Pubdate: Wed, 13 Sep 2000 Source: Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (TX) Copyright: 2000 The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Contact: http://www.lubbockonline.com/interactive/edit.shtml Website: http://www.lubbockonline.com/ Forum: http://chat.lubbockonline.com:90/eshare/ ADDICTS ON DISABILITY OVERESTIMATED WASHINGTON (Associated Press) Social Security Administration officials Tuesday defended the agency from criticism that it had mishandled efforts to purge alcoholics and drug addicts from the disability rolls. The agency responded that its findings indicated the number of alcoholics and drug addicts mistakenly receiving benefits was much smaller than originally estimated in an independent audit. "The results are that a total of 339 ... were found to be improperly receiving benefits," Kenneth Nibali, associate commissioner for disability for the Social Security Administration, told the House Budget Committee's Task Force on Welfare Tuesday. "In retrospect we can see that we should have initially reviewed even those cases." Nibali's comments were in response to a May report by the agency's inspector general, estimating that about 3,190 individuals were incorrectly paid $38.7 million in disability and Social Security benefits. He said the agency did find just over 2,000 others in its review that were released from the rolls for unrelated reasons. "We took action as soon as the Inspector General brought this to our attention," Nibali said. Congress in 1996 passed a law eliminating drug addiction and alcoholism as legal qualifications for Social Security and disability benefits. Substance abusers who have other conditions that qualify them for benefits remain eligible, but eligibility was terminated for those who would not be disabled if they stopped abusing drugs or alcohol. Shortly after the law was passed, the agency notified more than 209,000 beneficiaries that their benefits would be terminated. By the end of 1998, benefits for those more than half of those individuals had stopped. The others were determined to be still eligible for assistance. Lawmakers Tuesday questioned the agency on why it took so long to clear the rolls. "Each dollar used inappropriately in payments to these people could have been better used in their treatment or to provide assistance to other disabled individuals," said Rep. Jim Nussle, chairman of the task force. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens