The Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program, commonly known as Social Security, is the most well-known of these programs. SSA is also responsible for carrying out two cash assistance programs for certain groups of low-income individuals: (1) Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled and (2) Special Benefits for Certain World War II Veterans. This report provides background on SSA's core programs and related mandatory spending but its focus is on SSA's annual discretionary appropriations for administrative expenses. SSA estimates that the average number of federal beneficiaries of its core programs (adjusted for double counting) will be 68.4 million in FY2017. FY2017 Budget Request and Appropriations for SSA

Although benefit payments for SSA's programs are considered mandatory spending and thus are not controlled by the annual appropriations process, the agency requires annual discretionary appropriations to carry out its programs and to support the administration of non-SSA programs, such as Medicare. SSA's accounts are traditionally funded via the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriations bill. Nearly this entire amount is from subjecting a portion of Social Security benefits to federal personal income tax. Limitation on Administrative Expenses

The appropriation for the LAE account funds SSA's administrative costs associated with the OASI, SSDI, SSI, and Special Benefits for Certain World War II Veterans programs as well as costs incurred by the agency to support Medicare and certain other non-SSA programs. The FY2017 President's budget request for SSA's LAE account is $13.1 billion. Program Integrity Activities

The FY2017 President's budget request includes $1.8 billion for costs associated with SSA's program integrity activities, which include continuing disability reviews (CDRs) and SSI redeterminations.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is responsible for administering a number of federal entitlement programs that provide income support (cash benefits) to qualified individuals. These programs are
Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI), commonly known as Social Security; Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled; and Special Benefits for Certain World War II Veterans.
In FY2017, SSA's programs are projected to pay a combined $1.0 trillion in federal benefits to 68.4 million recipients. Spending on administrative costs for these programs is projected to be about 1.3% of benefit outlays.
Although benefit payments for SSA's programs are considered mandatory spending and thus are not controlled by the annual appropriations process, the agency requires annual discretionary appropriations to carry out its programs and to support the administration of non-SSA programs, such as Medicare. SSA's funding is part of the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriations bill.
The FY2017 President's budget request for SSA's limitation on administrative expenses (LAE) account, which funds virtually all of SSA's operations, is $13.1 billion. Of this amount, $1.8 billion is for program integrity activities, which include continuing disability reviews (CDRs) and SSI non-medical redeterminations. The total FY2016 appropriation for SSA's LAE account was $12.2 billion, with $1.4 billion dedicated to program integrity work.
This report provides an overview of SSA's mandatory spending but focuses primarily on discretionary appropriations for the agency's administrative expenses.