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 2002-08-09 monographic deposited born digital 54 p. GA 1.13:GAO-02-597 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-597 P0b002ee1803966f3 f:d02597 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-597 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-597 GAO-02-597 Disability benefits Eligibility criteria Eligibility determinations Employees with disabilities Persons with disabilities Social security benefits Disability Insurance Program Supplemental Security Income Program Other Written Product A03576 The three largest disability programs collectively provided $89.7 billion in cash benefits to 10.2 million adults in 2001. However, the Disability Insurance (DI) program, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, and VA disability criteria reflects neither medical and technological advances nor the labor market changes that affect the skills needed to perform work and work settings. If these federal disability programs do not update scientific and labor market information they risk overestimating the limiting nature of some disabilities while underestimating others. Twelve years ago, both the Social Security Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) began reviewing relevant medical advances and updating the criteria they use to evaluate claims. However, the amount of time the agencies are taking to revise the medical criteria could undermine the very purpose of the update. Moreover, because of the limited role of treatment in the statutory and regulatory design of these programs, the updates have not fully captured the benefits afforded by advances in treatment. Also, the disability criteria used by DI, SSI, and VA programs have not incorporated labor market changes. These programs continue to use outdated information about the types and demands of jobs needed to determine the impact that impairments have on individuals' earning capacity. In order to incorporate scientific advances and labor market changes into the DI, SSI, and VA programs, steps can be taken within the existing program design, but some would require more fundamental change. Agencies need to continue their medical updates and vigorously expand their efforts to more closely examine labor market changes. At a more fundamental level, SSA and VA could consider changes to the disability criteria that would revisit the programs' basic orientation. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-597/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-597.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-597/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-597.pdf GAO-02-597 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-597 Other Written Product GAO-02-597; SSA and VA Disability Programs: Re-Examination of Disability Criteria Needed to Help Ensure Program Integrity; Disability benefits Eligibility criteria Eligibility determinations Employees with disabilities Persons with disabilities Social security benefits Disability Insurance Program Supplemental Security Income Program Public Law 103-62 Public Law 106-170