Summary

GAO assessed the Social Security Administration's (SSA) progress in implementing GAO recommendations for improving SSA management, focusing on: (1) the status and effectiveness of SSA corrective actions; (2) the reasonableness, timeliness, and completeness of actions in progress; and (3) how SSA planned to sustain the actions and ensure their continued progress and effectiveness.

GAO found that: (1) SSA made a number of organizational changes, appointed a senior executive officer, developed offices for financial management and strategic planning, and developed an agency-wide long-range plan for budget, planning, and decisionmaking processes; (2) SSA initiatives provided a framework for improved effectiveness and accountability, but were not sufficiently mature to evaluate properly; (3) the SSA Commissioner did not appoint a full-time information resources manager to integrate, coordinate and support long-range automatic data processing (ADP) efforts; (4) although SSA restructured so that top management could better understand and control ADP issues, no one below the Commissioner was accountable for information systems planning and integration; (5) SSA did not develop recommended performance standards and measures or establish a focal point for coordinating review and evaluation efforts; (6) SSA increased its focus on productivity, but lacked an institutionalized, systematic approach to productivity management; (7) SSA did not develop the necessary work standards to establish its staffing needs; (8) although SSA improved communications between employees and managers, concerns remained over the effects of continued staff cuts on work pressure and promotions; and (9) efforts to disseminate retirement information and develop future managers were ineffective.