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 1996-02-28 monographic deposited born digital 67 p. GA 1.13:HEHS-96-51 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-96-51 P0b002ee180392afe f:he96051 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-HEHS-96-51 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-HEHS-96-51 HEHS-96-51 Workfare Income maintenance programs Employment or training programs Program abuses Vocational rehabilitation Beneficiaries Disability benefits Disadvantaged persons Federal social security programs Internal controls Persons with disabilities SSA Plan for Achieving Self Support Program Supplemental Security Income Program Social Security Disability Insurance Program SSA Supplemental Security Record Data Base Medicaid Program Medicare Program SSA Program Operations Manual System Chapter Report HEHS The Social Security Administration (SSA) is poorly managing a small but growing program to encourage disability beneficiaries to seek employment. The "plan for achieving self-support" (PASS) program, established in 1972, is currently small--only about 10,300 persons participated in December 1994--but the number of participants has swelled more than fivefold during the past five years as awareness of the program has increased, and millions more disabled beneficiaries have become eligible to participate. The PASS program is vulnerable to abuse because of vague guidelines, and its impact on employment is unknown because SSA does not collect basic data on participants and their employment. In addition, SSA top management has not adequately considered the potential problems posed by professional PASS preparers, whose fees--as much as $800--are often included as PASS expenses. SSA is trying to address some of these internal control weaknesses, but it cannot guarantee today that taxpayer dollars are being well spent. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-96-51/html/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-96-51.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-96-51/pdf/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-96-51.pdf GAO/HEHS-96-51 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-96-51 Chapter Report GAO/HEHS-96-51; PASS Program: SSA Work Incentive for Disabled Beneficiaries Poorly Managed; Workfare Income maintenance programs Employment or training programs Program abuses Vocational rehabilitation Beneficiaries Disability benefits Disadvantaged persons Federal social security programs Internal controls Persons with disabilities SSA Plan for Achieving Self Support Program Supplemental Security Income Program Social Security Disability Insurance Program SSA Supplemental Security Record Data Base Medicaid Program Medicare Program SSA Program Operations Manual System Public Law 103-296 Conf. Rept. 103-670