According to a recently published report, the Social Security administration has paid out benefits to 25,000 people who allegedly had no right to receive them. The inappropriately approved claims have resulted in $2 billion in Social Security payment losses. Millions of Americans in Pennsylvania and the rest of the nation rely on income from the Social Security Administration -- whether it be Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability (SSD) or some other kind of government benefits -- to meet their daily living expenses.
The congressman who requested the investigation made several statements about the gross overspending of tax dollars, saying that tax payers have been left to wonder where government oversight has gone. Many may wonder if the overspending will end anytime soon. A large number of the Social Security recipients who were incorrectly awarded benefits are still getting paid, and it is expected that another $300 million in payments will be lost by 2015.
The decisions of 44 judges were ultimately investigated in the report that revealed the overspending. The investigation was prompted by the Social Security Administration's discovery that these particular judges had approved an unusually high amount of Social Security benefits claims. Allegedly, the judges have been short on time in recent years due to the large number of Americans reaching retirement age, and this may have resulted in their inappropriate decisions.
Social Security judges can mistakenly deny benefits related to SSI and SSD just as easily as they can mistakenly award them. Pennsylvania residents who feel that they have been denied Social Security Income, when they deserve to receive it, may be able to appeal the decision that denied them benefits. By correcting deficiencies in their Social Security claims, they may be able to get the benefits they deserve.
Source: thehill.com, "Report: Social Security wrongly awards $2B in disability claims", David Mccabe, Nov. 14, 2014