FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact: (202) 225-1025
July 14, 1998
No. HR-16
Congressman E. Clay Shaw, Jr., (R-FL), Chairman, Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on reforms to prevent Supplemental Security Income (SSI) fraud and abuse. The hearing will take place on Tuesday, July 21, 1998, in room B-318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, beginning at 1:00 p.m.
Oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. Invited witnesses include the Commissioner of Social Security as well as investigators from the Social Security Administration's (SSA) Office of the Inspector General, who have uncovered cases of SSI fraud and abuse around the country. Any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.
BACKGROUND:
The Federal SSI program provides $25 billion in annual cash benefits to more than 6.5 million aged, blind, and disabled individuals. Since 1997, the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) has included SSI on its list of government programs at "high risk" for waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. Previously, the Subcommittee held a joint hearing with the Social Security Subcommittee on March 12, 1998, to explore challenges facing the new Social Security Commissioner, including problems with SSI fraud and abuse. The Subcommittee held another hearing on April 21, 1998, on examples of SSI fraud and abuse. In recent months, the Subcommittee has been examining reform proposals made by the Commissioner, the SSA Inspector General, and the GAO to prevent further fraud and abuse. As a result, Chairman Shaw and several members of the Subcommittee are expected shortly to introduce legislation designed to: prevent continued SSI benefits for recipients who have died, prevent prisoners from receiving Federal benefits by requiring the sharing of prisoner information among Federal agencies, stop those falsely claiming residence in the United States from collecting SSI benefits, improve the collection of mispayments especially to former prisoners and individuals receiving other benefits, and bar doctors and attorneys who commit fraud from participating in the SSI program and require restitution.
In announcing the hearing, Chairman Shaw stated: "The fact that SSI remains on the list of government programs open to abuse is an ongoing tragedy for deserving recipients and taxpayers alike. This hearing is part of our ongoing efforts to repair SSI so recipients are reassured that benefits will be there for them, and taxpayers know their money is helping the truly needy. Abuses such as providing guaranteed monthly disability checks to prisoners, residents of other countries, and even the deceased, undermine both goals, and we must put a stop to such abuses."
FOCUS OF THE HEARING:
The hearing will focus on fraud and abuse in the SSI program, and especially specific reform proposals under consideration by the Subcommittee.
DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:
Any person or organization wishing to submit a written statement for the printed record of the hearing should submit six (6) single-spaced copies of their statement, along with an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect 5.1 format, with their name, address, and hearing date noted on a label, by the close of business, Tuesday, August 4, 1998, to A.L. Singleton, Chief of Staff, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives, 1102 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. If those filing written statements wish to have their statements distributed to the press and interested public at the hearing, they may deliver 200 additional copies for this purpose to the Subcommittee on Human Resources office, room B-317 Rayburn House Office Building, at least one hour before the hearing begins.
FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:
Each statement presented for printing to the Committee by a witness, any written statement or exhibit submitted for the printed record or any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below. Any statement or exhibit not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
1. All statements and any accompanying exhibits for printing must be submitted on an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette WordPerfect 5.1 format, typed in single space and may not exceed a total of 10 pages including attachments. Witnesses are advised that the Committee will rely on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.
2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased. All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
3. A witness appearing at a public hearing, or submitting a statement for the record of a public hearing, or submitting written comments in response to a published request for comments by the Committee, must include on his statement or submission a list of all clients, persons, or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.
4. A supplemental sheet must accompany each statement listing the name, company, address, telephone and fax numbers where the witness or the designated representative may be reached. This supplemental sheet will not be included in the printed record.
The above restrictions and limitations apply only to material being submitted for printing. Statements and exhibits or supplementary material submitted solely for distribution to the Members, the press, and the public during the course of a public hearing may be submitted in other forms.
The
Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with
disabilities. If you are in need of special accommodations, please
call 202-225-1721 or 202-226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event
(four business days notice is requested). Questions with regard to
special accommodation needs in general (including availability of
Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the
Committee as noted above.