The Social Security Administration has taken steps to address conflicting court decisions but needs to manage data better on an increasing number of court remands, GAO has said.
In fiscal 2005 SSA provided about $128 billion in benefits to 12.8 million people and their families, and claimants who are denied benefits can appeal in federal courts.
Between fiscal 1995 and 2005 the number of appeals reviewed increased, as did those that were remanded — in fact more than those affirmed, reversed or dismissed, so that the portion of decisions that were remands averaged 50 percent, according to GAO-07-331.
It said that heavy workloads prompted a range of errors causing the remands, but that data to confirm or clarify that issue — its collected by two different offices – is either incomplete or poorly managed.
The agency has a process for determining whether appellate court decisions conflict with the agency’s interpretation of disability statutes or regulations and has taken steps in recent years to align its national policies with appellate court decisions, GAO said.
It said for example that officials and stakeholders attributed a downward trend in appellate court decisions that conflict with agency policy to significant policy changes instituted by SSA in the mid-1990s.
GAO also found that the timeliness of acquiescence rulings had improved since 1998, when SSA established a timeliness goal of 120 days.
