A recent piece in the Huffington Posts demonstrates the absurdity of a proposal to cut $752 million dollars from the “program integrity” department of the Social Security Administration. The department is responsible for periodic reviews of recipients’ continued income eligibility and medical status. According to the article, Social Security Chief Actuary Stephen Gross estimates that every dollar spent on reviews saves $6, while each dollar spent on SSI redeterminations saves $9. So, the proposed $752 million cut could end up costing $5 to $6 billion dollars.
