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Dear Colleague,

In September 2025, Commissioner Bisignano created a new SSI Improvement Team to make SSI processing more efficient, reduce improper payments, speed up automation, and help SSI recipients comply with program requirements.

We recognize SSI is a complex program and are working to simplify the program and make it easier for recipients to report changes, so we can improve payment accuracy. Although the SSI program is a smaller part of our overall benefit payments, it requires a significant portion of our agency administrative cost. Additionally, SSI payments make up a large part of the agency’s improper payments, in dollars.

This new office is working with internal and external stakeholders to identify and implement process, policy, and technology improvements aiming to maintain a steady flow of initiatives ready for implementation. We reviewed more than 170 recommendations and have identified policy improvements that we can implement quickly.

The agency has already made meaningful improvements, including:

• Fully implemented the Payroll Information Exchange (PIE), as authorized in law, and reached full-scale monthly exchanges in September 2025. We continue to run monthly verifications with a payroll data provider to obtain employer wage reports from the prior month for SSDI beneficiaries and SSI recipients and deemors who provide authorization. The use of PIE helps prevent improper payments with timely wage reporting and reduces the reporting burden for recipients and deemors.
• Expanded the use of Access to Financial Information data to identify assets that may affect SSI eligibility. Since excess resources are a major cause of improper payments, identifying them early allows us to make accurate payments and avoid large overpayments.

• Made policy updates and clarifications to improve efficiency and reduce burdens for both employees and recipients. These include:

  • Communicating digitally where available, such as using the Upload Documents feature in my Social Security accounts to avoid delays.
  • Clarifying rules about the transfer of a resource to avoid unnecessary development and reduce questions.
  • Providing clear, consolidated instructions for SSI interviews that emphasize reporting responsibilities and penalties for failure to make a timely report, at the beginning and end of the interview.
  • Simplifying guidance for in-kind support and maintenance in non-institutional care.
  • Clarifying how employees should determine Current Market Value when certain tools aren’t available.
  • Reminding employees that child support documentation can be submitted through Upload Documents and providing alternatives to the use of original evidence.
  • Improving efficiency when processing Form SSA-8045, SSI Facility Information and Determination, with a decision tree.
  • Clarifying income treatment for Settlement Awards and Inheritances by including examples of when we may not count the full award or settlement amounts.
  • Updating employee guidance for “Holding Out” cases to clarify that if both parties state they are not holding out and there is no evidence to the contrary, no further development is necessary – their statements are enough.

We also made several business process changes to improve payment accuracy. These include financial resource checks for all new SSI-Aged claims, a work plan to complete priority Limited Issue Redetermination workloads, and prioritizing the timely completion of all age-18 Continuing Disability Reviews.

We recognize that there is still significant work to do, especially in modernizing our systems to help employees complete actions efficiently and make it easier for recipients to report changes timely. With feedback from stakeholders and employees, we are finding technical solutions and analyzing our workflows to eliminate handoffs, automate manual tasks, and reduce the burden on SSI recipients. We are committed to making changes that improve operations and enhance the experience for both employees and the public.

Some identified enhancements will take more time to implement. We will continue to update you on our progress.

You and your clients can find comprehensive information about the SSI program at Understanding Supplemental Security Income (SSI) | Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Thank you for your commitment to helping connect people to the benefits and services they need. Please share this information with your members, colleagues, affiliates, and other interested parties.

Sincerely,

Sean Brune
SSI Program Lead
External.Relations@ssa.gov