Management Advisory Report
The Social Security
Administration’s Major
Management and Performance
Challenges During Fiscal Year
2022
A-02-21-51120 November 2022
MEMORANDUM
Date:
November 4, 2022
Refer to:
A-02-21-51120
To:
Kilolo Kijakazi
Acting Commissioner
From:
Gail S. Ennis,
Inspector General
Subject:
The Social Security Administration’s Major Management and Performance Challenges During
Fiscal Year 2022
The Reports Consolidation Act of 2000 (Pub. L. No. 106-531) requires that Federal Inspectors
General summarize and assess the most serious management and performance challenges
facing Federal agencies and the agencies’ progress in addressing them. The Reports
Consolidation Act also requires that the Social Security Administration (SSA) place the final
version of this Statement in its annual Agency Financial Report.
For Fiscal Year 2022, we initially identified the following challenges:
● Improve Service Delivery
● Protect the Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability of SSA’s Information Systems and
Data
● Modernize Information Technology
● Improve Administration of the Disability Programs
● Improve the Prevention, Detection, and Recovery of Improper Payments
● Respond to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic
Through audit work and discussions with SSA’s senior staff, we identified an additional
challenge:
● Manage Human Capital
In the attached document, we define each challenge, outline steps SSA has taken to address
each challenge, and detail the actions SSA needs to take to fully mitigate each challenge.
As some of the challenges are inter-related, progress made in one area could lead to progress
in another. For example, improved human capital resource management and further
modernization of SSA’s information technology would both affect service delivery.
In Fiscal Year 2023, the Office of Audit will continue focusing on these issues and assessing the
environment in which SSA operates. I look forward to working with you to continue improving
SSA’s ability to address these challenges and meet its mission efficiently and effectively.
If you wish to discuss the final report, please contact Michelle L. Anderson,
Assistant Inspector General for Audit.
Attachment
The Social Security Administration’s Major
Management and Performance Challenges During
Fiscal Year 2022
A-02-21-51120
November 2022 Office of Audit Report Summary
Objective
To assess and summarize the most
serious management and performance
challenges facing the Social Security
Administration (SSA).
Background
The Reports Consolidation Act of 2000
(Pub. L. No. 106-531) requires that
Federal Inspectors General
summarize and assess the most
serious management and performance
challenges facing agencies and the
agencies’ progress in addressing
those challenges. The attached report
provides our assessment.
In Fiscal Year 2022 (October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022),
we focused on the following management and performance
challenges:
● Manage H
uman Capital. SSA mu
st adequately plan to ensure
it has the staff it needs to meet its mission now and in the
future. Read more.
● Improve Service Delivery. SSA needs to address growing
workloads and the expected retirement of experienced
employees as it pursues its mission to deliver quality service to
the public. Read more.
● Protect the Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability of
SSA’s Information Systems and Data. SSA must ensure its
information systems are secure and sensitive data are
protected. Read more.
● Modernize Information Technology. SSA must continue
modernizing its information technology to accomplish its
mission despite budget and resource constraints. Read more.
● Improve Administration of the Disability Programs.
To better serve its customers, SSA needs to address
increasing pending initial disability claims, reconsiderations,
and continuing disability reviews; identify and reduce barriers to
the disability program; reduce hearings processing times; and
develop better strategies to help disabled beneficiaries return to
work. Read more.
● Improve the Prevention, Detection, and Recovery of
Improper Payments. SSA must be a responsible steward of
the funds entrusted to its care by minimizing the risk of making
improper payments and recovering overpayments when they
occur. Read more.
● Respond to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic.
SSA must ensure safety of both employees and visitors while it
resumes in-person services and mitigates backlogs and
declines in workloads caused by the pandemic. Read more.
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Manage Human Capital .............................................................................................................. 1
Improve Service Delivery ............................................................................................................ 5
Protect the Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability of Information Systems and Data ............... 8
Modernize Information Technology ........................................................................................... 11
Improve Administration of the Disability Programs .................................................................... 13
Improve the Prevention, Detection, and Recovery of Improper Payments ................................. 18
Respond to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic .............................................................. 23
– Office of the Inspector General Reports Issued in Fiscal Year 2022 Addressing
Management Challenges .................................................................................... A-1
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120)
ABBREVIATIONS
AFI Access to Financial Institutions
AARPS Appeals and Appointed Representative Processing Services
ASP Agency Strategic Plan
C.F.R. Code of Federal Regulations
CARES Compassionate And REsponsive Service
CDR Continuing Disability Review
COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease 2019
DDS Disability Determination Services
FY Fiscal Year
HCOP Human Capital Operating Plan
iSSNRC Internet Social Security Number Replacement Card
IT Information Technology
ITIP Information Technology Investment Process
OASDI Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance
OIG Office of the Inspector General
Pub. L. No. Public Law Number
SSA Social Security Administration
SSI Supplemental Security Income
SSN Social Security Number
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 1
MANAGE HUMAN CAPITAL
The Social Security Administration (SSA) must adequately plan to ensure it has the staff it
needs to meet its mission now and in the future as it finds hiring staff harder in a more
competitive job market and when over 40 percent of its workforce will be eligible to retire within
5 years.
Why This is a Challenge
At a recent congressional hearing, SSA reported its growing workload backlogs, including
delays in disability claims processing, were largely due to hiring challenges and higher than
expected staff attrition. As SSA faces staffing challenges, its planning documents lack
descriptions of the hiring and recruitment plans needed to address them.
Hiring and Retention
SSA has approximately 59,000 full-time equivalent staff, which is about 4,000 less staff than it
had 6 years ago (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: SSA’s Staffing
Note: SSA’s end-of-year Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 staffing data were not available before we released this report.
Senior SSA officials, including the Acting Commissioner, reported numerous challenges in
ensuring SSA has the necessary staffing, including insufficient funding over multiple years to
hire the level of staff needed and higher than average attrition rates Agencywide. Per the Acting
Commissioner, as a result of insufficient funding, SSA was “…unable to hire the level of staffing
needed.” She further stated, “…we will need sufficient funds in the coming year to ensure we
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 2
The timing of when SSA receives a budget with the funding to hire, which is often after the
beginning of each FY, can limit SSA from strategically hiring staff during advantageous times of
the year, such as recruiting before students graduate from college and when college campuses
typically hold recruitment and job fairs. Not being able to strategically time when to hire staff
places SSA at risk of not hiring the most qualified candidates as they may have accepted offers
from other employers and are no longer seeking employment opportunities when SSA receives
funding.
Beyond budgeting, senior staff has also noted that fewer candidates are applying for open
positions, including entry-level and managerial positions. For entry-level positions, senior staff
noted possible disadvantages, including less competitive pay when compared to private-sector
employers and fewer workplace flexibilities, like wide-scale remote work options.
For managerial positions, senior staff reported staff is less interested in taking on the
responsibility that comes with managerial positions, particularly after they saw the extra
responsibilities managers shouldered during the pandemic.
SSA recognizes the loss of technical and institutional knowledge through staff attrition is one of
its greatest challenges and may impair succession management and knowledge transfer.
Approximately 25,000 SSA employees will be eligible to retire in the next 5 years,
including 15,000 eligible for retirement and 10,000 eligible for early retirement. Also,
SSA spends considerable time training new employees on its complex programs. When new
employees separate, SSA loses the investment it has made in them.
Human Capital Planning
SSA included workforce management as one of its key risks in its Fiscal Year 2022 Enterprise
agencies ensure their human capital management strategies, plans, and practices are
integrated with their strategic plans, performance plans, and goals in those plans.
SSA’s Agency Strategic Plan (ASP), Annual Performance Plans, and Human Capital Operating
Plan (HCOP) covering FYs 2018 – 2022 include limited discussions of the human-capital
strategies needed to ensure it successfully meets its strategic goals and initiatives.
The human capital management strategies in SSA’s HCOP align with some ASP strategic
objectives but not others. For example, the HCOP describes key initiatives that align with the
ASP’s strategic objective of Improving Workforce Performance. However, HCOP does not
include human capital management strategies for the remaining ASP strategic objectives,
including SSA’s initiatives to improve service delivery and accelerate information technology (IT)
modernization. While the HCOP states SSA’s “. . . highest priority and commitment is to
improve service delivery to the public, which includes improving 800-number, hearings, and field
office wait times and modernizing our [IT] as well as our disability policies,” the HCOP does not
describe the human capital management strategies needed to support these priorities.
Federal regulations also require that agencies implement proven strategies and practices to
develop and retain talent. SSA’s ASP, Annual Performance Plans, and HCOP do not describe
a strategic recruitment plan to attract and hire talent as more of its workforce becomes eligible
for retirement and it is experiencing higher than average attrition.
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 3
Progress the Social Security Administration Has Made
Hiring and Retention
SSA’s FY 2023 budget requests funding for staffing and overtime to help mitigate the growth in
pandemic-related backlogs by adding more than 4,000 staff in frontline operations and at
disability determination services (DDS). SSA plans to take a number of steps to expand its
recruitment efforts, including the following:
● exploring sessions for potential applicants to advise them on the hiring process;
● training managers, administrative staff, and human-resource specialists on recruitment
strategies, merit promotion, hiring authorities, and flexibilities supporting employees’
tenure (for example, from hire to exit); and
● partnering with companies and universities to build a more diverse pipeline into public
service.
In FY 2021, SSA established an executive-level Succession Planning Governance Board and
staff-level Integration Team. In FY 2022, SSA expanded the responsibilities of the Integration
Team to include researching, developing, and proposing solutions to succession and strategic
workforce planning issues. The Governance Board identified FY 2022 strategic workforce
planning priorities related to key workforce challenges, including strengthening employee
engagement, helping staff effectively navigate the hybrid work environment, and enhancing
workforce flexibility programs. SSA leveraged the Integration Team to benchmark best
practices and develop proposed strategies to mitigate the key workforce challenges.
Human Capital Planning
SSA has begun enhancing its human capital planning, including taking steps to build a strategic
workforce planning business process and framework for Agency-wide implementation.
In response to a FY 2021 Office of Personnel Management review, SSA reported it would align
its upcoming (and not yet released) HCOP with the FYs 2022-2026 ASP and describe its human
capital strategies to address Agency-specific skill and competency gaps.
What the Social Security Administration Needs to Do
● Develop and implement human capital strategies that specifically describe its plans to
attract and hire talent, including the steps SSA will take to address known hiring and
retention challenges.
● Develop and implement human capital strategies that specifically describe how SSA will
acquire the future workforce needed to successfully fulfil its mission, including plans to
address its upcoming retirement wave.
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 4
Key Related Links
● SSA, OIG Website – The Social Security Administration’s Human Capital Planning
(A-02-19-50866), September 2022
● SSA Website – Agency Strategic Plan FYs 2022-2026
● SSA Website – Annual Performance Report FYs 2021-2023
● SSA Website – Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees FY 2023
● U.S. Congress, Ways and Means Committee Website – Statement for the Record by
Deputy Commissioner Grace Kim, May 2022
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 5
IMPROVE SERVICE DELIVERY
SSA needs to address growing workloads and the expected retirement of experienced
employees as it pursues its mission to deliver quality service to the public.
Why This is a Challenge
In response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, SSA shifted the way it
served its customers by significantly decreasing in-person field office services from March 2020
to April 2022. While SSA reopened its field offices to walk-in, in-person service in April 2022,
the number of visitors to its offices has not reached pre-pandemic levels. SSA will need to
continue increasing, improving, and ensuring the continuity of its other service methods to meet
its customers’ demand for them, including its national 800-number and online services.
Online services that lessen the need for staff are particularly important as SSA faces staffing
challenges, and many of its employees are reaching retirement age.
Telephone Service
At the start of the pandemic, SSA had separate telephone systems for its national 800-number,
field offices, and Headquarters operations. To accommodate remote operations in response to
the COVID-19 pandemic, SSA augmented its legacy telephone systems that modified
functionality and capacity. In May 2021, SSA began implementing a unified telephone system
to replace the three legacy systems via its Next Generation Telephony Project. When fully
implemented, the Project is expected to improve telephone customer service by merging the
three legacy systems into a single platform that will be more efficient, stable, and functional.
SSA has revised the date it expects to implement the Project multiple times; it now expects the
Project to be implemented by December 2023.
Until the Project is implemented, SSA is relying on its augmented legacy telephone systems,
which has resulted in reduced stability and functionality throughout the pandemic. Heavy call
volumes overwhelmed the platform on numerous occasions and caused service disruptions,
including dropped call queues, dead air calls, misdirected calls, and disconnections.
Online Service
SSA acknowledges advancements in technology provide opportunities to do business differently
and often more efficiently and conveniently. SSA continues exploring ways to enhance the
customer service experience by providing online self-service options, many of which
beneficiaries access through their my Social Security accounts. In FY 2022, SSA registered
over 10 million users for my Social Security accounts. To date, SSA has registered over
72 million users on my Social Security.
While SSA provides the public additional digital services, such as online, remote,
and self-service options, it must do so in a way that maintains a strong commitment to protect its
customers from current and emerging threats including identity theft and scams to steal money
or personal information. SSA must continue strengthening the identity-verification process for
new my Social Security account registrations to protect the public’s personal information and
improve customers’ experiences.
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 6
SSA needs to ensure its online services help reduce the need for staff processing. While SSA
created an electronic Supplemental Security Income (SSI) protective filing tool in March 2022 to
allow individuals to submit a request for an appointment to file for benefits and record a
protective filing date, individuals cannot apply for SSI online. SSA senior staff noted that the
SSI online tool did not effectively screen out individuals who were likely not eligible for the SSI
program and that some individuals used the tool to create multiple appointments. As such,
it created more work for field office staff who needed to screen out the duplicate appointments.
Also, the duplicate appointments decreased available appointment slots, which made other
people who needed appointments to have to wait longer for them.
Progress the Social Security Administration Has Made
Telephone Service
In FY 2022, SSA recognized unstable telephone services as one if its enterprise risks.
In response, SSA has worked to reinforce the Next Generation Telephony Project platform’s
ability to absorb the pandemic-related call volumes. SSA plans to complete the transition to the
new telephone platform in FY 2023. When it does, SSA expects to restore features previously
available that it lost – Callback Assistance, Estimated Wait Time, comprehensive management
information – when it augmented its legacy systems in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also plans to increase the concurrent call maximum to 18,000 sessions to minimize or
eliminate bottlenecks and increase the maximum queue limit to provide the ability to handle the
higher call demand periods and spikes. The average wait time as of the end of FY 2022 was
33 minutes compared to the average wait time of 14 minutes in FY 2021. SSA’s goal was to
have a 19-minute wait time by the end of FY 2022.
Online Service
SSA stated, in FY 2022, it would enhance the user experience, streamline the online claims
process for its customers, and reduce the amount of contact customers have with a claims
representative when completing an application. SSA also planned to improve the claims status
tracker and online portal design. SSA is expanding online service options for replacing
Social Security number (SSN) cards so the public does not need to visit an office. For example,
adult U.S. citizens who meet certain criteria may apply for a replacement card using the internet
Social Security Number Replacement Card (iSSNRC) online application through their
my Social Security account. In FY 2022, SSA planned to expand iSSNRC to non-participating
states and continue incorporating the name change due to marriage initiative in iSSNRC,
allowing eligible customers to request a replacement SSN card. In FY 2023, SSA plans to
expand the marriage data exchange; integrate the Electronic Verification of Vital Events data
exchange into iSSNRC to verify birth information; and explore more avenues to increase access
and enhance security.
Additionally, SSA is improving the iAppeals online application process for people who appeal an
Agency decision for such non-medical issues as overpayments or Medicare premium rates.
The enhancements will integrate the Medical and Non-Medical iAppeals via an authenticated
claimant and appointed representative portal.
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 7
SSA is exploring ways to improve the experience for claimants, their representatives, and its
technicians by developing the Appeals and Appointed Representative Processing Services
(AARPS). AARPS will be an online portal with self-service options for customers and appointed
representatives to electronically accept appointments as well as complete fee agreements,
appeals, registration, and other related workloads. In 2023, the Agency plans to develop and
implement AARPS, incorporating stakeholder input.
SSA updated the electronic SSI protective filing tool on October 1, 2022 to prevent ineligible
individuals from making appointments to apply for SSI. If the tool determines individuals are
ineligible, they receive the following message: “We cannot process your request at this time.
Please try again later, of if you need immediate help to schedule an appointment, please
contact us.” While the update prevents ineligible individuals from making appointments, the
message the tool provides them could lead to increased customer traffic to SSA’s 800-number
or field offices.
What the Social Security Administration Needs to Do
● Continue developing and implementing strategies that will provide quality services to the
public now and in the future and ensure SSA retains institutional knowledge.
● Ensure a successful transition to a stable telephone service that meets its customers’
needs.
● Ensure any electronic applications offered through my Social Security accounts include
an effective authentication process.
Key Related Links
● SSA, OIG Website - Reports related to improving service delivery
● SSA Website - Agency Strategic Plan FYs 2022-2026
● SSA Website - Annual Performance Report for FYs 2021-2023
● SSA Website – SSA’s FY 2023 President’s Budget
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 8
PROTECT THE CONFIDENTIALITY, INTEGRITY, AND
AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND DATA
SSA must ensure its information systems are secure and sensitive data are protected.
Why This is a Challenge
SSA’s IT supports every aspect of SSA’s mission, whether it is serving the public during
in-person interviews or online, routing millions of telephone calls to its 800-number, or posting
millions of earner wage reports annually. Disruptions to the integrity or availability of
SSA’s information systems would dramatically affect its ability to serve the public and meet its
mission. Also, SSA’s systems contain personally identifiable information, such as SSNs,
which—if not protected—could be misused by identity thieves.
Information Security
SSA continues expanding its online services to improve customer service and developing
systems. It is imperative that SSA have a robust information security program. In its most
recent report
for the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014
(Pub. L. No. 113-283), Grant Thornton LLP determined SSA had established an Agency-wide
information security program. Although the maturity of SSA’s information security program
improved in some areas, Grant Thornton identified several deficiencies that could limit
SSA’s ability to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of its information systems
and data.
Because of weaknesses identified, Grant Thornton concluded SSA’s overall security program
was “Not Effective.” Grant Thornton recommended that SSA strengthen its information security
risk management framework; enhance IT oversight and governance to address these
weaknesses; and adhere to its information security policies, procedures, and controls.
Social Security Number Protection and Earnings Accuracy
The SSN is relied on as an identifier and is valuable as an illegal commodity. Accordingly,
the information SSA houses on every numberholder is desirable to would-be hackers and
identity thieves. Protecting the SSN and properly posting the wages reported under it are
critical to ensuring SSN integrity and eligible individuals receive the full benefits due them.
Accuracy in recording numberholder information is critical because SSA and other agencies rely
on that information to verify employment eligibility, ensure wage reports are processed, and
terminate payments to deceased beneficiaries. Accuracy in recording workers’ earnings is
critical because SSA calculates benefit payments based on individuals’ earnings over their
lifetimes. As such, it is critical that the Agency ensure numberholder information is complete in
its systems as well as SSNs are properly assigned only to those individuals authorized to obtain
them, SSN information be protected once SSA assigns the number, and earnings are accurately
posted and reported under SSNs.
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 9
information incorrectly so SSA cannot match the reported earnings to individuals in its records.
The Earnings Suspense File is the record of wage reports on which wage earners’ names and
SSNs fail to match SSA’s records. As of October 2022, the Earnings Suspense File had
accumulated $2.01 trillion in wages and over 396 million wage items for Tax Years 1937
through 2021.
Progress the Social Security Administration Has Made
Information Security
SSA acknowledges it must be mindful of cyber-threats and remain committed to protecting
privacy and security. SSA’s Cybersecurity Strategic Plan 2022-2024 focuses on how it will
safeguard and protect against IT and cyber-security threats by continuing to mature its
cyber-security program. The Plan defines strategic goals and priorities and includes strategies
and initiatives to address IT and cyber-security challenges.
In FY 2022, SSA executed a risk-based approach to strengthen controls over its systems and
address weaknesses. In addition, SSA continued implementing several plans, strategies,
and initiatives to address security gaps.
Social Security Number Protection and Earnings Accuracy
SSA has taken steps to reduce the Earnings Suspense File’s size and growth. The Agency
allows employers to verify the names and SSNs of their employees using the Agency’s online
SSN Verification Service before they report wages to SSA. In FY 2022, employers verified over
226 million SSNs using the SSN Verification Service.
SSA supports the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify program, which assists
employers in verifying the employment eligibility of newly hired employees. Through the fourth
quarter of FY 2021, which is the latest data available, the Department of Homeland Security
reported it processed 42.5 million E-Verify cases. Approximately 592,000 (1.39 percent) of
these received a “not authorized to work” response.
What the Social Security Administration Needs to Do
● Address the deficiencies Grant Thornton identified to improve SSA’s ability to protect the
confidentiality, integrity, and availability of its information systems and data.
● Improve wage reporting by informing employers about potential SSN misuse cases,
identifying and resolving employer-reporting problems, re-examining the validity and
integrity checks used to prevent suspicious wages from being posted, and encouraging
greater use of SSA’s employee verification programs.
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 10
Key Related Links
● SSA, OIG Website - Reports related to protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and
availability of SSA’s information systems and data
● SSA, OIG Website – Summary of the Audit of the Social Security Administration’s
Information Security Program and Practices for Fiscal Year 2022
● National Institute of Standards and Technology Website - Special Publication 800-63-3,
Digital Identity Guidelines
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 11
MODERNIZE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
SSA must continue modernizing its IT to accomplish its mission despite budget and resource
constraints.
Why This is a Challenge
SSA relies on its IT to serve the public and safeguard SSA programs. Rapid,
continuous technology advancements and the recent national shift to increased virtual services
and communications reinforce the pressing need to modernize SSA. The Agency must
fundamentally rethink how it delivers services, the processes and infrastructure that support that
delivery, and the policies that enable delivery. SSA continues relying on outdated applications
and technologies to process its core workloads (for example, retirement and disability claims)
and knowledge of its dated applications and legacy infrastructure will diminish as developers
retire. Without complete and timely modernization of its legacy systems, the Agency runs the
risk of increased maintenance costs, lack of available support, and decreased capacity to
support business and processing needs.
Information Technology Modernization
SSA must maintain its legacy systems while, in parallel, developing modern replacements to
keep pace with increasing workloads. The Agency had taken an incremental approach to IT
modernization by replacing systems’ components rather than whole systems. However, in its
2017 IT Modernization Plan, SSA acknowledged that this approach had not worked and
committed to invest $691 million through FY 2022 in transformational initiatives and
infrastructure.
In FY 2020, SSA updated its IT Modernization Plan by expanding the scope to include
additional investments in direct service delivery. Under the revised scope, the Agency expected
to spend $863 million on IT modernization through FY 2022, while using much of its IT
funding—nearly $1.9 billion in FY 2022—to operate and maintain existing systems. Despite the
significant resources devoted to modernization, efforts and investments remained incomplete in
FY 2022.
To support its IT modernization, SSA used Agile development, which takes an iterative
approach to incrementally deliver software. While the Agency implemented some appropriate
controls and practices to manage its Agile projects, SSA’s Agile guidance was incomplete,
and projects did not always follow Agile best practices or enforce key controls. In addition,
the Agency did not ensure data from its Agile project management tool were reliable. Finally,
SSA needed to improve Agile training and decision making. Improvements in these areas could
provide SSA and taxpayers greater benefits from the Agile development method,
including higher quality software developed faster and at a lower cost.
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 12
Information Technology Investment Process
In 2016, SSA established the Information Technology Investment Process (ITIP) to provide
guidance on selecting, tracking, and managing IT investments. The goal was to optimize IT
investments and ensure those investments were delivered on time and on budget.
ITIP organizes the Office of Systems’ IT investment decision-making process into four phases:
Plan, Select, Control, and Evaluate. However, our audit
noted several issues with ITIP that
could prevent it from supporting strategic decision making and allowing the Agency to plan for,
manage, and implement IT investments as projected. There are investment decisions not
included in the ITIP process. In addition, although SSA verified and compared costs,
functionality impact, and other areas in its post-implementation review reports, it could not
quantify the benefits or calculate the return on investment for all the projects those reports
covered.
Progress the Social Security Administration Has Made
Information Technology Modernization
SSA developed its Digital Modernization Strategy to build on previous modernization efforts and
guide the Agency from FYs 2023 through 2026. Objectives include eliminating investments in
outdated and legacy technology as well as eliminating silos in the technology used to support
core Agency functions by building end-to-end processing systems.
In addition, SSA is adopting an Agile scaling framework that defines roles and establishes
recommended practices. The Agency also planned to provide additional training; develop,
document, and enforce standards for its Agile project management tool; and leverage more of
the tool’s capabilities.
Information Technology Investment Process
In FY 2021, SSA continued the Information Technology Investment Governance Refresh.
Objectives of the Refresh include improving the Agency’s ability to manage its IT investments,
ensuring the Agency’s IT investments support its priorities, and monitoring and reporting
regularly on the realization of investment value and other measures of investment progress and
performance.
What the Social Security Administration Needs to Do
● Prioritize IT modernization activities to ensure available resources lead to improvements
with the greatest impact on SSA’s operations and the service it provides the public.
● Ensure its IT planning and investment control processes are effective.
Key Related Links
● SSA, OIG Website - Reports related to modernizing IT
● SSA Website – SSA’s IT Modernization Plan
● SSA Website – SSA’s IT Modernization Plan, 2020 Update
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 13
IMPROVE ADMINISTRATION OF THE DISABILITY PROGRAMS
To better serve its customers, SSA needs to address increasing pending initial disability claims,
reconsiderations, and continuing disability reviews (CDR); reduce barriers to the disability
program; reduce hearings processing times; and develop better strategies to help disabled
beneficiaries return to work.
Why This is a Challenge
Disabled claimants rely on SSA to quickly process disability applications and reconsideration
requests, make disability determinations, and complete disability-related hearings.
Processing times and the pending workload levels have increased, resulting in disability
claimants waiting longer for decisions on their claims. Also, while SSA has programs to help
disabled beneficiaries return to work, few have done so.
Pending Disability Workloads
In December 2021, we reported that although receipts for initial disability claims,
reconsiderations, and CDRs decreased, processing times and the number of pending cases for
these workloads increased. This indicates claimants were waiting longer for DDSs to make
medical determinations, and the DDSs could not keep pace with the workloads received.
Before the COVID-19 pa
ndemic began, SSA had reduced pending initial disability claims from
almost 708,000 at the end of FY 2012 to approximately 594,000 at the end of FY 2019 and
pending reconsiderations from approximately 198,000 to almost 134,000. However,
DDSs closures in initial response to the pandemic and delayed consultative examinations during
the pandemic, along with DDS examiner attrition of about 25 percent in FY 2022, affected initial
disability claims and reconsideration processing. SSA implemented a temporary hiring freeze in
FY 2022 because of funding constraints, further exacerbating DDS staffing shortages. As of the
end of FY 2022, pending initial disability claims had increased to approximately 941,000,
and pending reconsiderations had increased to almost 234,000, which were 58- and 75-percent
increases, respectively, since the end of FY 2019.
In FY 2018, SSA eliminated the backlog of full medical CDRs. However, in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic, from mid-March through August 2020, SSA suspended processing
medical CDRs that could result in benefit cessation. The number of full medical CDRs SSA
processed decreased from over 713,000 in FY 2019 to approximately 511,000 in FY 2021.
Although SSA increased the number of full medical CDRs it had processed in FY 2022 to over
590,000, a backlog of over 203,000 full medical CDRs remained.
While overall pending initial disability claims increased, SSA continued reporting significant
decreases in SSI disability applications. In FY 2019, SSA received approximately 1.6 million
SSI disability applications. By the end of 2022, SSA had received approximately 1.3 million
such applications, a 19.7-percent decrease from the FY 2019 total. SSA identified concerns
that pandemic operating procedures, such as field office closures for most walk-in services,
may have contributed to reduced applications for individuals who needed help with their claims.
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 14
While SSA has continued reducing hearings processing times (see Figure 2) and the number of
pending hearings, it has not achieved its processing time goal of 270 days. As of FY 2022,
the average processing time for hearings was 337 days, and the hearings pending level was
almost 344,000 hearings.
Figure 2: Average Hearings Processing Time
Returning Disabled Beneficiaries to Work
Congress directed SSA to implement programs to help disabled individuals return to work.
To date, these programs have helped only a small percentage of disabled individuals.
For example, the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999
(Pub. L. No. 106-170) established the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program. Under the
Program, SSA provides disabled beneficiaries a Ticket they can assign to qualified
organizations to obtain vocational rehabilitation or employment services.
While SSA has set goals to increase the number of participating beneficiaries, few eligible
beneficiaries have used their Tickets for vocational or employment services. Specifically,
approximately 3 percent of Ticket-eligible beneficiaries assigned their Tickets or placed them
in-use in FY 2022, similar to the percent of individuals who assigned their Tickets in recent
years (see Figure 3). Further, in October 2021, we reported
that 62 percent of the beneficiaries
we reviewed had unsuccessful work outcomes after they received vocational rehabilitation.
These beneficiaries did not find the services helpful. Some indicated they did not receive
sufficient help from the vocational rehabilitation agencies or counselors.
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 15
Figure 3: Percent of Ticket-eligible Beneficiaries with Tickets Assigned or In-use
For di
sabled individuals who return to work, SSA offers work incentives that make it possible for
them to work and still receive benefits. SSA identifies and applies work incentives during work
CDRs. In September 2022, we reported SSA made errors on work CDRs that involved
incentives for an estimated 31,000 beneficiaries, which resulted in over $553 million in
questionable benefit payments.
Progress the Social Security Administration Has Made
Pending Disability Workloads
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SSA limited in-person services to appointment-only for
certain critical-need situations though it continued processing and prioritizing initial disability
claims. In April 2022, SSA resumed in-person services, including serving visitors who did not
have appointments. SSA indicated it is taking steps to improve its disability processes, such as
making additional disability forms available online; increasing consultative examination
availability, including virtually; and recruiting additional providers.
SSA is also working to restore program-integrity workloads, including medical CDRs,
to pre-pandemic levels. In part, SSA is working with the DDSs to understand the underlying
reasons for attrition, as the loss of experienced employees significantly affected the Agency’s
ability to complete program-integrity workloads. To address hiring challenges, SSA developed a
national workgroup, which made recommendations to improve hiring practices, including using
different platforms, such as social media. SSA anticipates it will eliminate the CDR backlog in
FY 2023 by increasing processing capacity to handle more reviews, with SSA planning to
process approximately 700,000 CDRs in FY 2023.
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 16
In March 2021, SSA began a national public outreach campaign to raise awareness of its
disability programs and improve access for people facing barriers, such as language,
medical conditions, or inadequate Internet access. Outreach efforts included enlisting third
parties to work with people facing barriers and promote SSA programs on paid social media,
television, and radio advertising. SSA also established a new Agency Priority Goal to address
the decline in disability applications received during the pandemic and improve equity in the SSI
program through increased outreach and improved benefit delivery. In March 2022,
SSA implemented an online option that enables individuals and third parties to express their
intent to file for SSI. While SSA increased outreach, the number of SSI applications continued
to decline.
In January 2016, SSA issued the Compassionate And REsponsive Service (CARES) plan to
address the growing number of pending hearings and increased wait times. In April 2019,
SSA released the 2018-2019 CARES plan, which noted that SSA expected to reach the
270-day average processing time goal in FY 2021, which it did not do. To address hearing
office closures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SSA offered claimants telephone and
online video hearings and established a public-facing Website
to educate claimants and
representatives on the hearing options available during the pandemic. As we reported in
July 2022, from the start of the pandemic through March 2022, SSA held almost
808,000 hearings, most of which were via telephone, and over 40,000 online video hearings.
SSA postponed hearings for claimants who declined telephone or online video hearings until it
could resume in-person hearings. In November 2020, the Government Accountability Office
reported
that, early in the pandemic, “. . . about 1 in 4 claimants were declining phone hearings.
In October 2020, about 1 in 10 claimants were declining phone hearings…” (from page 239 of
the Government Accountability Office report). Though SSA offered claimants telephone and
video hearings, it resumed in-person hearings in March 2022, focusing on individuals who have
been waiting for a hearing because they declined telephone and online video hearings or were
experiencing certain circumstances like homelessness. Despite pandemic-related challenges,
SSA further reduced the average hearing wait time and pending hearings to their lowest levels
in over a decade and plans to reach its processing time goal by the end of FY 2023.
Returning Disabled Beneficiaries to Work
SSA has a number of resources to assist disabled beneficiaries in returning to work,
including having Work Incentive Liaisons in each field office to provide advice and information
about work-incentive provisions and employee-support programs to individuals with disabilities
and outside organizations that serve those with disabilities. SSA also has Area Work Incentives
Coordinators who conduct public outreach on work incentives in their local areas, train SSA field
office staff on employment support programs, and monitor disability work-issue workloads in
their areas. SSA provides grants to community-based organizations to provide disabled
beneficiaries free access to work incentives planning and assistance. This assistance includes
access to Community Work Incentives Coordinators who work with disabled beneficiaries to
help them understand their benefits and the effect work has on those benefits, what they need
to report to SSA, and provide ongoing support as disabled beneficiaries’ transition back to work.
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 17
What the Social Security Administration Needs to Do
● Renew its focus on reducing and eliminating the initial disability claims, reconsideration,
and CDR backlogs.
● Continue partnering with DDSs to address staffing shortages caused by attrition and
hiring challenges.
● Continue recruiting additional consultative examination providers and increase
consultative examination availability, including virtual examinations.
● Improve access to the disability program and monitor the impact of outreach to
individuals facing barriers to SSA’s programs.
● Implement and monitor the CARES initiatives designed to improve timeliness and
reduce the hearings backlog.
● Continue creating new opportunities for returning beneficiaries to work and ensure
measurement of costs, savings, and effectiveness are part of the design of such
initiatives.
Key Related Links
● Government Accountability Office Website – COVID-19: Urgent Actions Needed to
Better Ensure an Effective Federal Response (GAO-21-191), November 2020
● SSA, OIG Website - Reports related to improving the administration of the disability
programs
● SSA Website – SSA’s Information for People Helping Others
● SSA Website – SSA’s CARES plan
● SSA Website – SSA’s CARES plan, 2018-2019 update
● SSA Website – The Work Site
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 18
IMPROVE THE PREVENTION, DETECTION, AND RECOVERY OF
IMPROPER PAYMENTS
SSA must be a responsible steward of the funds entrusted to its care by minimizing the risk of
making improper payments and recovering overpayments when they occur.
Why This is a Challenge
SSA is responsible for issuing over $1 trillion in benefit payments annually. Even the slightest
error in the overall payment process can result in millions of dollars in improper payments.
Improper payments can be overpayments, when SSA pays someone more than they are due,
or underpayments, when SSA pays someone less than they are due. Per its most recent
estimates available, SSA estimates it made approximately $7.4 billion in improper payments in
FY 2021: $6 billion in overpayments and $1.4 billion in underpayments.
Management of Payment Workloads
Improper payments may occur when SSA makes mistakes in computing payments or fails to
obtain or act on available information. For example, in FY 2022, we:
● Concluded
SSA employees incorrectly input student information on beneficiaries’
records, which resulted in SSA underpaying an estimated 14,470 beneficiaries
approximately $59.5 million.
● Estimated SSA could have avoided approximately 73,000 overpayments totaling more
than $368 million if it had effective controls over benefit-computation accuracy.
SSA’s automated systems could not compute benefit payments due in certain situations,
and the Agency did not provide employees with a comprehensive tool to use when they
had to manually calculate them. Without adequate automation tools, employees can
make errors.
External Data
Preventing improper payments is more advantageous than recovering them since the Agency
has to expend additional resources to recover the overpayments or process additional
payments to rectify underpayments. Wages and income, resources, and living arrangements
are a few of the factors that affect Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI) or SSI
eligibility and payment amounts. Beneficiaries and recipients are required to report to SSA any
change in circumstances that may affect their benefits; however, they do not always fully
comply. Obtaining data from external sources, such as other Federal agencies, state agencies,
and financial institutions, is critical to preventing and detecting improper payments.
While SSA has made progress implementing data exchanges to reduce its reliance on
beneficiaries self-reporting information; it still has work to do. While some of the challenges the
Agency encounters when it enters into data exchanges are beyond its control, the Agency could
improve its process by implementing a centralized system for administering data exchanges and
considering pursuing legislative changes allowing for it to obtain the data it needs.
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 19
To address SSI improper payments related to resources, SSA implemented the Access to
Financial Institutions (AFI) program in June 2011. AFI verifies alleged bank account balances
with financial institutions and searches for undisclosed accounts at geographically relevant
locations based on the claimant’s address. SSA uses AFI when it processes initial SSI
applications and periodic eligibility redeterminations. As shown in Figure 4, overpayments
related to financial accounts increased from FYs 2010 to 2021.
Figure 4: SSI Financial Account Overpayment Deficiency Dollars
FYs 2010 Through 2021
In FY
2021, SSA determined the expanded use of AFI was not feasible because of a broad
range of legal, technical, operational, and contractual barriers, but it plans to re-visit this issue in
FY 2023. Deficiency dollars have generally increased since the implementation of the AFI
program. Although AFI works as designed, the ability to check accounts retrospectively does
not completely prevent or reduce improper payments. Tools such as AFI identify errors, but the
SSI program continues to rely heavily on recipients reporting changes timely to prevent errors.
Recovery
When SSA determines it has underpaid a beneficiary, it will pay the beneficiary the amount
owed. Once SSA determines it has overpaid an individual, it attempts to recover the
overpayment. However, because of a systems-design limitation, SSA does not capture and
track OASDI overpayments that are scheduled for collection beyond FY 2049. If SSA does not
resolve this limitation by the end of 2029, we estimate
more than 203,000 beneficiaries will have
nearly $2.5 billion in untracked overpayments.
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 20
According to SSA, in FY 2022, it recovered over $4.7 billion in overpayments at an
administrative cost of $0.06 on average for every dollar collected. Still, at the end of the FY,
SSA had a $21.6-billion uncollected overpayment balance (see Figure 5).
Figure 5: FY 2021 Overpayment Recovery
$21.6 billion not recovered
$4.7 billion
recovered
Progress the Social Security Administration Has Made
In FY 2019, SSA established the Improper Payment Prevention Team to address improper
payments; it has developed strategies to determine the underlying causes of payment errors,
develop corrective action plans, and determine cost-effective actions. In FY 2022,
SSA continued monitoring the progress of mitigation strategies and corrective actions.
Management of Payment Workloads
SSI non-medical redeterminations, which are periodic reviews of such non-medical eligibility
factors as income and resources, are an important program-integrity tool. SSA estimated that,
over 10 years, the non-medical redeterminations it conducted in FY 2022 would yield,
on average, a return on investment of about $3 of net Federal program savings per $1 budgeted
for dedicated program integrity funding, including SSI and Medicaid program effects. However,
according to SSA, budgetary constraints determine how many redeterminations it conducts
each year.
Through completed CDRs, SSA periodically verifies whether individuals are still disabled and
eligible for disability payments. SSA has estimated that, over the next 10 years, the CDRs it
conducted in FY 2022 will yield, on average, net Federal program savings of roughly $9 per
$1 budgeted for dedicated program integrity funding, including OASDI, SSI, Medicare,
and Medicaid effects.
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 21
According to SSA, changes in a person’s wages are a leading cause of improper payments in
the Disability Insurance and SSI programs. SSA uses a number of sources to verify wage
amounts, such as pay stubs submitted by beneficiaries, recipients, or representative payees
and annual earnings data from the Internal Revenue Service. Individuals can also report wage
information electronically to SSA through its online, mobile, or telephone wage reporting
applications or my Social Security account. However, verifying wages is generally a manual
process, and SSA employees continue relying heavily on individuals to accurately report wages.
SSA is working toward an automated information exchange with payroll data providers that
would automatically match against SSA records to verify wages timely without additional manual
verification.
External Data
SSA has successfully entered into data exchanges with Federal and state partners to help
identify and prevent improper payments. For example, SSA created an information exchange
agreement that allows states to disclose to the Agency account statements related to
distributions and account balances of all Stephen Beck, Jr., Achieving a Better Life Experience
Act of 2014 (Pub. L. No. 113-295) accounts. The Stephen Beck, Jr., Achieving a Better Life
Experience Act of 2014 aimed to ease financial strains individuals with disabilities face by
making tax-free savings accounts available to cover qualified disability expenses. As of
FY 2022, SSA had secured agreements and received data from most states.
Recovery
To collect overpayments, SSA uses internal debt-collection techniques, such as payment
withholding and billing, as well as external collection techniques authorized by the Debt
Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (Pub. L. No. 104-134) for OASDI debts and the Foster Care
Independence Act of 1999 (Pub. L. No. 106-169) for SSI debts. These techniques include the
Treasury Offset Program and administrative wage garnishment.
In January 2021, SSA partnered with the Department of the Treasury’s Pay.gov team to
implement SSA’s first on-line repayment option for overpaid individuals. This option allows
individuals to repay overpayments via credit or debit cards or automated clearing house
transactions (that is, directly from checking or savings accounts). Additionally, in July 2021,
SSA implemented a second option to allow overpaid individuals to use their bank’s online bill
pay features to make a one-time or recurring automated clearing house draft from a bank
account using a personal computer or mobile telephone.
What the Social Security Administration Needs to Do
● Address the root causes of improper payments to prevent their occurrence.
● Expand efforts to collect data from reliable third-party sources that would aid SSA in
mitigating discrepancies that can occur when beneficiaries or recipients self-report
information.
● Identify and prevent improper payments through automation and data analytics.
SSA needs to use available data to better identify changes that affect beneficiaries’ and
recipients’ benefit payments.
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 22
Key Related Links
● SSA, OIG Website - Reports related to improving the prevention, detection, and
recovery of improper payments
● Federal Payment Accuracy Website – PaymentAccuracy.gov
● SSA Website – Pay an Overpayment
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 23
RESPOND TO THE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 PANDEMIC
SSA must continue adjusting to changing health conditions and COVID-19 pandemic-related
guidance as it provides more in-person service after the re-entry to its field offices.
Why This is a Challenge
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SSA changed the way it served its customers and
evolved its service methods as related guidance on the response to the pandemic changed.
SSA has reopened its field offices to walk-in, in-person service, which requires that SSA shift
staff who had been teleworking back to the offices to provide increased in-person service.
SSA must effectively manage its shift to more in-person service, ensuring it continues meeting
changing pandemic-related guidance and ensuring the safety of its staff and customers.
Changing Operations
From mid-March 2020 to April 6, 2022, SSA limited its in-person field office service to
appointments for certain critical-need situations and served most of its customers through its
online and telephone services. Our audit work f
ound that SSA had challenges during this
period. We concluded SSA could not accurately account for all employees and the public who
entered its offices during the period of limited in-person service and some managers expressed
concerns about their increased work in the office and their ability to perform that work in addition
to their normal managerial duties. Some office managers believed SSA leadership prioritized
the health and safety of bargaining employees over management/non-bargaining-unit
employees.
With the increased use of electronic services, SSA primarily relied on its customers to submit
s
upporting paperwork by mail. In July 2021, we issued an interim report t
o alert SSA of the
exponential increases in the amounts of incoming and outgoing mail to field offices and our
concerns with the oversight and internal controls over mail processing. We determined SSA
had no performance metrics or management information on the volume of incoming, outgoing,
or pending mail. Consequently, the Agency did not have sufficient information to enable it to
adjust staffing levels to ensure mail was processed timely. SSA also lacked comprehensive
policies and procedures to track and return original documents—including driver’s licenses,
birth certificates, passports, and naturalization documents—that customers provide as proof of
eligibility for benefits or an SSN card.
Each year, SSA receives and processes millions of benefit claims and requests for post-
entitlement and post-eligibility reviews. These workloads, which are addressed by SSA’s
nation-wide network of field offices, teleservice centers, and processing centers, were
significantly affected by the pandemic. In April 2021, SSA’s Commissioner reported that
bottlenecks and service deterioration occurred because of the abrupt changes in SSA’s
operations. Other audit work
c
oncluded that SSA received and processed fewer OASDI and
SSI claims during the COVID-19 period of April 2020 to March 2021 compared to the prior-year
period (April 2019 to March 2020). While SSA received fewer of these claims, the pending
levels for these workloads increased.
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 24
Field Office Re-entry
On April 7, 2022, SSA resumed walk-in, in-person services in its field offices. To handle this,
SSA reduced the amount of telework provided to staff, most of whom had moved to full telework
in March 2020 in response to the pandemic. SSA continued allowing employees to telework 2
days a week to ensure a sufficient capacity in offices. At the same time, SSA saw an increase
in the number of employees who requested reasonable accommodations to delay their re-entry
to the field offices.
Because of health and safety protocols related to COVID-19, such as limited lobby space to
maintain social distancing and prescribed office capacity, SSA offices may not have been able
to accommodate all customers in its office lobbies. The media reported long customer wait
times and lines outside of some SSA office buildings where customers were exposed to harsh
weather conditions, such as extreme heat. The media further reported that SSA advised people
to make appointments for field office visits over the telephone or online, but some customers
claimed their attempts to contact SSA to make an appointment were unsuccessful.
Progress the Social Security Administration Has Made
Changing Operations
In response to concerns about its mail processing, SSA released an action plan in August 2021
and a Business Process Document for handling mail in September 2021. SSA’s plan:
(1) outlined timeliness metrics for processing mail received and returning primary evidence
documents; (2) required that offices account for all mail and track certain major workloads;
and (3) required that regional offices monitor the status of mail handling in their region and
implement remediation plans for offices not meeting the metrics.
To address declining claim submissions, in March 2022, SSA implemented a new electronic
option that enables individuals and third parties to express their intent to file for SSI and other
benefits. This tool protects the earliest date SSA may use to pay benefits if applicants are
eligible for SSI or Social Security benefits. Additionally, SSA is working to streamline its SSI
application so it can be accessible online.
To address the decline in SSI claim receipts during the pandemic, SSA established a new
priority goal to improve equity in its SSI program through increased outreach and improved
benefit delivery. To that end, SSA used targeted outreach and media campaigns to raise
awareness about its benefit programs to eligible groups, including homeless individuals,
seniors, children, and adults with disabilities.
Field Office Re-entry
In August 2022, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Ways and
Means requested a response from SSA on the long lines outside the Agency's field offices and
how the Agency was responding to long customer wait times and exposure to the weather.
SSA responded that, for those offices with visitors who needed to wait outside, it provided
access to its bathrooms and water fountains and, when possible, added outdoor canopies and
fans. SSA further noted it reconfigured its waiting areas to allow more people to enter its
air-conditioned offices. SSA also expanded the use of mobile check-in for customers with
appointments and notified them on their mobile telephones when it was ready to serve them,
allowing the customers to wait in their vehicles or nearby facilities.
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) 25
SSA updates its Workplace Safety Plan to incorporate the latest guidance from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration on
protecting workers. For example, in September 2022, SSA updated the Plan to note that
members of the public seeking service or benefits who are fully vaccinated will not be required
to social distance while awaiting service, and those not fully vaccinated will be advised to
distance from others while waiting. However, the Plan further noted that SSA will not ask
individuals seeking a public service or benefit about their vaccination status.
SSA’s Website provides information to the public on what it can expect when it visits a field
office. Per the Website, everyone must wear a face mask, and the public may be asked to wait
individuals who do not have an appointment should expect long lines, especially during the
busiest times, such as Mondays and the first week of the month.
What the Social Security Administration Needs to Do
● Keep the public and its employees aware of the status of the COVID-19 Workplace
Safety Plan 2.2 and how it plans to provide customer service safely during the re-entry
process.
● Continue addressing the decline in OASDI and SSI claims.
● Pursue automation and other options to improve mail intake and processing.
● Expand capabilities for employees and the public to securely correspond electronically.
● Update the policies and business processes needed to ensure the security of,
and reduce reliance on, original documents customers mail to SSA as proof of eligibility
for benefits or an SSN card.
● Continue to address the long wait times for customers waiting outside of SSA offices due
to health and safety protocols for COVID-19, including addressing customers’ reported
inability to successfully schedule appointments over the telephone or online.
Key Related Links
● SSA, OIG Website – Reports related to the COVID-19 pandemic
● SSA Website – Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates
● SSA Website – COVID-19 Workplace Safety Plan 2.2
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) A-1
– OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORTS ISSUED
IN
FISCAL YEAR 2022 ADDRESSING MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES
Report
Related Management Challenge(s)
Human
Capital
COVID-19 Disability
Improper
Payments
Service
Delivery
Secure
Information
Modernize
IT
The Social Security Administration’s Enumeration Services During the
COVID-19 Pandemic (A-15-21-51015), September 30, 2022
Numident Death Alerts (A-06-21-51086), September 30, 2022
Summary of the Audit of the Social Security Administration's Information
Security Program and Practices for Fiscal Year 2022 (A-14-22-51179),
September 30, 2022
Analysis of State Workers’ Compensation Data
(A-02-22-51180),
September 29, 2022
Follow-up on Controls Over Special Payment Amount Overpayments for
Title II Beneficiaries (A-09-19-50794), September 29, 2022
Supplemental Security Income Recipients Receiving Social Security
Administration Payments in Accounts Outside the United States
(A-06-22-51153), September 29, 2022
Work Review Determinations for Disabled Beneficiaries (A-07-21-51012),
September 29, 2022
The Social Security Administration’s Human Capital Planning
(A-02-19-50866), September 26, 2022
The Social Security Administration’s Challenges and Successes in
Obtaining Data to Determine Eligibility and Payment Amounts
(A-01-21-51029), September 23, 2022
Follow-up on Processing Internal Revenue Service Alerts for
Supplemental Security Income Recipients (A-03-18-50277),
September 20, 2022
The Social Security Administration’s Oversight of Disability Determination
Services’ Financial Management (A-15-21-51117), September 20, 2022
Match of Utah Death Information Against Social Security Administration
Records (A-06-21-51030), September 19, 2022
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) A-2
Report
Related Management Challenge(s)
Human
Capital
COVID-19 Disability
Improper
Payments
Service
Delivery
Secure
Information
Modernize
IT
The Social Security Administration’s Information Technology Investment
Process (A-14-18-50437), September 12, 2022
Data Files Provided to the Internal Revenue Service as Part of the Third
Round of Economic Impact Payments (A-06-21-51095),
September 9, 2022
Development of the Preliminary Claims System (A-14-20-50912),
August 30, 2022
Lump-sum Death Payments to Survivors of Wage Earners with No Death
Information on the Numident (A-06-21-51088), August 30, 2022
Agile Software Development at the Social Security Administration
(A-14-20-50947), August 24, 2022
Spouses and Widow(er)s Who Have Unverified Pensions
(A-13-17-50161), August 24, 2022
The Office of Hearings Operations’ Use of Video and Telephone Hearings
(A-05-18-50615), July 15, 2022
Comparing the Social Security Administration’s Workload Statistics During
the COVID-19 Pandemic to Prior Years (A-05-21-51062), July 14, 2022
Social Security Beneficiaries Who Have Direct Payment While Receiving
Veterans Affairs’ Benefits Through a Representative Payee
(A-01-18-50380
), July 8, 2022
The Social Security Administration’s Appeal Council Workloads
(A-12-20-50986), June 30, 2022
Match of Railroad Retirement Board Death Information Against Social
Security Administration Records (A-06-20-51007), June 3, 2022
Incorrect Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Benefit Payment
Computations that Resulted in Overpayments (A-07-18-50674),
May 26, 2022
The Social Security Administration’s Mail Processing During the COVID-19
Pandemic (A-08-21-51115), May 13, 2022
The Social Security Administration’s Compliance with the Payment
Integrity Information Act of 2019 in Fiscal Year 2021 (A-15-21-51121),
May 11, 2022
SSA’s Major Management and Performance Challenges in FY 2022 (A-02-21-51120) A-3
Report
Related Management Challenge(s)
Human
Capital
COVID-19 Disability
Improper
Payments
Service
Delivery
Secure
Information
Modernize
IT
Follow-up on Deceased Beneficiaries and Recipients with No Death
Information on the Numident (A-09-20-50936), May 4, 2022
Students Whose Benefits Were Erroneously Terminated When They
Reached Age 18 (A-09-19-50823), April 22, 2022
Safety of Employees and Visitors Since March 2020
(Congressional Response Report) (A-15-21-51103), February 24, 2022
The Social Security Administration’s Expansion of Health Information
Technology to Obtain and Analyze Medical Records for Disability Claims
(A-01-18-50342
), January 3, 2022
Beneficiary and Recipient Data Provided to Support Issuance of Economic
Impact Payments Authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
(A-06-21-51061
), December 13, 2021
Comparing the Social Security Administration’s Disability Determination
Services’ Workload Statistics During the COVID-19 Pandemic to Prior
Years (A-01-21-51038
), December 1, 2021
The Social Security Administration’s Telephone Service Performance
(Congressional Response Report) (A-05-20-50999), November 29, 2021
Deceased Beneficiaries in Suspended Payment Status (A-08-19-50800),
November 22, 2021
The Social Security Administration’s Compliance with the Digital
Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 (A-15-20-50917),
November 5, 2021
The Social Security Administration’s Information Security Program and
Practices for Fiscal Year 2021 (A-14-20-50958), October 20, 2021
The Social Security Administration’s Information on the Office of
Management and Budget’s Information Technology Dashboard
(A-14-18-50435
), October 15, 2021
Beneficiaries Who Received Vocational Rehabilitation Services
(A-02-18-50544), October 13, 2021
Mission: The Social Security Office of the Inspector General (OIG) serves the
public through independent oversight of SSA’s programs and operations.
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and mismanagement, at oig.ssa.gov/report.
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