Priority Open Recommendations: Social Security Administration

What GAO Found

In May 2024, GAO identified four priority recommendations for the Social Security Administration (SSA). Since then, GAO implemented one priority recommendation by documenting the assignment of key privacy roles to specified officials in its privacy program that protects personally identifiable information (PII). This can better ensure that privacy protections are adequately incorporated into systems with PII.

In May 2025, GAO did not identify any additional priority recommendations for SSA, bringing the total number to three. These recommendations involve the following areas:

• ensuring program integrity,
• making service delivery more efficient, and
• assessing software licenses.

SSA's attention to these issues could lead to significant improvements in government operations.

Why GAO Did This Study

Priority open recommendations are the GAO recommendations that warrant priority attention from heads of key departments or agencies because their implementation could save large amounts of money; improve congressional and/or executive branch decision-making on major issues; eliminate mismanagement, fraud, and abuse; or ensure that programs comply with laws and funds are legally spent, among other benefits. Since 2015 GAO has sent letters to selected agencies to highlight the importance of implementing such recommendations.

For more information, contact Cindy Brown Barnes at brownbarnesc@gao.gov.