Dold convenes hearing exploring ways to preserve Social Security, prevent waste, fraud

U.S. Rep. Bob Dold (R-IL) convened a hearing on Wednesday that explored what the Social Security Administration (SSA) can do to prevent waste, fraud and abuse without compromising services.

Dold, a member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, convened the hearing to explore challenges facing SSA and how SSA can better protect taxpayer dollars.

“As you know well hardworking taxpayers fund the Social Security Administration and they rightly expect that Social Security will do all it can to prevent waste, fraud and abuse,” Dold said in his opening remarks. “So, when Americans hear and read in the news stories about hundreds of millions of dollars of fraud in Puerto Rico and New York, or the agency spending over $300 million on an IT project that has yet to work, you can’t blame them for asking questions. Sometimes Social Security’s track record doesn’t inspire confidence.”

Dold questioned retiring SSA Inspector General Patrick O’Carroll about what can be done to “save taxpayer dollars without compromising the service to the public.”

Carroll cited the Disability Case Processing System as a serious cause for concern. The agency has spent more than $300 million on software that is not yet complete to process disability cases.

“As members of this subcommittee, it is our job to make sure that Social Security is spending their money in a way that doesn’t violate the taxpayer’s trust by paying benefits to those trying to cheat the system or wasting funds on projects that don’t work,” Dold said.

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) said that fraud continues to be a major concern and could harm taxpayers and beneficiaries in the future.

“The huge difference between a private entity running a business and the federal government running a business is in the private entity, if it’s not able to control fraud it goes out of business,” Kelly said. “In a government entity, all we do is throw more money at it and say that hardworking American taxpayers are going to have to find a way to cough up more money. The real fixes are there. The question is do we have the stomach to do what’s necessary to keep this program into effect.”

U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH) noted that fraud could put people at immediate risk because SSA includes Social Security numbers on documents, leaving them susceptible to identity fraud.