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Richard Hillman, managing director, Forensic Audits & Investigative Service, GAO, on the cost of disability “double-dipping” to taxpayers.
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Debt hit a record sixteen trillion dollars and think the government would be doing at mostly everything they -- to cut down on unnecessary spending right I would.
But a new audit by the Government Accountability Office finds that with the most recent data available.
-- -- a 1171000.
People double -- other disability and unemployment benefits costing taxpayers.
It's you and me by the -- 850.
Million dollars I'd like bring in rich -- he's been.
-- -- forensic audits and human services the GAO Rick thanks for joining us let's get right to -- necessarily illegal right.
That's correct.
Regulations on both the disability insurance program and the unemployment insurance program under certain circumstances.
Allows for individuals to collect.
Disability insurance and unemployment insurance together.
So under certain circumstances that mean everybody in this group called -- for those circumstances are or are what are the circumstances.
Absolutely not.
There's a potential that the payments that we uncovered these concurrent payments.
Are authorized and the legitimate payments there's also concern that some of these payments may be improper payments and still others potentially fraudulent.
Yes I mean it and the real idea behind it is that the government is replacing a portion of lost income not once but twice -- that's what these project these programs are really forced to replace somebody.
Who's either you know temporarily out of work -- has a disability the idea is not to replace it twice.
And some people take advantage in make out quite well there's one person for instance that racked up a -- 62000 dollars and 2010.
By tapping both.
But that also having a job on the -- how this has happened.
The.
Disability insurance program is designed to help to ensure that individuals who are able to can't get back into the employee.
Environment.
So they encourage individuals to go back to work.
Up to a level for example of what they refer to as substantial painful.
Activity which is about a thousand dollars a month for the average individual.
So.
If that individual who's receiving disability insurance is also.
Doing work up to this substantial meaningful activity and then loses that job.
Under current regulations they're eligible for unemployment insurance what you're looking at this in the first place how -- the investigation started.
Be permanent subcommittee on investigations.
Senators Coburn.
And -- and were concerned about the.
Serious fiscal sustainability challenges of the disability insurance program.
And the unemployment insurance program and they asked us to take a look at how the potentially address some of these challenges.
So now that we know about it how do we stop this from continuing because this is the frustration with everything we found out about the GSA we heard about it.
And then it continue can we make this stop.
Absolutely and one of the -- is better coordination and communication between regulatory agencies.
Right now there is no legal requirement for the -- security administration and the Department of Labor to look at these concurrent.
-- payments.
And -- -- Changes and legislation.
They could perhaps better steer and assess the extent to which these payments are appropriate or improper.
Aren't regularly we're gonna keep an eye on it because we just can't afford this right now thanks for Lebanon.
Thanks so much.
Summing up for two weeks in the European debt crisis you know what it's exactly where I left it -- -- holds its breath for ECB rescue plan.
On Thursday -- got details of that coming up next blasts.
That extra money you have blown on organic foods they'd be better spent throwing it down the drain -- now.
Piles of money coming up in your spending it on organic food soon.
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