How Fraud is Messing Up our Social Security Disability Program

How would you feel if we told you that last year the federal government paid out $110 billion in improper payments?  You’d probably feel outraged, and rightly so.  This is money that is going out to people who don’t deserve it because of human error or outright fraud.

If the government were not wasting $110 billion a year, that money would be available to pay for necessary programs like the Social Security Disability program, which helps millions of Americans who would be unable to survive without assistance.

Fraud happens across all government agencies, and the Social Security Administration is one of them.  In a six month period, the SSA received over 75,000 allegations that fraudulent payments had been made across the U.S.  During this half-year period, 300 people were arrested, over 400 people were charged and almost 800 people were convicted of trying to defraud the SSA.

How are people defrauding the SSA and making it harder for disability claims applicants to get the benefits they need?  The most common type of fraud is committed by a family member who fails to notify the SSA that a disability benefits recipient has passed away.  The family member then keeps the disability checks for themselves – sometimes for many years.

Until the government finds a way to stamp out fraud and waste, billions of dollars will continue to be lost.  It’s no wonder that Social Security is in such dire straits.