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Report File
Date Issued
Submitting OIG
Social Security Administration OIG
Other Participating OIGs
Social Security Administration OIG
Agencies Reviewed/Investigated
Social Security Administration
Report Number
A-08-19-50800
Report Description

Objective: To determine whether the Social Security Administration (SSA) had adequate controls to ensure it took appropriate actions for beneficiaries in a suspended payment status who may have been deceased.

Report Type
Audit
Agency Wide
Yes
Number of Recommendations
9
Questioned Costs
$214,284,555
Funds for Better Use
$33,053,936

Open Recommendations

This report has 7 open recommendations.
Recommendation Number Significant Recommendation Recommended Questioned Costs Recommended Funds for Better Use Additional Details
2 No $0 $0 Agree

Develop information reports to identify beneficiaries in death suspense for prolonged periods and instruct management to ensure technicians take appropriate actions on the cases.

3 Yes $48,423,411 $7,983,516 Agree

Verify and post death information, where appropriate, for the remaining beneficiaries in the State Death population.

4 Yes $14,130,460 $7,993,948 Agree

Instruct technicians to take appropriate actions on the remaining beneficiaries in the Death Suspense population.

5 Yes $149,718,615 $16,709,589 Agree

Establish systems criteria to identify Old-age, Survivors and Disability Insurance beneficiaries in Address Suspense who are likely deceased, such as identifying beneficiaries suspended for prolonged periods who do not have activity on any Social Security Administration (SSA) records since their suspension. Once established, SSA should update policy to instruct technicians to search for death information.

6 No $0 $0 Agree

Develop systems controls to alert technicians when SSA receives death information from sources, such as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of the Treasury (Treasury), for beneficiaries in suspended payment status.

7 No $0 $0 Agree

Revise policy to instruct technicians to conduct additional searches for death information when developing suspension actions.

9 No $0 $0 Agree

Clarify policy for establishing dates of death for beneficiaries suspended based on a report from Treasury of a returned payment for death.

Social Security Administration OIG

United States