The Social Security Administration announced significant improvements to the Supplemental Security Income program designed to reduce improper payments and enhance service delivery for vulnerable Americans. The announcement, contained in the 2026 Annual Report of the SSI Program transmitted to Congress on July 24, highlights initiatives implemented under Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano’s leadership.
The improvements stem from an SSI Improvement Team that Commissioner Bisignano created in September 2025 to streamline processing, reduce improper payments, and help recipients comply with program requirements. The team reviewed more than 170 recommendations and identified policy improvements that the agency could implement quickly.
One of the cornerstone initiatives is the full implementation of the Payroll Information Exchange, or PIE, which reached full-scale monthly exchanges in September 2025. PIE automates the collection of wage and employment information directly from payroll data providers, allowing the agency to obtain employer wage reports from the prior month for SSI recipients who authorize the exchange. This automated process prevents improper payments by providing timely wage reporting and reduces the reporting burden on recipients themselves.
The agency has also expanded its use of the Access to Financial Information tool, which verifies financial account balances to identify assets that may affect SSI eligibility. Since excess resources represent a major cause of improper payments, identifying them early allows SSA to make accurate payments and avoid large overpayments. According to SSA’s financial reporting, the leading cause of SSI improper payments is financial accounts with countable resources exceeding allowable limits.
Additional improvements include streamlining SSI policy instructions for greater transparency, deploying technology and call segmentation to provide better customer service, and strengthening the control environment through tools like the SSI non-medical redetermination process. Under this process, SSA conducts scheduled interviews of all non-medical factors to determine ongoing SSI eligibility.
The SSI program serves more than seven million Americans aged, blind, or disabled with limited resources, providing monthly cash benefits to help meet basic needs of food and shelter. In 2026, the maximum federal benefit is $994 per month for an eligible individual and $1,491 for an eligible couple.
The announcement reflects a broader effort to address the complexity of SSI administration. The program, while smaller than overall Social Security retirement benefits, requires significant administrative resources and accounts for a substantial portion of the agency’s improper payments in dollar terms. Commissioner Bisignano stated that the improvements make “the program better for the people who rely on it and the SSA employees who support them.”
Sources
- Social Security Administration — Official press release (July 24, 2026) announcing SSI improvements and citing the 2026 Annual Report of the SSI Program
- Social Security Administration — Advocates newsletter (February 18, 2026) detailing the SSI Improvement Team creation and implemented improvements including PIE and AFI expansion
- Social Security Administration — Financial reporting on SSI program structure and resource limits
