Congressional Response Report: The Social Security Administration’s Rehired Annuitants
Office Affiliation: The Office of Audit
Audit Report Number: A-13-15-25018
The Social Security Administration (SSA), like many other Federal agencies, is facing the loss of its most experienced employees. To address this challenge, agencies are rehiring former employees (annuitants). Generally, an annuitant’s salary is subject to a deduction (offset) in the amount of the annuity. However, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2010 gives agencies the authority to temporarily waive this requirement to allow for dual compensation of the salary and annuity. This authority expired in October 2014. However, pending legislation would extend this authority until 2019.
Before NDAA was enacted, SSA received agency-specific waiver authorities from the Office of Personnel Management to reemploy annuitants with dual-compensation waivers.
On June 17, 2014, we received a letter from U.S. Representative Sam Johnson, Chairman, House Subcommittee on Social Security, Committee on Ways and Means, requesting that we provide information on SSA’s annuitants.