As the Assistant Inspector General for Audit, Office of the Inspector General, Social Security Administration (SSA), Steven L. Schaeffer is responsible for auditing and evaluating the business and program applications for an entity with income in excess of $840 billion and outlays of over $750 billion annually. Mr. Schaeffer was selected to direct the Office of Audit (OA) in January 2000. Under his tenure, OA has issued 993 reports with approximately $28 billion in monetary findings through Fiscal Year 2010. Over this time period, productivity in completion time for reports decreased from approximately 550 days to 231 days and the Agency has agreed with 93 percent of OA's recommendations. The quality of OA work has been recognized by the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency. Since 2000, the Council has recognized OA with 33 Awards for Excellence and with one of their highest awards, the Glenn-Roth Exemplary Service Award.
An employee of SSA for 30 years, Mr. Schaeffer held several positions of increasing responsibility in financial management prior to his current position. He developed and issued SSA's first audited financial statement in Fiscal Year (FY) 1987 and led the development and production of the Agency's Performance and Accountability Report through FY 1998. For his efforts, he has received numerous awards including a Presidential Rank Award-2009; four Commissioner Citations (the Agency's highest honor award); one of the first recipients of the Chief Financial Officers Council Committee Impact Award; and a National Performance Review"Hammer" for developing and issuing the first Accountability Report in the Federal Government. SSA's FY 1998 Accountability Report received one of the two initial Certificates of Excellence in Accountability Reporting awarded to Federal agencies from the Association of Government Accountants.
Prior to working for SSA, Mr. Schaeffer held positions with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; U.S. Army Recruiting Command, Fort Sheridan, Illinois; U.S. Army Transportation Center, Fort Eustis, Virginia; and OW Houts and Sons, State College, Pennsylvania. His educational background includes both Master and Bachelor of Science degrees from the Pennsylvania State University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Baltimore. Mr. Schaeffer has been a licensed CPA in Maryland since 1979 and a member of the Maryland Bar from 1984.
Outside work, Mr. Schaeffer is an avid runner, skier, and golfer. As a long distance coach for a U.S. Track and Field running club, he has had the opportunity to work with young men and women who have won numerous titles at the State and Regional level. Several of his athletes have placed in the top 10 at National youth championships and have gone on to receive Division 1 A scholarships.
