Social Security Disability: Growing Funding and Administrative Problems.

Abstract

The Social Security Administration's (SSA's) Disability Insurance (DI) Program faces growing financial and administrative problems. The DI Trust Fund is projected to be exhausted by 1997, and recent delays by State Disability Determination Services (DDSs) in processing applications for disability benefits are expected to reach 7 months in 1993. Appeals of disability determinations already take 7 months. Factors increasing trust fund expenditures include: Rising disability application rates. As unemployment rates rise, disabled persons have more difficulty finding or keeping jobs and thus are motivated to apply for disability. Rising allowance rates at the DDS and Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) level. ALJs now allow benefits in about 66 percent of cases they consider. Pending class action lawsuits. Two cases in New York potentially involve over 200,000 claimants. Termination rates (the rate people leave the disability rolls). Because the average age of disability applicants is decreasing, their time in payment status generally will run longer.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 27, 1992
Accession Number
ADA291258

Entities

People

  • Joseph F. Delfico

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Administrative Law
  • Business Administration
  • Disabled Persons
  • Environment
  • Errors
  • Finance
  • Human Resources
  • Law
  • Motivation
  • New York
  • Personnel Management
  • Security
  • Social Security
  • Unemployment
  • United States
  • Workload

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