Social Security Administration

With a staff of 64,000, the Social Security Administration (SSA) runs the nation's largest federal program--social security--as well as the largest cash welfare program--supplemental security income. SSA's expenditures totaled $363 billion in fiscal year 1995, nearly one-fourth of the $1.5 trillion federal budget. SSA programs touch the lives of nearly every American, providing benefits to the retired, the disabled, and their dependents and survivors. This report, which is based on July 1995 testimony before Congress (GAO/T-OCG-96-7), discusses SSA's progress in meeting the challenges of managing for results and accountability; funding future retirement benefits; rethinking supplemental security income fraud, waste, and abuse; handling increasing workloads with fewer resources; and establishing effective leadership.

GAO found that: (1) while SSA is starting to manage for results and improve financial accountability, it has not taken steps to contribute to the public debate on the future financing of the Social Security system; (2) unless changes are made to the system, the Social Security trust funds will be depleted by 2029; (3) SSA disability caseloads are growing, and SSA is trying to fundamentally redesign the disability claims process; (4) SSA has not adequately promoted return-to-work programs in redesigning its disability processes; (5) SSA should do more to combat fraud and abuse in the Supplemental Security Income Program; (6) SSA is reducing its staff, and nearly half of its senior executives will be eligible to retire in the next 5 years; (7) these workload challenges will complicate the tasks SSA faces; (8) SSA is working to modernize its information systems, but this effort will be costly and complex; and (9) effective leadership is critical to SSA efforts to modernize and meet future challenges.