Improving Claims Process
SSA’s disability programs have experienced significant growth over the past decade and are expected to grow even more as increasing numbers of baby boomers reach their disability-prone years. Growth in the number of new applications for benefits combined with other factors such as staff losses, management weaknesses, and budget constraints has exacerbated SSA’s disability claims process. For example, SSA has
- accumulated a large backlog of claims, adversely affecting claimants and SSA’s program integrity activities. In fiscal year 2006, at one of the appellate levels of SSA’s claims process, it took claimants an average of more than 480 days at the hearings level to receive a decision regarding their eligibility for disability benefits.
Highlights of GAO-08-40 (PDF)
- reduced the number of reviews to ensure that individuals receiving benefits continue to be eligible for them.
Highlights of GAO-08-40 (PDF)
Figure 1: Growth in the Number of SSA Disability Claims, 1997-2006
Source: GAO analysis of SSA data.
^ Back to topWhat Needs to Be Done
- SSA should take steps to increase the likelihood that new initiatives designed to improve its disability programs succeed, such as involving the appropriate staff in the design and implementation stages, establishing feedback mechanisms to track progress and problems, and performing periodic evaluations.
Highlights of GAO-08-40 (PDF)
^ Back to topKey Reports
- Social Security Disability: Better Planning, Management, and Evaluation Could Help Address Backlogs
- GAO-08-40, December 7, 2007
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 88 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)
- Social Security Administration: Strategic Workforce Planning Needed to Address Human Capital Challenges Facing the Disability Determination Services
- GAO-04-121, January 27, 2004
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 98 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)
