SSA has an obligation to ensure that the public’s funds are responsibly expended. Taxpayers who support the Social Security and SSI programs must be confident that their tax dollars are accurately collected and expended. Claimants and beneficiaries must believe that program rules and procedures are rigorously followed and that the benefits they and others receive are accurately paid. Since 1997, when the General Accounting Office added the SSI program to its list of government programs at high risk of fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, SSA has given increased attention to the problem of inaccuracy of SSI payments.
Over the last three decades, SSI policy has tended to become more complex, despite work to simplify it. The Board believes that SSA should take the lead in developing measures that will change SSI policy rules to make it less difficult for the agency to administer and easier for applicants and beneficiaries to understand and comply with. Simplification is a key to reducing erroneous payments. We also urge the agency to work more efficiently in assessing proposals for change and moving forward on those that it finds worthwhile. SSA should also explore how it can do more to draw upon the resources of other governmental and non-governmental entities. Lastly, for SSA to fulfill its stewardship responsibilities, it needs to have sufficient staff with the right skills to carry out the required work.
The Statement is included in SSA’s 2002 Annual Report on the SSI Program. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 gives Board members the opportunity, individually or jointly, to include their views on SSI in SSA’s annual report to the President and Congress on the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. The Board or one of its members has submitted a statement every year since 1998, except for 2024 due to the lack of a quorum.