The Social Security investigation and review, Operations at the Social Security Administration's Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Office of Hearings and Appeals, were initiated as a follow-up by the OIG to concerns raised about constituents not receiving the level of service they deserved from the Milwaukee Hearings Office. These issues were raised during a September 25th hearing before the Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee and in letters from Senator Herb Kohl, Senator Russell Feingold and Congressman Jerry Kleczka.
Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) December 5 2003--An Inspector General investigation and follow-up review of Social Securitys Milwaukee Hearing Office identified opportunities for management improvement and employee performance concerns. Although the investigators found no evidence of criminal activity, the review did find problems with the timeliness of processing of Social Security claims. For example, the backlog of cases increased 91 percent from Fiscal Year 2002 to Fiscal Year 2003. Left unaddressed, claimants could be waiting on average about 1.6 years before receiving a decision notice on their claim. The review also found issues related to security.
Inspector General James G. Huse, Jr. stated, While most Social Security offices run effectively and efficiently, the fact remains that some offices have management problems which require Social Security to continue its efforts to monitor their performance and sustain its laudable service delivery record."
The investigation and the review, Operations at the Social Security Administration's Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Office of Hearings and Appeals, http://www.ssa.gov/oig/ADOBEPDF/A-13-03-23091.pdf were initiated as a follow-up by the Social Security Inspector General to concerns raised in a September 25th hearing about significant problems in agency offices before the Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee and in letters from Senator Herb Kohl, Senator Russell Feingold and Congressman Jerry Kleczka, who expressed concern about constituents not receiving the level of service they deserved from the Milwaukee Hearings Office.
An earlier review of the same office conducted in February 2003 by Social Securitys own Office of Hearings and Appeals Chicago Regional Office identified several deficiencies in the Milwaukee Hearings Offices operations, including problems with caseload management, decision writing, administrative issues, and computer systems, as well as health, safety, and security issues. The Regional Offices report identified numerous deficiencies and actions Social Security has taken to address them. One of the ways the Social Security plans to address these problems is through the quick decision" track recently announced by Commissioner Jo Anne Barnhart. This new process is intended to improve response time across the board.
The Office of Hearings and Appeals is responsible for conducting hearings and issuing decisions determining whether a person may receive benefits. Hearings are held before an administrative law judge, who conducts the hearing and issues a written decision. Cases involving disability under the Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs account for 90 percent of the hearings offices work. The Office of Hearings and Appeals consists of 10 regional offices and approximately 140 hearing offices nationwide.
Social Security fraud impacts everyone. Suspected fraud can be reported anonymously to the SSA Hotline number at 1-800-269-0271.
For more information about the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector Generals investigations and audits, please see our homepage at: www.socialsecurity.gov/oig/
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