A federal report finds billions of dollars being wasted through botched Social Security payments. The report from the U.S. Inspector General, requested by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, found 15-percent of all disability beneficiaries were overpaid between October of 2003 and November of 2005. Some of the errors were caught and fixed, but Grassley says others were not.
He says “There’s some progress made but not enough made. Billions of dollars are being wasted and the amount that is saved is not enough. We shouldn’t rest until every dollar that’s wasted under Social Security and disability programs from overpayment is recaptured.”
Grassley says the report found the agency fixed nearly nine-billion dollars in previous overpayment errors, but still missed more than five-billion. Grassley says “We need to move ahead with greater policing of the illicit payments and get these payments under control.” He says the Social Security Administration has set up procedures to detect and prevent the vast majority of improper payments. “They should be commended for their efforts. However, as this report shows, they need to make additional efforts to fully address the problem.”