Individuals Who Have Appeals or New Claims After Cooperative Disability Investigations May Have Supported Prior Denial or Cessation Determinations
Office Affiliation: The Office of Audit
Audit Report Number: A-07-16-50137
We issued this report to determine whether electronic folders for subsequent appeals or new claims contained documentation of Cooperative Disability Investigation (CDI) Units’ reports of investigations (ROI) that may have provided evidence to support prior denial or cessation determinations.
In Fiscal Year (FY) 1998, the Social Security Administration (SSA) and Office of the Inspector General (OIG) jointly established the CDI program. The CDI program pools the resources and expertise of SSA, OIG, State disability determination services (DDS), and State or local law enforcement agencies to prevent fraud in SSA’s disability programs. CDI Units investigate disability cases under SSA’s Title II and XVI programs. The CDI program’s primary mission is to obtain evidence that can resolve questions of potential fraud before benefits are paid. CDI Units also provide reports to DDS examiners on questionable in-payment beneficiaries during continuing disability reviews. As of March 2016, there were 37 CDI Units covering 32 States; Washington, D.C.; and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. SSA plans to add one additional CDI Unit in FY 2016.