SOCIAL SECURITY
Office of the Inspector General
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION BALTIMORE MD 21235-0001
March 1, 2010
The Honorable Claire McCaskill
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Senator McCaskill:
In an August 4, 2009 letter, you asked that we determine whether the Social Security
Administration (SSA) is dedicating adequate resources to address the pending hearings
backlog in the Kansas City Region and, more specifically, the State of Missouri. To
address these issues, we reviewed pending hearing claims reports and related data;
analyzed hearing office staffing and productivity reports; assessed the status of various
initiatives aimed at reducing the pending hearings backlog; and spoke to management
and staff in Missouri hearing offices, the Kansas City Regional Chief Administrative Law
Judge’s office, and the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review’s Headquarters.
My office is committed to combating fraud, waste, and abuse in SSA’s operations and
programs. Thank you for bringing your concerns to my attention. The report highlights
various facts pertaining to the issues raised in your letter. To ensure SSA is aware of
the information provided to your office, we are forwarding a copy of this report to the
Agency.
If you have any questions concerning this matter, please call me or have your staff
contact Misha Kelly, Congressional and Intra-Governmental Liaison, at (202) 358-6319.
Sincerely,
Patrick P. O’Carroll, Jr.
Inspector General
Enclosure
cc:
Michael J. Astrue
CONGRESSIONAL RESPONSE
REPORT
Hearing Office Backlogs
in Missouri
A-12-10-21039
March 2010
Mission
By conducting independent and objective audits, evaluations and investigations,
we inspire public confidence in the integrity and security of SSA’s programs and
operations and protect them against fraud, waste and abu