As we know, no government program is flawless and inefficiency can occur. I have written about the process for a disabled worker to apply for SSD benefits, and the length of time it takes for benefits to be awarded. Any improvement by the government would be a good thing. Nasdaq.com is reporting Obama’s fiscal 2010 budget includes increased funding to attack waste, fraud and abuse in federal health and disability programs, an area where the administration estimates every dollar spent will yield far more in savings.
The administration’s fiscal 2010 budget includes $485 million of funds for Social Security Administration reviews of recipients’ eligibility for disability and supplemental security income benefits. The administration said the funding will bolster "program integrity" for continuing disability and supplemental security income (SSI) payments and reverse a decline in the number of reviews and redeterminations conducted by the Social Security Administration.
Outlays for disability insurance rose 65% between 2001 and 2007, yet the number of full medical reviews, one type of review for evaluating claims for eligibility for continuing disability payments, fell from 840,000 in 2001 to 190,000 in 2007, according to the Social Security Administration.
The Obama administration said the reviews are "a proven investment," with disability reviews recouping $10 to $11 for every dollar spent, and SSI redeterminations yielding about $7 for every dollar in spending. The administration outlined increases in the program over five years, and projected 10-year savings of about $27 billion.
Of the $485 million of increased funding sought for fiscal 2010, the administration wants flexibility to spend up to $34 million to roll out an initiative to verify assets of those who apply for SSI benefits, saying that would boost accuracy and provide savings "at the front end of the process as well." Read the article: http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=200905071041dowjonesdjonline000729&title=obama-fy2010-budget-seeks-closer-eye-on-health-programs
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