NCJ Number
149303
Date Published
1994
Length
183 pages
Annotation
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sponsored a 3-year demonstration project to explore the feasibility of forming intergovernmental partnerships between Social Security Administration (SSA) field personnel and State law enforcement agencies to establish criminal history screening procedures involving fingerprinting payee applicants, and to help the SSA determine the usefulness of State criminal history records (CHRs) as a source of information concerning payees' trustworthiness.
Abstract
The study found that it was feasible for SSA to work with State and local criminal justice agencies to establish systems through which SSA could obtain State CHR information regarding payee applicants. The results indicated that a CHR screening requirement would not adversely affect payee candidates' willingness to proceed with the application process. Five percent of applicants screened during the period of the demonstration project had histories of felony convictions; of these, 46 percent nonetheless were appointed to serve as SSA payees. To arrive at a final decision vis-a-vis the efficacy of payee CHR background checks, SSA will need to weigh cost management, accountability, and public safety considerations. 17 figures, 68 references, and 4 appendixes