United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2002-02-27 monographic deposited born digital 5 p. GA 1.13:GAO-02-459R https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-459R P0b002ee1803a013e f:d02459r DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-459R machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-459R GAO-02-459R Criminals Information disclosure Jurisdictional authority Law enforcement Social security benefits Disability Insurance Program Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Program Supplemental Security Income Program Correspondence A02858

Fugitive felons are ineligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits under the Social Security Act. Furthermore, Social Security Administration (SSA) provides law enforcement agencies, on request, the current address and Social Security number of fugitive felons who are SSI recipients. The SSI program is a welfare program funded from general revenues that provides monthly cash assistance payments to aged, blind, or disabled individuals in financial need. SSA also administers the Old Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) and Disability Insurance (DI) programs. These entitlement programs are funded from trust funds supported by withholding taxes. To administer the OASI, DI, and SSI programs, SSA retains information about each individual with a social security number (SSN). When a person starts working, SSA establishes a lifetime history of the person's earnings. SSA collects more extensive information about persons who apply for or are receiving OASI, DI, or SSI benefits, to enable it to administer these programs. Since its enactment in 1974, the Privacy Act has governed federal agencies', including SSA's, disclosure of personal information they maintain. It prohibits federal agencies from disclosing to others, including other government agencies, any information they have on file about individuals. However, the act allows agencies to disclose information about individuals under certain circumstances. The Social Security Act does not give SSA the authority to determine if individuals are not entitled to OASI and DI benefits because they are fugitive felons. Further, under the Privacy Act, when the head of a law enforcement agency asks SSA for information about an individual for civil or criminal law enforcement activity, SSA has the authority to disclose this information but is not required to do so. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-459R/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-459R.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-459R/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-459R.pdf GAO-02-459R https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-459R Correspondence GAO-02-459R; Social Security Programs: Scope of SSA's Authority to Deny Benefits to Fugitive Felons and to Release Information About OASI and DI Beneficiaries Who Are Fugitive Felons; Criminals Information disclosure Jurisdictional authority Law enforcement Social security benefits Disability Insurance Program Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Program Supplemental Security Income Program Title 65 Section 552a(b)(7) 65 U.S.C. 552a(b)(7)