Baucus Comments on Inspector General Report on Social Security Continuing Disability Reviews

MEMORANDUM

To: Reporters and Editors
From: Scott Mulhauser for Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.)
Re: Baucus Comments on Inspector General Report on Social Security Continuing Disability Reviews

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) commented today on a new Social Security Inspector General (IG) report that found insufficient funding of the Social Security Administration (SSA) has resulted in the continuation of disability payments to recipients who are no longer disabled and therefore are not eligible to receive disability benefits.  The IG estimates that if SSA had sufficient resources to conduct scheduled reviews of beneficiaries receiving disability payments, the Federal Government would save nearly $16 billion over the next ten years at a cost of only about $1.5 billion.  Baucus has long advocated for more resources for SSA, including allocation of SSA’s full funding request in the President’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget. Complete funding will allow SSA to conduct all necessary disability reviews and take further action to prevent improper payments that waste taxpayer dollars, along with fully serving seniors and Americans with disabilities.

“This new report provides even further evidence of what we’ve known all along: providing SSA with adequate funding today will save billions of taxpayer dollars and work to reduce our federal deficit over the long term,” Baucus said.  “It is critical that Congress fund SSA’s full budget request this year, and we will continue fighting for the resources SSA needs to serve our seniors and Americans with disabilities, while at the same time protecting taxpayer dollars.”

The full Social Security Administration Inspector General Report, “Full Medical Continuing Disability Reviews” is available at:  http://www.ssa.gov/oig/ADOBEPDF/A-07-09-29147.pdf.

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