United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Health, Education, and Human Services Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1996-09-27 monographic deposited born digital 35 p. GA 1.13:HEHS-96-170 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-96-170 P0b002ee18038b1ac f:he96170 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-HEHS-96-170 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-HEHS-96-170 HEHS-96-170 Federal social security programs Claims processing Disability insurance Human resources utilization Claims adjudicators Aid for the disabled Eligibility determinations Productivity SSA Disability Process Redesign Letter Report HEHS Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO assessed the Social Security Administration's (SSA) establishment of the disability claims manager (DCM) position, focusing on: (1) SSA efforts to test and implement the position; (2) major concerns about the position; and (3) SSA efforts to staff the position.<p/>GAO found that: (1) as envisioned by SSA, DCM would be solely responsible for processing and approving initial disability claims, assume functions currently performed by at least three federal and state workers, and serve as a single, personal point of contact for claimants; (2) SSA has several initiatives under way to team claims representatives and disability examiners so that they can coordinate claims processing functions and prepare for transition to the DCM position; (3) although it has not yet implemented other initiatives and support features that are critical to the DCM position, SSA has decided to proceed with plans to test the DCM position; (4) a three-phase testing plan proposed by an SSA work group of management representatives, claims representatives, disability examiners, and federal and state union members may leave some important DCM features untested and does not have the support of all work group members; (5) concerns raised about the DCM position include the complexity of DCM responsibilities, compromises to safety and controls, salary differential between federal and state workers, and impact on field operations; and (6) SSA expects to recruit DCM from its current staff of federal claims examiners and state disability examiners, but some staff may be unwilling or lack the necessary skills, and SSA has not developed a plan for providing technical and clerical support for DCM. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-96-170/html/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-96-170.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-96-170/pdf/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-96-170.pdf GAO/HEHS-96-170 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-96-170 Letter Report GAO/HEHS-96-170; SSA Disability Redesign: More Testing Needed to Assess Feasibility of New Claim Manager Position; Federal social security programs Claims processing Disability insurance Human resources utilization Claims adjudicators Aid for the disabled Eligibility determinations Productivity SSA Disability Process Redesign