Social Security: Increasing Number of Disability Claims and Deteriorating Service
HRD-94-11
Published: Nov 10, 1993. Publicly Released: Nov 10, 1993.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Social Security Administration's (SSA) disability programs, focusing on: (1) state disability determination services' (DDS) operations; and (2) actions taken by SSA to reduce the number of pending claims.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Human Services | The Secretary of Health and Human Services should develop a plan to reduce the backlog of SSA disability benefit claims. |
SSA has improved the process for identifying which beneficiaries should undergo full CDRs and has planned improvements over the next 2 years that will further increase its ability to identify beneficiaries who should undergo a full CDR. Also, SSA has plans to conduct over 8 million CDRs between FY 1996 and FY 2002, which is twice as many CDRs as the agency has conducted over the past 20 years combined.
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| Department of Health and Human Services | The Secretary of Health and Human Services should develop a plan to ensure the performance of CDR to the level necessary to comply with Social Security Act provisions. The recommended plan should be forwarded to Congress and should establish a specific time frame for achieving the SSA stated goal of 60-day claim processing times for its disability programs and identify to what extent, if any, additional staffing and funding may be needed for implementation. |
SSA has improved the process for identifying which beneficiaries should undergo full CDRs and has planned improvements over the next 2 years that will further increase its ability to identify beneficiaries who should undergo a full CDR. Also, SSA has plans to conduct over 8 million CDRs between FY 1996 and FY 2002, which is twice as many CDRs as the agency has conducted over the past 20 years combined.
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Topics
Claims processingCompensation claimsDisability benefitsDisability insuranceEligibility determinationsIncome maintenance programsInformation systemsSocial security benefitsState-administered programsSupplemental security income