The Improper Payments and Elimination and Recovery Act: An Analysis of Five Years of Data

House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) released a staff report titled, The Improper Payments and Elimination and Recovery Act: An Analysis of Five Years of Data. Here’s a look at a few key figures.

$137B	In FY 2015, the federal government reported $137 billion in improper payments.
90%	OMB reports that more than 90 percent of FY 2015 improper payments are overpayments.
75%	HHS, SSA, and VA account for approximately 75 percent of the government-wide improper payments.
$90B	The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was responsible for $90 billion in improper payments in FY 2015.
$9.8B	The amount of improper payments reported by the Social Security Administration (SSA) inFY 2015.
$5B	The amount of improper payments reported by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in FY 2015.
9	The number of CFO Act agencies that have NEVER complied with Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act (IPERA) requirements.
16	The number of CFO Act agencies that did not comply with IPERA requirements in FY 2015.

Background: The Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations held a hearing on September 22, titled “Examining Billion Dollar Waste Through Improper Payments”.