The General Accounting Office said in a report on Tuesday that the fugitive felon program, operated by the Social Security Administration, needs to upgrade its technology to access federal and state databases of warrants.
The process for tracking ineligible recipients is "complex and fragmented," said the report, which was requested by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee.
Citing problems, the General Accounting Office, Congress' investigative and auditing arm, said the administration doesn't have the capability to get warrant information from law enforcement agencies online. This means the FBI and other agencies must send the administration information on tapes and computer disks.
That awkward process can take up to 165 days, the report said.
The audit was critical that some states report warrant information on a voluntary basis. It also noted that some states involved in the program haven't reported warrants at all.
Problems could be resolved if the agency would appoint a manager to oversee the program and if officials would assess how to use technology to speed the tracking process, the report said.
The Social Security Administration disagreed with some of the suggestions. In a written response, the agency said that a program manager isn't necessary because it has adequate managers within the administration and the inspector general's office.
The fugitive felon program has helped identify more than 45,000 felons who improperly collected about $81 million in benefits since the program was started in 1996.
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