SSI Chief –
‘Children's Disability Program Flawed’

 

The commissioner of the Social Security Administration for the first time publicly acknowledged in May that there are major flaws with the $10 billion children’s disability program his agency oversees and said he was aggressively seeking congressional approval to conduct an independent scientific study of the program’s weaknesses.

In an extensive interview at the Globe, Michael Astrue said that such a study, which would cost about $10 million, could provide a dispassionate, scientific basis for changing aspects of the children’s Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, which can be overhauled only by congressional decree. The best organization to identify problems within the swiftly growing program, he said, is the Institute of Medicine, the nonprofit health research wing of the National Academy of Sciences.

Astrue’s comments come after last December’s Globe series detailing troubling incentives within this program, including children being placed on psychotropic drugs to try to boost eligibility. The series prompted some federal lawmakers to call for public hearings, while a study by the investigative arm of Congress is also underway.

Full article on Boston.com …

 

5/11