Statutory Benefit Continuation for Disability Beneficiaries

Submitting OIG:

Report Description:

Objective: To determine whether the Social Security Administration accurately administered Statutory Benefit Continuation for beneficiaries who appealed the Agency’s medical cessation decisions.

Date Issued:

Monday, September 25, 2023

Agency Reviewed / Investigated:

Social Security Administration

Submitting OIG-Specific Report Number:

A-07-21-51105

Location(s):

Agency-Wide

Type of Report:

Audit

Questioned Costs:

$563,584,926

Funds for Better Use:

Number of Recommendations:

Report updated under NDAA 5274:

View Document:

Attachment	Size
07-21-51105.pdf	847.5 KB

Related Open Recommendations

Recommendation Number	Recommendation Status	Significant Recommendation
1	Open	No
Create a stand-alone Statutory Benefit Continuation (SBC) election form, and if feasible, provide more options for beneficiaries to elect SBC, such as electronic election or verbal attestation.
2	Open	Yes
Create additional controls to ensure the Agency issues SBC payments when due, especially for beneficiaries whose appeals the Appeals Council has remanded back to the Administrative Law Judges.
3	Open	No
Improve communication between the hearing office and field office to ensure good cause determinations are applied accurately, especially when a beneficiary’s good cause statement for filing a late appeal and an SBC request are the same.
4	Open	Yes
Improve systems to ensure medical cessation dates are recorded correctly on Supplemental Security Income records.
5	Open	Yes
Improve systems to ensure SBC payments to Disability Insurance beneficiaries and auxiliary beneficiaries are stopped in accordance with applicable statutes, regulations, and policy.

Recommendation Number

Recommendation Status

Significant Recommendation

Additional Details

Open

Create a stand-alone Statutory Benefit Continuation (SBC) election form, and if feasible, provide more options for beneficiaries to elect SBC, such as electronic election or verbal attestation.

Open

Yes

Create additional controls to ensure the Agency issues SBC payments when due, especially for beneficiaries whose appeals the Appeals Council has remanded back to the Administrative Law Judges.

Open

Improve communication between the hearing office and field office to ensure good cause determinations are applied accurately, especially when a beneficiary’s good cause statement for filing a late appeal and an SBC request are the same.

Open