Social Security urged to upgrade data systems to meet increased demand

The Social Security Administration has thus far been able to support its systems that exchange information with other federal and state agencies, but will need to make upgrades to ensure the exchanges can handle future demands, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.

The Social Security Administration operates more than 800 data exchanges, which allow the agency to send electronic information to state and local partners and receive it from them. Uses for the data include processing and distributing entitlement payments and validating the identity of people applying for driver's licenses.

State and federal agencies that GAO surveyed for the report said SSA had done an adequate job of providing data and support. They said the agency was responsive when problems arose and didn't allow systems-related issues to adversely affect operations. Most agencies surveyed reported no problems with the data exchange systems.

A number of SSA officials anticipate greater demands on the data exchanges, however. One reason is the recent expansion of the Homeland Security Department's E-Verify program, which uses Social Security numbers to check the employment eligibility of newly hired workers.

"Although SSA's existing IT infrastructure is sufficient to support current outgoing data exchanges, SSA officials and the agency's partners anticipate that the number of these exchanges will continue to increase and become more complex, placing greater demands on the infrastructure and systems," the report stated.

That will require a more cost-effective and efficient computing environment, so SSA is working to modernize its IT infrastructure, including the portions that support the data exchanges. Using $500 million in federal stimulus funds, the agency is building a new National Computing Center to replace its 30-year old database infrastructure. As part of the project, SSA officials are working to convert outdated software applications and expand the agency's physical processing capacity.

GAO warned, however, that SSA has not implemented the necessary IT management practices to effectively oversee the changes in the data exchanges. "If these analyses are not completed, SSA's ability to provide and maintain an IT infrastructure that meets requirements to effectively support its data exchange programs in the future could be at risk," the report concluded.

The report said SSA has not conducted a detailed analysis of the future workload for the data exchanges that will result from increased demands for personal information in real time. Specifically, it has not projected the increases in the total number of requests for data or for the need for more access points. The agency also has not developed a tactical plan for delivering electronic services, GAO's auditors said.

"In the absence of such analysis, SSA cannot be assured that it will achieve the robust data exchange architecture that it envisions," the report stated.

The auditors recommended SSA conduct a detailed analysis to project future workloads and define requirements for the next generation of data exchanges. GAO recommended that SSA use the results of that analysis to help formulate the agency's infrastructure modernization program.

SSA officials concurred with GAO's recommendations.