2012 Annual Report of the SSI Program

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E. THE SSI PROGRAM’S SHARE OF SSA’S ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS
AND BENEFICIARY SERVICES COSTS
The Social Security Administration administers the SSI program, but unlike the OASDI program, general revenues fund the SSI program. When the SSI program began in 1972, the agency's existing field office network and its automated data processing capabilities made it uniquely qualified to administer the program. Since the administration of the SSI and OASDI programs is integrated, it is more practical to fund them from a single source. The trust funds and the general fund pay their appropriate share of administrative expenses into SSA's Limitation on Administrative Expenses (LAE) account, which funds the total operating expenses of the agency. A Government Accountability Office approved method of cost analysis determines the appropriate share of administrative expenses borne by each funding source, and a final settlement of costs occurs by the end of the subsequent fiscal year. If necessary, section 201(g)(1) of the Social Security Act provides that the Social Security trust funds may finance SSI administrative expenses, including Federal administration of State supplementation payments. General revenues subsequently reimburse the trust funds, including any interest lost.
The SSI program also provides beneficiary services to recipients through State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies and Employment Networks for VR services and payments under the Ticket to Work program. VR strives to help individuals with disabilities achieve and sustain productive, self-supporting work activity.
 
Table IV.E1.—Selected SSI Costs, Fiscal Years 1978‑2012
[Outlays in millions]  
Beneficiary
services b
c 84.0
d 3,766

a
Includes user fees charged to participating States to reimburse SSA for the costs of administering their SSI State supplementation program.

b
We include payments for referral and monitoring services for drug addicts and alcoholics through December 1996; these payments were terminated effective January 1997.

c
Reflects a one-time payment to State VR agencies for prior year expenses.

d
This amount does not include the extra $46 million that the President’s Budget proposes to provide, which is the SSI share of the additional $140 million in funding allowed by the cap adjustment for program integrity, as authorized by section 251(b)(2)(B) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended.


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