Objective

To assess the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) use of the E-Verify program for new hires.

Background

E-Verify is a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) program that allows participating employers to determine whether newly hired employees are authorized to work in the United States under immigration law.  SSA supports DHS in the operation and administration of this program. 

In August 2007, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) mandated that all Federal agencies and departments begin verifying their new hires through E-Verify starting no later than October 1, 2007.  To comply with the OMB requirement, SSA registered to use E-Verify beginning in September 2007.  As of April 2009, SSA had 172 registered users located in SSA Headquarters and its 10 regional offices.

To view the full report, visit http://www.ssa.gov/oig/ADOBEPDF/A-03-09-29154.pdf

Our Findings

SSA did not always use the E-Verify program as intended.  Specifically, we found that, of the 9,311 new employees hired in Fiscal Years 2008 and 2009, E-Verify (i) was not used to confirm the employment eligibility of 1,767 (19 percent) and (ii) was used to confirm the employment eligibility of 7,544 (81 percent).  In addition, we found that SSA had erroneously verified the employment eligibility of (i) 26 existing employees because they had applied for new positions in the Agency, (ii) 31 volunteers who were not Federal employees and (iii) at least 18 external candidates who had applied for jobs at SSA but were not hired.  Finally, while SSA verified the employment eligibility of 7,544 new hires, we found that about 3,658 (49 percent) did not appear to be verified timely.

Recommendation

• Ensure the 1,713 new hires discussed in the report are verified through the E-Verify program to confirm their employment eligibility and ensure that SSA has complied with the E-Verify Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

• Establish guidance that reminds staff to follow the E-Verify MoU regarding (1) verifying “all new hires,” (2) conducting verification queries within 3 business days after a new employee has reported for duty and both sections of the Form I-9 have been completed, and (3) prohibiting the verification of existing SSA employees and job candidates.

• Provide written guidance to staff reminding them that E-Verify should not be used to verify the work eligibility of volunteers.

• Resolve the SSA Tentative Nonconfirmation response and update the Numident record for the one individual whose last name was misspelled on the Numident.

SSA agreed with the recommendations.