Supplemental Security Income Quality Assurance System: An Assessment of Its Problems and Potential for Reducing Erroneous Payments

The Social Security Administration (SSA) established a quality assurance system in 1974 to provide information on how well its Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program is operating. Through this system, data were collected which indicated that, at the end of 1976, over $1.4 billion had been overpaid and $277 underpaid to recipients in the program. The system also provides data for determining the liability of the federal government to states for incorrect state supplemental payments which are administered by SSA.