Key Issues > Improving and Modernizing Federal Disability Programs - High Risk Issue
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Improving and Modernizing Federal Disability Programs - High Risk Issue

An estimated one in six working-age Americans reported that they had a disability in 2010; many of them rely on federal cash benefits if they cannot work, or may need help finding or keeping work. At the same time, disability programs across the federal government face significant challenges in addressing the needs of Americans with disabilities. 
 
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Modernizing federal disability programs is a high risk issue because the cash assistance programs may not be able to handle current and future workloads for processing claims, and the employment programs are not well-coordinated.

Of the 3 largest federal disability cash assistance programs, two -- Social Security Disability Insurance, and Supplemental Security Income -- are managed by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and VA disability compensation is managed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Together, they dispensed about $256 billion in cash benefits to over 20 million people in fiscal year 2015. These programs are struggling with large workloads and making timely decisions on who is eligible for cash benefits, especially when individuals appeal their benefit decisions. Workloads for these agencies are likely to remain a challenge as the population ages and large numbers of servicemembers are expected to transition out of the military in the next several years.

In addition, SSA and VA rely on outdated medical criteria to determine whether individuals qualify for benefits. While these agencies reported efforts underway to update their rules, they continue to emphasize individuals’ medical conditions without sufficiently considering whether they could work because of improvements in workplace accommodations and assistive technologies.

In addition to these 3 federal cash assistance programs, there are 45 programs managed by 9 different federal agencies that we identified in 2012, which provide a patchwork of employment supports to people with disabilities. Although programs that support employment can divert individuals from the disability rolls, they lack measurable, government-wide goals that provide a unified vision or strategy for supporting employment for people with disabilities. 

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VA Disability Benefits: Additional Planning Would Enhance Efforts to Improve the Timeliness of Appeals Decisions

GAO-17-234: Published: Mar 23, 2017. Publicly Released: Mar 23, 2017.

The Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) is taking steps to improve the timeliness of its benefit compensation appeals process, in which veterans who are dissatisfied with claims decisions by the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) can appeal first to VBA, and then to the Board of Veterans' Appeals (the Board). VA has taken actions related to increasing staff, reforming the process, and updatin...

Social Security Administration: Long-Term Strategy Needed to Address Key Management Challenges

GAO-13-459: Published: May 29, 2013. Publicly Released: May 29, 2013.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) will experience management challenges in four key areas over the next decade.Human capital. SSA has not updated its succession plan since 2006 although the agency faces an ongoing retirement wave and hiring freeze which will make it difficult to respond to growing workload demands.Disability program issues. SSA faces ongoing challenges incorporating a more...

VA Disability Compensation: Actions Needed to Address Hurdles Facing Program Modernization

GAO-12-846: Published: Sep 10, 2012. Publicly Released: Sep 10, 2012.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) initiated a comprehensive effort in 2009 to revise its disability rating schedule with both updated medical and earnings information, but faces hurdles with several key aspects. The current revision effort takes a more comprehensive and empirical approach than VA’s past efforts. VA has hired full-time staff to revise the rating schedule’s medical i...

Employment for People with Disabilities: Little Is Known about the Effectiveness of Fragmented and Overlapping Programs

GAO-12-677: Published: Jun 29, 2012. Publicly Released: Jun 29, 2012.

GAO identified 45 programs that supported employment for people with disabilities in fiscal year 2010, reflecting a fragmented system of services. The programs were administered by nine federal agencies and overseen by even more congressional committees. All programs overlapped with at least one other program in that they provided one or more similar employment service to a similar population—...

Modernizing SSA Disability Programs: Progress Made, but Key Efforts Warrant More Management Focus

GAO-12-420: Published: Jun 19, 2012. Publicly Released: Jul 19, 2012.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has taken steps that hold promise for improving the process for updating its medical criteria, but continues to face challenges ensuring timely updates. SSA now uses a two-tiered system for ongoing revisions to its medical listings. First, it completes a comprehensive review of all medical conditions listed within each of 14 body systems, making needed revi...

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