Report Summary

Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General

December 2008

The Social Security Administration’s Oversight of MDRC Contract No. SS00-06-60075

(A-15-08-18010)

Objective

To (1) review the services provided by MDRC and the related costs charged to the Social Security Administration (SSA) for adherence to the negotiated contract terms and applicable regulations, and (2) ensure that SSA personnel properly monitored the contract.

Background

This contract is for program review and development services to test the impact of providing immediate cash benefits and Medicare to Title II applicants. Specifically, the purpose of this contract is to obtain technical assistance for SSA in the implementation and evaluation of the Accelerated Benefits (AB) demonstration project that will provide an immediate medical benefits package and employment support to certain beneficiaries upon approval of their Social Security Disability Insurance claim. The contractor will carry out the actions for this program.

To view the full report, visit http://www.ssa.gov/oig/ADOBEPDF/A-15-08-18010.pdf

Our Findings

• The contractor failed to obtain suitability determinations for individuals working on the project.

• Individuals received suitability determinations under other contracts.

• A contract employee with “unsuitable” determination had access to personally identifiable information (PII).

• Inefficiencies in the contract’s initial planning, management  and monitoring

Our Recommendation

We recommend SSA

1.  Obtain and maintain an updated list of all contractor personnel (including subcontractors) working on the AB contract with or without access to PII.

2.  Ensure that contractor personnel (including subcontractors) working on the AB contract receives the appropriate suitability determinations even if the individual was previously adjudicated under another contract.

3.  Ensure that contractor personnel (including subcontractors) assigned to the AB contract have a favorable suitability determination before allowing the individual to work on the project.

4.  Monitor the delivery schedule on the MDRC contract to ensure timely deliverables.