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 1996-11-21 monographic deposited born digital 21 p. GA 1.13:HEHS-97-28 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-97-28 P0b002ee1803a2371 f:he97028 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-HEHS-97-28 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-HEHS-97-28 HEHS-97-28 Federal social security programs Eligibility determinations Disability benefits Compensation claims Administrative hearings Claims settlement Claims processing Claims adjudicators Administrative remedies Productivity Social Security Disability Insurance Program Supplemental Security Income Program SSA Short Term Disability Plan SSA New Disability Claim Process Plan Letter Report HEHS Americans who are denied benefits under the disability insurance and the supplemental security income programs may appeal to the Social Security Administration's (SSA) Office of Hearings and Appeals. In the last decade, however, the number of disability cases appealed to the Office has swelled by about 140 percent. As a result of the processing delays, claimants often wait more than a year for a final decision on their appeal. Although the Office has reduced its inventory of appealed cases during the past eight months, GAO found that SSA will not reach its goal of reducing its backlog to 375,000 by December 1996. SSA attributes its difficulties to start-up delays, overly optimistic projections of the number of appealed cases that would be processed, and an additional 37,500 appealed cases above the number that SSA expected during fiscal year 1995. Some SSA officials had expressed concern that the agency's aggressive goals to reduce the backlog of appealed cases could result in inappropriate benefit awards for some claimants and increase the allowance rate. SSA's statistics, however, show just the opposite. Since SSA's plan was initiated, the allowance rate has fallen from 75 percent in fiscal year 1994 to 69 percent through the third quarter of fiscal year 1996. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-97-28/html/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-97-28.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-97-28/pdf/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-97-28.pdf GAO/HEHS-97-28 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-HEHS-97-28 Letter Report GAO/HEHS-97-28; Appealed Disability Claims: Despite SSA's Efforts, It Will Not Reach Backlog Reduction Goal; Federal social security programs Eligibility determinations Disability benefits Compensation claims Administrative hearings Claims settlement Claims processing Claims adjudicators Administrative remedies Productivity Social Security Disability Insurance Program Supplemental Security Income Program SSA Short Term Disability Plan SSA New Disability Claim Process Plan