Social Security

SSA Needs to Improve Service for Program Participants Gao ID: T-HRD-93-11 March 25, 1993

This testimony explores the Social Security Administration's (SSA) efforts to improve service to the public. GAO touches on the long delays in processing claims for disability applicants and the reduction in the number of continuing disability reviews. GAO is concerned that state disability determination services' use of overtime and other short-term initiatives may not be adequate to reduce the disability application backlogs to acceptable levels. Also, the low number of continuing disability reviews being done results in losses to the trust funds and undermines program integrity. These short-term issues must be addressed. For the long term, SSA should complete work on its service delivery plan, which outlines how the agency will provide service in the future, before it embarks on piecemeal or costly fixes that freeze current processes in place.



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