Summary

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Social Security Administration's (SSA) plans and actions to reduce 17,000 full-time positions between fiscal year (FY) 1985 and FY 1990.

GAO found that: (1) FY 1985 reductions were primarily based on savings estimates for various procedural and system changes scheduled for that year; (2) nearly half of the FY 1985 staff reductions occurred in SSA regional and field offices; (3) claims representatives, data review technicians, and clerical positions accounted for most of the staff reductions; (4) FY 1985 savings were 24 percent below what SSA expected to achieve from planned staff changes; (5) SSA performance data was inconclusive regarding the effect that staff reductions have had on public service; and (6) although SSA plans for reductions beyond FY 1987, there are indications that many initiatives in its plan may not produce savings to the extent anticipated.