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 1999-02-03 monographic deposited born digital 16 p. GA 1.13:T-HEHS-99-51 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-99-51 P0b002ee18038fbf8 f:he99051t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-99-51 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-99-51 T-HEHS-99-51 Claims processing Program abuses Income maintenance programs Eligibility determinations Social security benefits Overpayments Internal controls Fraud Computer matching Supplemental Security Income Program Old Age Survivors and Disability Insurance Program Social Security Disability Insurance Program SSI Testimony HEHS Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, focusing on: (1) the problem areas that currently pose the greatest risk to the SSI program; (2) the Social Security Administration's (SSA) recent efforts to improve the SSI program; and (3) additional actions that should be taken.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) the SSI program suffers from program abuses and mismanagement, increases in overpayments, and SSA's inability to recover outstanding debt; (2) in February 1997, GAO designated SSI a high-risk program because of its susceptibility to fraud, waste, and abuse, and because of insufficient management oversight of the program; (3) to a great extent, SSA's inability to address long-standing SSI program problems is attributable to two underlying causes: (a) an organizational culture that places a greater priority on processing and paying claims than on controlling program expenditures; and (b) a management approach characterized by SSA's reluctance to fulfill its SSI policy development and planning role in advance of major program crises; (4) as a result, SSA has continued to experience significant difficulties with regard to verifying recipients' initial and continuing eligibility for benefits, recovering SSI overpayments, combating program fraud and abuse and providing adequate program direction; (5) since SSI was designated high risk, SSA has taken a number of actions to improve the financial integrity of the program and revise its traditional approach to program management; (6) however, several of SSA's initiatives are now in the early planning or implementation stages, or require the passage of new legislation before they can move forward; (7) in other areas, SSA's actions have been insufficient; and (8) thus, it is important that SSA sustain and expand its efforts to address problem areas and strike a balance between meeting the needs of SSI recipients and fiscal accountability for its programs. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-99-51/html/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-99-51.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-99-51/pdf/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-99-51.pdf GAO/T-HEHS-99-51 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-99-51 Testimony GAO/T-HEHS-99-51; Supplemental Security Income: Long-Standing Issues Require More Active Management and Program Oversight; Claims processing Program abuses Income maintenance programs Eligibility determinations Social security benefits Overpayments Internal controls Fraud Computer matching Supplemental Security Income Program Old Age Survivors and Disability Insurance Program Social Security Disability Insurance Program SSI Public Law 98-369