The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Proposed 2015 Budget

The President has submitted to Congress a proposed fiscal year 2015 budget for the SSA.
Generally, the SSA receives around $800 million less funding than the President requests. If, in 2015, however, the SSA receives the full amount proposed by the President, it expects to be able to conduct about 888,000 full continuing disability reviews (CDRs) thanks to funds allocated to program integrity via the Budget Control Act.

What is troubling about the proposed 2015 budget is how it will affect things at the hearing level. The SSA expects that average processing times will continue to rise due to under-funding, and that retirement claims will reach record highs due to aging baby boomers.

The President’s proposed 2015 budget for the SSA also includes provisions for:

-A doubling of Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Fraud Prosecutors
-Adding 7 new Cooperative Disability Investigation unit (CDIUs) sites
-Expanding the SSA’s online medical appeals capabilities

Whether Congress fulfills the President’s request in full remains to be seen.