US Social Security and OIG Announce Additional Anti-Fraud Units

SOCIAL SECURITY FRAUD - The Social Security Administration and its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) announced four new Cooperative Disability Investigations (CDI) Units opened across the country. CDI Units identify, investigate, and prevent Social Security disability fraud, and are a very successful part of the agency’s anti-fraud initiative. Four new statewide offices recently opened across the country, in Cheyenne, Wyoming; Las Vegas, Nevada; Manchester, New Hampshire; and Omaha, Nebraska.

The CDI Program helps ensure the integrity of Federal disability programs by resolving questions of potential fraud before benefits are ever paid. The innovative initiative continues to be successful by bringing together personnel from Social Security, its OIG, State Disability Determination Services (DDS), and local law enforcement agencies to investigate and analyze suspicious or questionable Social Security disability claims. CDI Unit efforts assist disability examiners in making informed decisions, ensure payment accuracy, and generate significant taxpayer savings for both Federal and State programs.

“Social Security has zero tolerance for fraud and the CDI Program serves a vital role in detecting potential fraud and preventing it,” said Andrew Saul, Commissioner of Social Security. “We tirelessly work at the national and local levels to stop would-be crooks and continue to be good stewards of taxpayer money by protecting the integrity of our programs.”

The CDI Program consists of 49 units covering 44 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. Social Security and OIG have opened many units in the last few years as they work together to provide CDI coverage for all 50 states by 2022.

“For more than 20 years, CDI investigations have made a significant impact on the integrity of Social Security’s disability programs and provided critical evidence for those making disability determinations,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for Social Security. “Through this investigative work, we have saved an estimated 7 billion dollars and helped deter those who fraudulently seek to receive or retain benefits. We welcome Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Wyoming as they join us in this important endeavor.”

Since 1997, when Social Security and OIG established CDI, its efforts have contributed to $4 billion in projected savings to Social Security’s programs, and $3 billion in projected savings to other Federal and State programs. For more information, please visit the OIG website at https://oig.ssa.gov/ and Social Security’s anti-fraud website at www.socialsecurity.gov/antifraudfacts/.

ABC Note: Cooperative Disability Investigations Units, SSA’s premier fraud investigation and prevention tool, were first established in 1998, with 5 CDI units. By 2010, SSA had expanded to 20 units. Despite declining resources, SSA has managed to open 5 more units (including one in Puerto Rico) since 2010. CDI investigations have saved American taxpayers $3.6 billion by denying or halting benefits to 30,000 fraudsters.

They have sent a powerful message that the government have zero tolerance for Social Security fraud. How CDI units work Each CDI unit includes a Special Agent from the Office of the Inspector General who serves as team leader, front-line SSA employees (including state disability determination services staff) who contribute programmatic expertise, and state or local law enforcement officers. Using their combined skills and knowledge, the units follow leads about individual and conspiracy fraud, both to ensure that justice is served in individual cases and to identify patterns of fraud and potential facilitators for future investigations.

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