{"id":2324476,"date":"2024-08-14T14:23:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-14T18:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/improper-social-security-payments-cause-a-billion-dollar-backlog-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-14T14:28:40","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T18:28:40","slug":"improper-social-security-payments-cause-a-billion-dollar-backlog-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/improper-social-security-payments-cause-a-billion-dollar-backlog-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Improper Social Security payments cause a billion-dollar backlog &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fimproper-social-security-payments-cause-a-billion-dollar-backlog-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2324476&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The \u200bSocial Security Administration (SSA) is facing a significant backlog of 5.2 million &#8220;pending action&#8221; claims, resulting in an estimated $1.1 billion \u2063in improper\u2063 payments made\u200d to beneficiaries as \u200bof\u200d February 2024. These improper payments include instances of beneficiaries receiving either insufficient \u200bor excessive \u2062amounts. An investigation by the SSA&#8217;s Office of the Inspector\u2063 General revealed\u2062 that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/conflicts-of-interest-for-senior-appointees-and-federal-officials-must-be-public-watchdog-demands\/\" title=\"Conflicts of Interest For Senior Appointees and Federal Officials Must Be Public, Watchdog Demands\">average processing time<\/a> for these cases\u2064 is 698 days. If the backlog had been addressed in a timely manner, approximately $534\u200d million in improper payments could have been avoided.<\/p>\n<p>The SSA&#8217;s backlog \u200dhas \u2062increased by 44% \u2062from fiscal years 2018 to 2023, rising from 3.2 million to 4.6 million\u200d pending cases. \u200bWhile the\u200d agency met its performance goals\u2063 for pending actions in four\u200b of those years, the report cites staffing \u2062challenges\u2014including \u2064unexpected reductions and\u2062 increased workloads\u2014as primary contributors to the \u200bgrowing\u200c backlog. According to Dustin Brown, acting chief of staff at \u200dthe SSA, the agency is \u2062currently operating at its lowest staff levels in 25 years, with fewer than\u2063 650 employees \u2063working in the claims processing\u200d center compared to eight \u2063years ago. The urgency for\u2063 the\u200d SSA to address these issues and improve timely payments for beneficiaries has been underscored by \u2063the report&#8217;s findings.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Improper Social Security payments cause a billion-dollar backlog<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1718439\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A record number of 5.2 million <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/social-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Social Security<\/a> &ldquo;pending action&rdquo; claims have led to approximately $1.1 billion in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/government-waste\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>improper payments<\/a> to beneficiaries as of February 2024.<\/p>\n<p>The improper payments consisted of beneficiaries not being paid enough of their benefits as well as being overpaid.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Social Security Administration&rsquo;s Office of the Inspector General <a href=\"https:\/\/oig.ssa.gov\/news-releases\/2024-08-08-record-breaking-backlog-increases-improper-payments-by-over-1b\/\">found <\/a>that the average processing time of the improper payment cases was 698 days. Had the pending cases been resolved immediately, then the administration would have seen $534 million in improper payments.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This report continues to highlight the urgency for SSA to reach its pending actions performance goal and to ensure beneficiaries receive their proper payments as promptly as possible,&rdquo; said Michelle Anderson, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senator-lisa-murkowski-draws-republican-primary-challenger\/\" title=\"Senator Lisa Murkowski Draws Republican Primary Challenger\">acting inspector general<\/a> for the SSA.<\/p>\n<p>The SSA&rsquo;s backlog grew by 44% between fiscal 2018 and 2023, from 3.2 million to 4.6 million. During this same period, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-service-caught-off-guard-by-trumps-2020-walk-to-st-johns-church-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Secret Service caught off guard by Trump\u2019s 2020 walk to St. John\u2019s Church - Washington Examiner\">inspector general&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s office found that the SSA met its performance measure goals for pending processing center actions for four of those years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>However, the OIG&rsquo;s report attributes the rising backlog to &ldquo;unexpected staff reductions, increased workloads, and less than expected overtime funding.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The number of beneficiaries continues to grow while we have the lowest staffing levels across the agency in 25 years,&rdquo; Dustin Brown, acting chief of staff at the SSA, wrote in a letter in response to the report.<\/p>\n<p>There are fewer than 650 employees working in the processing center for claims than there were eight years ago. Meanwhile, beneficiaries have grown from 64 million to 72 million.<\/p>\n<p>The SSA implemented new policies earlier this year, which make it easier for beneficiaries to resolve overpayment matters with the agency and don&rsquo;t require them to return 100% of the money they receive.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But the agency&rsquo;s workflow makes it susceptible to inaccurate payments.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The longer it takes SSA to process [processing center] pending actions, the longer beneficiaries wait for underpayments due, or they receive larger overpayments to pay back,&rdquo; the report said.<\/p>\n<p>The OIG made recommendations to address the backlog, which includes creating a staffing plan, establishing timeline targets for processing centers to keep improper payments from growing, and creating performance measures to reduce pending actions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>However, funding for the agency is a key concern that must be addressed in order to see if these goals can be successfully carried out.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A Senate proposal calls to increase funding for the SSA beginning in October of fiscal 2025. But the House&rsquo;s version of a budget wants to cut the agency&rsquo;s funding.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1718439\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1718439\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>**Improper Social Security Payments Result in Billion-Dollar Backlog**<\/p>\n<p>As of February 2024, a historic total of 5.2 million &#8220;pending action&#8221; claims for Social Security has resulted in around $1.1 billion in improper payments to beneficiaries. These improper payments include instances where beneficiaries received either insufficient benefits or were overpaid. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the Social Security Administration (SSA) reported that the average time taken to process these improper payment cases was 698 days. If these pending cases had been resolved promptly, it is estimated that $534 million in improper payments could have been avoided.<\/p>\n<p>Michelle Anderson, acting inspector general for the SSA, emphasized the need for urgency in addressing pending actions and ensuring timely and accurate benefit payments to recipients. Between fiscal years 2018 and 2023, the SSA&#8217;s backlog increased by 44%, rising from 3.2 million to 4.6 million claims. During this period, although the OIG noted that SSA met its performance goals for four years regarding pending processing center actions, they attributed the growing backlog to unexpected staff reductions, increased workloads, and insufficient overtime funding.<\/p>\n<p>Dustin Brown, acting chief of staff at SSA, pointed out that while beneficiary numbers have risen from 64 million to 72 million over eight years, staffing levels at processing centers are at their lowest point in a quarter-century\u2014fewer than 650 employees compared to eight years ago.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this year, SSA introduced new policies aimed at simplifying how beneficiaries can address overpayment issues without needing to return all funds received; however, their workflow remains vulnerable to inaccuracies in payment distribution.<\/p>\n<p>The OIG report highlighted that delays in processing pending actions lead not only to longer waits for underpayments but also result in larger overpayments requiring repayment by beneficiaries. To tackle this backlog effectively, recommendations included developing a staffing plan and setting timeline targets for processing centers while creating performance measures aimed at reducing pending actions.<\/p>\n<p>Nonetheless, securing adequate funding is crucial for implementing these strategies successfully; a Senate proposal suggests increasing funding starting October fiscal year 2025 while a House budget proposal seeks cuts to agency funding<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2542,"featured_media":2324477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/iStock-1013347726.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[8948,33104,32076],"class_list":["post-2324476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-backlog","tag-social-security","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/iStock-1013347726.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2324476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2542"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2324476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2324476\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2324477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2324476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2324476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2324476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}