
IDENTIFIER:  Social Security Disability Insurance Program
             Social Security Disability Insurance Trust Fund
             
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