Social Security: Increasing Number of Disability Claims and Deteriorating
Service (Chapter Report, 11/10/93, GAO/HRD-94-11).

The administration of the Social Security Administration's (SSA)
disability programs has reached a crisis stage; service is poor and
billions of dollars in payments will end up going to ineligible persons
unless mandated continuing disability reviews are resumed.  Claim
backlogs and processing times for SSA's disability insurance and
supplemental security income programs hit an all-time high in fiscal
year 1992.  The two programs have been unable to keep up with the high
rate of claims for benefits, a trend that has continued into fiscal year
1993.  Processing times have increased nearly 50 percent in recent
years, and some states take more than five months to process claims. SSA
has undertaken many short-term initiatives to keep up with claims--most
significantly, the funding of overtime for disability determination
services.  According to administrators, staff are overworked and
overtime is at record levels.  SSA has also diverted staff from doing
continuing disability reviews to processing initial claims.  As a
result, many ineligible persons are receiving program benefits at a cost
of at least $1.4 billion.  These short-term initiatives have only
slightly reduced pending claims and processing times.  SSA also has
several long-term initiatives under way to improve its disability
programs; exactly how, when, and to what extent these initiatives will
improve service is unknown at this point, however.

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

 REPORTNUM:  HRD-94-11
     TITLE:  Social Security: Increasing Number of Disability Claims and 
             Deteriorating Service
      DATE:  11/10/93
   SUBJECT:  Social security benefits
             Disability insurance
             State-administered programs
             Disability benefits
             Productivity
             Compensation claims
             Claims processing
             Eligibility determinations
             Supplemental security income program
             Computerized information systems
IDENTIFIER:  Social Security Program
             Social Security Disability Insurance Program
             
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