OFFICE OF
THE INSPECTOR GENERAL
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
BENEFITS PAID
TO DUALLY ENTITLED
TITLE II BENEFICIARIES
August 2006 A-01-06-26004
AUDIT REPORT
Mission
By conducting independent and objective audits, evaluations and investigations, we inspire public confidence in the integrity and security of SSA’s programs and operations and protect them against fraud, waste and abuse. We provide timely, useful and reliable information and advice to Administration officials, Congress and the public.
Authority
The Inspector General Act created independent audit and investigative units, called the Office of Inspector General (OIG). The mission of the OIG, as spelled out in the Act, is to:
Conduct and supervise independent and objective audits and investigations relating to agency programs and operations.
Promote economy, effectiveness, and efficiency within the agency.
Prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse in agency programs and operations.
Review and make recommendations regarding existing and proposed legislation and regulations relating to agency programs and operations.
Keep the agency head and the Congress fully and currently informed of problems in agency programs and operations.
To ensure objectivity, the IG Act empowers the IG with:
Independence to determine what reviews to perform.
Access to all information necessary for the reviews.
Authority to publish findings and recommendations based on the reviews.
Vision
We strive for continual improvement in SSA’s programs, operations and management by proactively seeking new ways to prevent and deter fraud, waste and abuse. We commit to integrity and excellence by supporting an environment that provides a valuable public service while encouraging employee development and retention and fostering diversity and innovation.
SOCIAL SECURITY
MEMORANDUM
Date: August 7, 2006 Refer To:
To: The Commissioner
From: Inspector General
Subject: Benefits Paid to Dually Entitled Title II Beneficiaries (A-01-06-26004)
OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to determine if dually entitled Title II beneficiaries were entitled to the benefits paid to them.
BACKGROUND
The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers the Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance program under Title II of the Social Security Act. The program provides monthly benefits to retired or disabled workers and their families and to survivors of deceased workers.
DUAL ENTITLEMENT
Dual entitlement exists when a beneficiary is entitled to more than one benefit at the same time. For example, a beneficiary may be entitled to retirement benefits on his or her own earnings record and spouse’s benefits on another person’s earnings record. Although a beneficiary may be simultaneously entitled to more than one benefit, the total benefit may not be greater than the highest single benefit amount to which he or she is entitled. Generally, SSA calculates the amounts due and combines the benefits into one monthly payment. In December 2004, about 6.4 million retired or disabled workers were entitled to receive benefits on multiple records.
ADMINISTRATIVE FINALITY
Once SSA determines the payment amount due a beneficiary, that determination may be reopened and revised later under certain conditions. The discretionary rules that SSA uses to reopen and revise determinations are known as the rules of administrative finality. Generally, under administrative finality, SSA will only revise an incorrect Title II benefit calculation which resulted in payment of more benefits than were due if the error is discovered within 4 years. Conversely, if the error is discovered after 4 years, the Agency will not adjust the payment amounts.
If administrative finality is applied, an adjustment will only be made when SSA makes a new payment determination—such as when benefits are converted from disability to retirement upon a beneficiary’s attainment of full retirement age. If a new determination is not made, the payment amounts will not be adjusted and will continue until death. According to SSA, these rules protect beneficiaries from the inconvenience or hardship that could result from the correction of an Agency error.
METHODOLOGY
During a prior audit, we identified situations in which it appeared benefits to dually entitled beneficiaries were not correctly adjusted and, as a result, overpayments went undetected. For this reason, we initiated our current review. To accomplish our objective, we identified a population of 1,560 beneficiaries whose benefit payments appeared to exceed the maximum amount they were entitled to receive. We randomly selected 200 records from this group for detailed analysis and requested the assistance of SSA’s Office of Operations to review the payment amounts and take corrective action as needed. (For additional information about our scope, methodology and sample results, see Appendix B.)
RESULTS OF REVIEW
Generally, we found the beneficiaries in our population were not entitled to all of the benefits paid to them. Based on the results of our sample, we estimate that SSA incorrectly calculated the payment amounts that were due to about 1,412 beneficiaries. In many cases, the errors occurred when SSA employees took action to combine benefits from separate records into one monthly payment. We estimate the total effect of these calculation errors is approximately $37.6 million, including about $23.0 million in benefits already paid by SSA and about $14.6 million in future benefit payments.
The estimated $23.0 million includes:
about $15.3 million that was paid to beneficiaries and is subject to recovery efforts; and
about $7.7 million that was paid to beneficiaries but will not be recovered because SSA applied its administrative finality rules and the records were not adjusted.
Further, the estimated $14.6 million includes:
about $4.3 million that will be paid over the next 12 months unless the Agency takes action to correct the payment errors; and
about $10.3 million that will be paid until the beneficiaries attain full retirement age or die, because SSA applied its administrative finality rules and the records were not adjusted.
SAMPLE RESULTS
Of the 200 cases we sampled:
145 had improper payments and, as a result of our review, the Agency took corrective action and assessed about $2.0 million in overpayments;
36 were not adjusted because of administrative finality;
13 did not involve payment errors; and
6 cases were still being reviewed by SSA as of July 2006.
Dual Entitlement Payments Corrected Based on Audit
In total, 145 beneficiaries in our sample were incorrectly paid approximately $2.0 million. We estimate SSA would have paid about $556,565 to these beneficiaries over the next 12 months if the payment errors were not corrected.
For example, one beneficiary was dually entitled to both a retirement benefit and a spouse's benefit beginning in April 1996. Because the two benefits were derived from the same trust fund, they were combined and issued as one monthly payment. In November 2002, upon the death of the beneficiary's husband, an SSA employee took action to convert the spouse's benefit to a widow's benefit and added the additional benefits due her to her retirement benefit payments. However, at the same time, the employee incorrectly initiated widow's benefit payments on the deceased's record. As a result, the widow's benefit was paid twice. Based on our audit, the Agency corrected the records and assessed an overpayment of $25,477. We estimate SSA would have overpaid this beneficiary about $8,796 over the next 12 months if the payment error had not been corrected.
In another case, a beneficiary was dually entitled to both a disabled worker’s benefit and a widow's benefit beginning July 2000. The two benefits were paid separately because they were derived from different trust funds. In November 2003, the beneficiary attained her full retirement age and her disability benefits were converted to retirement benefits. Because retirement benefits and widow's benefits are derived from the same trust fund, an SSA employee took action to combine the benefits into one monthly payment. However, the employee did not stop the benefit payments that were being issued on the other account and, as a result, the widow's benefit was paid twice. Based on our audit, the Agency corrected the records and assessed an overpayment of $27,301. We estimate SSA would have overpaid this beneficiary about $13,296 over the next 12 months if the payment error had not been corrected.
Benefits Not Adjusted Because of Administrative Finality
In 36 cases, Agency staff invoked administrative finality and the payment amounts were not adjusted. We estimate these individuals were paid about $1.0 million more than they would have been paid had the errors not occurred. However, because of administrative finality, the Agency will not recover these funds. Further, because the ongoing benefit amounts were not adjusted, SSA will pay about $1.3 million to these beneficiaries that they would not otherwise be entitled to receive if the calculation errors had not occurred.
For example, in November 1998, an SSA employee combined a beneficiary’s retirement and survivor’s benefits into one payment but did not take action to stop the survivor’s benefit that was being paid on another record. Because the error was not detected until our audit and more than 4 years had elapsed, SSA staff invoked administrative finality and did not adjust the benefits. We estimate the Agency paid this individual about $17,866 more than she would have been paid had the calculation error not occurred. Further, because the payments were not adjusted, we estimate the Agency will pay the beneficiary about $41,907 more in benefits until her death.
In another case, SSA incorrectly calculated the benefits due a beneficiary who was entitled to receive both a disability benefit and a widow’s benefit beginning in January 1995. Because the error was not detected until our audit and more than 4 years had elapsed, SSA invoked administrative finality and did not adjust the benefits. We estimate the Agency paid this individual $24,672 more than she would have been paid had the calculation error not occurred. In addition, because the ongoing payments were not adjusted, we estimate SSA will pay the beneficiary about $13,020 more until she reaches full retirement age (in January 2011). At that time, the Agency will make a new determination of payments due when her disability benefit is converted to a retirement benefit and the benefits may be adjusted.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Generally, we found the beneficiaries in our population were not entitled to all of the benefits paid to them. Based on the results of our sample, we estimate that SSA incorrectly calculated the payment amounts that were due about 1,412 beneficiaries in our population. We estimate the total effect of these calculation errors is approximately $37.6 million, including about $23.0 million in benefits already paid by SSA and about $14.6 million in future benefit payments.
We recommend that SSA:
1. Review the remaining 1,360 cases in our population to ensure that all overpayments are identified, recorded and pursued for recovery.
2. Remind employees of the proper procedures to follow when combining benefits into one payment.
3. Ensure payment errors are corrected when disability benefits are converted to retirement benefits.
AGENCY COMMENTS
SSA agreed with all the recommendations. (See Appendix C.)
S
Patrick P. O'Carroll, Jr.
Appendices
APPENDIX A – Acronyms
APPENDIX B – Scope, Methodology and Sample Results
APPENDIX C – Agency Comments
APPENDIX D – OIG Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments
Appendix A
Acronyms
C.F.R. Code of Federal Regulations
OIG Office of the Inspector General
POMS Program Operations Manual System
SSA Social Security Administration
U.S.C. United States Code
Appendix B
Scope, Methodology and Sample Results
To accomplish our objective:
We researched the Social Security Act and the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) regulations, policies and procedures related to dual entitlement.
We obtained from SSA a file of 7.8 million Title II benefit records that contained dual entitlement data and were in pay status as of May 2005.
We analyzed the file and identified 1,560 beneficiaries whose benefit payments appeared to exceed the maximum amount they were potentially entitled to receive.
We selected a random sample of 200 records from the population for detailed analysis.
We researched available data on SSA’s systems and/or referred the sample cases to SSA’s Office of Operations for review and corrective action.
We conducted our review between November 2005 and March 2006 in Boston, Massachusetts. We determined that the data used for this audit was sufficiently reliable to meet our audit objective. The principal entities audited were SSA Field Offices and Program Service Centers under the Deputy Commissioner for Operations. We conducted our audit in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.
SAMPLE RESULTS AND PROJECTIONS
Table 1: Population and sample size
Population Size 1,560
Sample Size 200
Table 2: Cases with overpayments
Number of Beneficiaries Dollars
Identified in Sample 145 $1,965,778
Point Estimate 1,131 $15,333,068
Projection Lower Limit 1,049 $12,577,432
Projection Upper Limit 1,206 $18,088,703
Note: All projections are at the 90-percent confidence level.
Table 3: Funds SSA would avoid paying over the next 12 months if the erroneous payments are corrected Number of Beneficiaries Dollars
Identified in Sample 142 $556,565
Point Estimate 1,108 $4,341,205
Projection Lower Limit 1,024 $3,808,046
Projection Upper Limit 1,184 $4,874,365
Note: All projections are at the 90-percent confidence level.
Table 4: Funds SSA will not recover because administrative finality prevented the payments from being adjusted Number of Beneficiaries Dollars
Identified in Sample 36 $981,441
Point Estimate 281 $7,655,238
Projection Lower Limit 218 $5,078,548
Projection Upper Limit 354 $10,231,927
Note: All projections are at the 90-percent confidence level.
Table 5: Funds SSA will continue to pay because administrative finality prevented payments from being adjusted Number of Beneficiaries Dollars
Identified in Sample 36 $1,322,079
Point Estimate 281 $10,312,215
Projection Lower Limit 218 $6,506,652
Projection Upper Limit 354 $14,117,779
Note: All projections are at the 90-percent confidence level.
Appendix C
Agency Comments
MEMORANDUM
Date: July 27, 2006 Refer
Refer To: S1J-3
To: Patrick P. O'Carroll, Jr.
Inspector General
From: Larry W. Dye /s/
Chief of Staff
Subject: Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Draft Report "Benefits Paid to Dually Entitled Title II Beneficiaries" (A-01-06-26004) -- INFORMATION
We appreciate OIG’s efforts in conducting this review. Our comments on the draft report content and recommendations are attached.
Let me know if we can be of further assistance. Staff inquiries may be directed to
Ms. Candace Skurnik, Director, Audit Management and Liaison Staff, at extension 54636.
Attachment:
SSA Response
COMMENTS ON THE OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL (OIG) DRAFT REPORT, “BENEFITS PAID TO DUALLY ENTITLED TITLE II BENEFICIARIES” (A-01-06-26004)
Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on the draft report. We agree that this is an error-prone workload. Through our own internal controls, we too have found that when benefits are combined on one account, there have been instances where stopping the payment on the other account was overlooked. We have been working to improve the accuracy of these and other workloads through refresher training on recurring problem areas. In the past, we have issued local procedural supplements to help alleviate these improper payments. Below please find our response to the specific recommendations which describe additional actions we plan to take to address these findings.
Recommendation 1
The Social Security Administration (SSA) should review the remaining 1,360 cases to ensure that all overpayments are identified, recorded and pursued for recovery.
Response
We agree. We will review the remaining 1,360 cases and initiate collection actions on all overpayments.
Recommendation 2
SSA should remind employees of the proper procedures to follow when combining benefits into one payment.
Response
We agree. We will issue a national instruction by September 2006.
Recommendation 3
SSA should ensure payment errors are corrected when disability benefits are converted to retirement benefits.
Response
We agree. These situations will be addressed specifically in our September 2006 national instructions.
Appendix D
OIG Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments
OIG Contacts
Judith Oliveira, Director, Boston Audit Division, (617) 565-1765
David Mazzola, Audit Manager, (617) 565-1807
Acknowledgments
In addition to those named above:
Jeffrey Brown, Senior Auditor
Kevin Joyce, IT Specialist
Frank Salamone, Auditor
Melinda Tabicas, Auditor
Cheryl Robinson, Writer-Editor
For additional copies of this report, please visit our web site at www.socialsecurity.gov/oig or contact the Office of the Inspector General’s Public Affairs Specialist at (410) 965-3218. Refer to Common Identification Number
A-01-06-26004.
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Overview of the Office of the Inspector General
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is comprised of our Office of Investigations (OI), Office of Audit (OA), Office of the Chief Counsel to the Inspector General (OCCIG), and Office of Resource Management (ORM). To ensure compliance with policies and procedures, internal controls, and professional standards, we also have a comprehensive Professional Responsibility and Quality Assurance program.
Office of Audit
OA conducts and/or supervises financial and performance audits of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) programs and operations and makes recommendations to ensure program objectives are achieved effectively and efficiently. Financial audits assess whether SSA’s financial statements fairly present SSA’s financial position, results of operations, and cash flow. Performance audits review the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of SSA’s programs and operations. OA also conducts short-term management and program evaluations and projects on issues of concern to SSA, Congress, and the general public.
Office of Investigations
OI conducts and coordinates investigative activity related to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in SSA programs and operations. This includes wrongdoing by applicants, beneficiaries, contractors, third parties, or SSA employees performing their official duties. This office serves as OIG liaison to the Department of Justice on all matters relating to the investigations of SSA programs and personnel. OI also conducts joint investigations with other Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies.
Office of the Chief Counsel to the Inspector General
OCCIG provides independent legal advice and counsel to the IG on various matters, including statutes, regulations, legislation, and policy directives. OCCIG also advises the IG on investigative procedures and techniques, as well as on legal implications and conclusions to be drawn from audit and investigative material. Finally, OCCIG administers the Civil Monetary Penalty program.
Office of Resource Management
ORM supports OIG by providing information resource management and systems security. ORM also coordinates OIG’s budget, procurement, telecommunications, facilities, and human resources. In addition, ORM is the focal point for OIG’s strategic planning function and the development and implementation of performance measures required by the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993.