For New Pittsburgh Courier
The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that The Social Security Administration and its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) announced the expansion of its successful anti-fraud initiative, the Cooperative Disability Investigations (CDI) Program. CDI Units identify, investigate, and prevent Social Security disability fraud. Three new statewide offices recently opened across the country, in Bismarck, North Dakota; Boise, Idaho; and Helena, Montana. In addition, the Puerto Rico office has expanded their investigative scope to include cases in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The CDI Program helps to resolve 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 we are committed to detecting and preventing it. Our CDI Program serves a vital role in that commitment,” said Andrew Saul, Commissioner of Social Security. “We diligently work at the national and local levels to stop fraud and carry out our mission of delivering quality Social Security services to the public.”
The CDI Program consists of 46 units covering 40 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. Social Security and OIG have opened several units in the last few years as they work together to provide CDI coverage for all 50 states by 2022.
“We are pleased to announce this expansion of the CDI Program as we move closer to our goal of covering all 50 States. CDI has a significant impact on the integrity of Social Security’s disability programs, and is an important resource for those making disability determinations,” said Inspector General Gail S. Ennis. “This initiative is successful at preventing fraud in part due to the vital role of interagency partnerships, so we welcome Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota as they join this effort.”
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 and Social Security’s anti-fraud website at www.socialsecurity.gov/antifraudfacts/.
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