September 11: Federal Assistance for New York Workers' Compensation Costs
Published: 2004-09-08T00:00:00

Fast Facts:

Highlights:
section_title: Why GAO Did This Study
paragraphs: In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Congress appropriated $175 million for the New York State Workers' Compensation Board (the Board) to assist with the resulting workers' compensation claims. These claims were filed by workers or volunteers (or survivors) who were injured, became ill, or died as a result of the attacks and the recovery efforts. Specifically, Congress provided federal funds to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for the Board in three earmarked portions: $125 million for processing of claims, and $25 million each to reimburse the state Uninsured Employers Fund (UEF) for benefits paid (1) for workers associated with uninsured employers and (2) for volunteers. DOL transferred the funds to the Board using a grant agreement. This testimony looks at the Board's use of the $175 million in federal funds and the status of September 11 workers' compensation claims. The testimony addresses: (1) how the federal funds have been used and (2) how many applications for compensation have been received and their status. In addition, we are continuing to gather information about whether the grant agreement and the appropriation act are consistent with the Board's use of the funds.
section_title: What GAO Found
paragraphs: As of June 30, 2004, of the $175 million in federal funds appropriated to help pay workers' compensation expenses related to the September 11 attacks and recovery, the New York State Workers' Compensation Board had used about $49 million. From the $125 million portion available for processing of claims, the Board had used about $44 million to reimburse two state entities--the New York State Crime Victims Board and the New York State Insurance Fund--for benefits those entities had paid to September 11 victims (or survivors). In addition, the Board had used about $4.4 million of the $125 million to prepare for responding to any future terrorist attacks. For example, the Board paid for new computer backup systems and new off-site storage contracts to ensure access to claims data in case of a disaster. At the time of our review, the Board had not yet used any of the $25 million that is available to reimburse the UEF for benefits the UEF paid to workers associated with uninsured employers (or survivors). However, the Board had used funds from the UEF to pay these benefits and was first trying to recoup these funds from the uninsured employers before drawing upon federal funds to reimburse for any unrecovered expense. Finally, the Board had used about $456,000 of the $25 million that is available to reimburse the UEF for benefits the UEF paid to volunteers (or survivors). The Board indicated that, as of mid-2004, it had received 10,182 claims for workers' compensation and 588 volunteer claims related to the September 11 attacks and recovery. Ninety percent of the workers' compensation claims had been resolved, that is, the Board had resolved all the issues that it could with the information available at that point. The remaining 10 percent of claims were pending, as the Board was waiting for additional information from claimants (such as medical evidence), hearings were yet to be held, or claimants had not pursued their case after initial filing. The Board officials noted that the status of claims was fluid: a resolved claim could change to pending if more information becomes available and the Board reopens the case. In addition, we were unable to report approval and denial rates of claims because, according to Board officials, the Board's core mission is to process individual claims and not track outcomes of claims decisions. For 52 percent of workers' compensation claims received, (1) a link had been established between the September 11 disaster and the resulting death, injury, or illness and benefits had been paid or were in the process of being paid, or (2) this link had been established but the Board had not authorized paying benefits. Of the 10,182 workers' compensation claims, 133 were associated with workers whose employers were uninsured. The Board had resolved 89 percent of these 133 claims. Of the 588 volunteer claims received, the Board had resolved 31 percent and 69 percent were pending. According to the Board, many of the volunteer claims were pending because the claimants were not actively pursuing their claims.

section_title: Letter
paragraphs: I am pleased to be here today to discuss New York State’s use of federal  funds provided for workers’ compensation expenses related to the  September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In the aftermath of the terrorist  attacks, Congress appropriated $175 million for the New York State  Workers’ Compensation Board (the Board) to assist with the resulting  workers’ compensation claims. These claims were filed by workers or  volunteers (or their survivors) who were injured, became ill, or died as a  result of the attacks and the recovery efforts. Specifically, Congress  provided federal funds to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for the  Board in three earmarked portions: $125 million for processing of claims  and $25 million each to reimburse the state Uninsured Employers Fund  (UEF) for benefits paid (1) for workers associated with uninsured  employers and (2) for volunteers. DOL transferred the funds to the Board  using a grant agreement. The federal funding provided to the Board is  distinct from several other federal efforts to provide assistance to victims  and survivors of the terrorist attacks. For example, Congress established  the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 to provide  compensation for individuals (or their survivors) who were injured or  killed as a result of the terrorist attacks.
My testimony today focuses on the Board’s use of the $175 million in  federal funds and the status of September 11 workers’ compensation  claims. Specifically, my testimony addresses: (1) how the federal funds  have been used and (2) how many applications for compensation have  been received and their status. My colleague’s testimony addresses the  health effects that have been observed in the aftermath of the  September 11 terrorist attacks.
We relied primarily on data provided by the Board to describe the use of  funds and the status of claims. However, we were unable to report  approval and denial rates of claims because, according to Board officials,  the Board’s core mission is to process individual claims and not track  outcomes of claims decisions. In addition, the status of claims represents a  point-in-time assessment that could change in the future. The Board  officials told us that the status of claims was fluid: a “resolved” claim (that  is, the Board had resolved all issues it could with the information available  at the time) could change to a “pending” claim if more information  becomes available and the Board reopens the case to consider the new  information. To assess the reliability of the Board data we used, we  requested information on Board systems for aggregating and reporting the  data and Board policies for ensuring data quality. We reviewed the  responses to our requests and determined that the aggregate data the  Board had provided to us was sufficiently reliable for the purposes of  providing descriptive information in our testimony. In addition, we  reviewed relevant legislation, federal grant documents, and New York’s  policies and procedures for filing and processing claims. We interviewed  Board officials, DOL officials, and representatives of selected worker and  volunteer groups who filed September 11 claims with the Board. We  conducted our review from February 2004 through August 2004 in  accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.
In summary, as of June 30, 2004, of the $175 million in federal funds  appropriated to help pay workers’ compensation expenses related to the  September 11 attacks and recovery, the New York State Workers’  Compensation Board had used about $49 million. From the $125 million  portion available for processing of claims, the Board had used about  $44 million to reimburse two state entities—the New York State Crime  Victims Board (CVB) and the New York State Insurance Fund (SIF)—for  benefits those entities had paid to September 11 victims (or their  survivors). In addition, the Board had used about $4.4 million of the  $125 million to prepare for responding to any future terrorist attacks. We  are continuing to gather information about whether the grant agreement’s  statement of work and the appropriation act are consistent with these uses  of the funds. At the time of our review, the Board had not yet used any of  the $25 million that is available to reimburse the Uninsured Employers  Fund (UEF) for benefits the UEF paid to workers associated with  uninsured employers (or their survivors). At the time of our review, the  Board had used funds from the UEF to pay these benefits and was first  trying to recoup these funds from the uninsured employers before drawing  upon federal funds to reimburse for any unrecovered expense. Finally, the  Board had used about $456,000 of the $25 million that is available to  reimburse the UEF for benefits the UEF paid to volunteers (or their  survivors).
The Board indicated that, as of mid-2004, it had received 10,182 claims for  workers’ compensation and 588 volunteer claims related to the  September 11 attacks and recovery. Ninety percent of the workers’  compensation claims had been resolved, that is, the Board had resolved all  the issues that it could with the information available at that point. The  remaining 10 percent of claims were pending, as the Board was waiting for  additional information from claimants (such as medical evidence),  hearings were yet to be held, or claimants had not pursued their case after  initial filing. For 52 percent of workers’ compensation claims received, (1)  a link had been established between the September 11 disaster and the  resulting death, injury, or illness and benefits had been paid or were in the  process of being paid, or (2) this link had been established but the Board  had not authorized paying benefits. Of the 10,182 workers’ compensation  claims, 133 were associated with workers whose employers were  uninsured. The Board had resolved 89 percent of these 133 claims. Of the  588 volunteer claims received, the Board had resolved 31 percent and  69 percent were pending. According to the Board, many of the volunteer  claims were pending because the claimants were not actively pursuing  their claims.
The Board provided oral comments on a draft of GAO’s findings. GAO  incorporated these comments as appropriate.
subsections: section_title: Background
paragraphs: The New York State Workers’ Compensation Board administers the state  workers’ compensation program and processes claims for workers’  compensation benefits. These benefits go to workers who are injured at  work or become ill because of workplace conditions and to survivors of  workers who die because of their work-related injury or illness. New York  State requires employers to provide workers’ compensation insurance— either from the State Insurance Fund (SIF), a private insurance carrier, or  self-insurance—to pay cash and/or provide medical benefits for workers  who qualify for coverage. Because some employers do not comply with  this requirement, the state maintains a UEF to provide workers’  compensation benefits for workers associated with uninsured employers.  To administer the state workers’ compensation program, the Board  reviews claims to determine whether a worker is eligible to receive  workers’ compensation benefits. In simplified form, the workers’  compensation claims process includes the following steps:    An individual files a claim.
An insurer can challenge the claim if it questions the validity of the  claim.
The Board resolves some cases without a hearing, while for others the  Board holds a hearing or a series of hearings before a Workers’  Compensation Administrative Law Judge with interested parties  present, such as claimants, employers, and insurance carriers.
The Board makes a final decision whether or not benefits are to be  awarded to the claimant. For claims approved, insurance carriers, self- insured employers, or the UEF makes direct payments to the claimant.
Either the claimant or insurer can appeal this decision. The appeal  process involves successively higher levels of appeal; the highest level  is the New York State Court of Appeals.
As a result of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Congress appropriated  $175 million in federal funds to assist the New York State Workers’  Compensation Board with the resulting workers’ compensation claims.  Specifically, the law provided the funds in three earmarked portions:  $125 million “for payment to the New York State Workers’ Compensation  Review (sic) Board, for the processing of claims related to the terrorist  attacks”; $25 million “for payment to the New York State Uninsured  Employers Fund, for reimbursement of claims related to the terrorist  attacks”; and $25 million “for payment to the New York State Uninsured  Employers Fund, for reimbursement of claims related to the first response  emergency services personnel who were injured, were disabled, or died  due to the terrorist attacks.” The legislation provided no further  explanation regarding the use of the federal funds. The law appropriating  the funds gave DOL responsibility for distributing the funds. After  researching various methods of transferring the funds, DOL provided the  funds to the Board in the form of a grant.
Consistent with normal grant practices, before the funds were made  available to the Board, DOL required the Board to complete a grant  application that consisted of a statement of work, budget information, and  other documents related to use of the funds. DOL approved the Board’s  grant application without making any changes. DOL awarded the grant to  the Board and made the funds available for 4 years. The grant agreement  and the provisions of the underlying appropriation act together provide  the legal framework for using the funds.
The grant agreement’s statement of work, prepared by the Board,    set out three broad categories of activities to be carried out:  (1) administration, (2) mitigation—efforts to help mitigate the effects  of future disasters, and (3) claims reimbursements to the Uninsured  Employers Fund;  requested flexibility to “transfer funds amongst the three pools of  money,” that is, the $125 million and the two $25 million portions; and  listed the Board’s intention “to use a portion of the disaster funds to  assist other entities by creating a contingency account within [the  Board’s] funding structure that will allow the State to respond  effectively to any unexpected needs as they arise, both in  administrative and in mitigation efforts.”
The following timeline summarizes the flow of federal funds to the Board:    Early January 2002: Congress appropriated $175 million to DOL for  the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board.
Mid-January 2002: The Board first contacted the New York State  Department of Labor (NYDOL) and DOL’s New York regional office for  guidance about using the funds. NYDOL and DOL’s New York regional  office referred the Board to DOL headquarters for guidance.
April 2002: DOL had determined that a federal grant agreement was  the appropriate vehicle for providing funds to the Board. DOL notified  the Board that the Board needed to submit a one-to-two page statement  of work describing its proposed use of the funds before a grant could  be awarded.
October 2002: The Board submitted its complete grant application  paperwork, including the statement of work, to DOL after consulting  with the New York State Division of Budget.
November 2002: DOL notified the Board of its decision to approve the  grant, thereby allowing the Board to draw down funds to conduct  activities consistent with the statement of work.
May 2003: The Board made its first draw down of the funds.
As is the case with federal grants in general, DOL requires the Board to  regularly submit reports to DOL for review. These reports specify the  amount of federal funds the Board spent during the previous quarter of the  year. These reports do not require the Board to indicate specifically how it  had used the funds. In addition to these quarterly reports, DOL can access  reports on funds the Board had drawn down but not yet spent.
section_title: The Board Used $49 Million for Benefits and Mitigation Efforts
paragraphs: As of June 30, 2004, of the $175 million in federal funds to help pay  expenses related to the September 11 attacks and recovery, the New York  State Workers’ Compensation Board had used about $49 million. The  Board had used about $44 million of the $125 million available for  “processing of claims” (activities that the Board described in its statement  of work as “administration” and “mitigation”) to reimburse two state  entities for payment of benefits those entities had made to individuals (or  their survivors) who were injured, killed, or became ill as a result of the  September 11 terrorist attacks. Specifically, the Board had spent about  $28 million to reimburse the New York State CVB and $16 million to  reimburse the New York SIF for benefit payments they each made to  September 11 victims (or their survivors). The Board also had used about  $4.4 million on mitigation efforts to prepare for responding to any future  terrorist attacks. The Board had not yet used any of the $25 million  available to reimburse the UEF for benefits the UEF paid to workers with  uninsured employers (or their survivors). However, the Board had used  funds from the UEF to pay these benefits and was first trying to recoup  these funds from the uninsured employers before drawing upon federal  funds to reimburse for any unrecovered expense. Finally, the Board had  used about $456,000 of the second $25 million to reimburse the UEF for  benefits the UEF paid to volunteers (or their survivors) who provided  assistance under the direction of an authorized rescue entity.
subsections: section_title: The Board Had Used a Sizable Portion of the $125 Million for Benefits Reimbursements and Mitigation Efforts
paragraphs: The Board paid about $28 million of the $125 million to reimburse the  CVB—a state agency that compensates crime victims—for payments in  connection with individuals who were injured or killed during the  September 11 attacks. The state determined that the September 11 attacks  were a crime that qualified for benefits under the state Crime Victim  Compensation Act. According to Board officials, New York State  temporarily designated the CVB as the first source of benefit payments for  September 11 victims because state officials believed that this would be  the most efficient way to deliver benefits. Within a month of the attacks,  the Governor issued two formal decisions suspending limits on the benefit  amounts payable by the CVB and identifying individuals who would be  eligible for benefit payments from the CVB. According to the Board, the  reimbursement agreement between the Board and the CVB was  established and approved by the New York State Assembly, the New York  State Senate, and the Governor. Based on this agreement, the Board  reimbursed the CVB after receiving documentation describing the nature  and amounts of payments that the CVB had previously made to victims.  The CVB requested reimbursement from the Board for payments to  victims related to loss of earnings and support, loss of essential personal  property, funeral and burial expenses, and medical expenses. According to  the Board, the New York State Comptroller authorized the payments, and  the New York State Division of the Budget reviewed and approved these  payments. The Board said it did not anticipate the need to provide  additional reimbursements beyond the $28 million already provided to the  CVB because individual claimants are now going directly to the Board and  not to the CVB.
The Board paid about $16 million of the $125 million to reimburse the SIF  for workers’ compensation benefits the SIF paid to September 11 victims  employed by the state (or their survivors). The SIF—held by the New York  State Department of Labor—is a fund that provides workers’  compensation insurance to public entities and private employers who  elect this coverage. Specifically, the Board reimbursed the SIF for  workers’ compensation benefits paid to state employees (or their  survivors) who were injured or killed during the September 11 disaster.  After the SIF provided documentation to the Board on benefits paid, the  Board reimbursed the SIF to cover both payments already made to state  employees (or their survivors) and projections of future benefit payments  for these employees. These reimbursement payments were reviewed and  approved by the New York State Division of the Budget. The Board did not  expect to reimburse the SIF for many more September 11 claims because  the deadline for filing had passed for injury and death claims. However,  the Board indicated that the SIF might ask for reimbursement for a few  new claims from state workers who become ill in the future, because such  workers may file a claim when symptoms of a disease appear.
The Board used a significant part of the $125 million available for  processing claims to reimburse the CVB and the SIF for benefit payments  those entities made to victims. We are continuing to gather information  about whether these reimbursements were authorized in the grant  agreement’s statement of work and whether the $125 million appropriation  earmarked for “the processing of claims” was available for  reimbursements of benefits paid. We are pursuing this matter further and  will notify the committee of our findings.
Finally, the Board had spent about $4.4 million of the $125 million on  mitigation efforts to help position the Board to respond to any future  disasters. These funds were used for a multiyear project to ensure the  Board has the ability to maintain operations, including access to all claims  data, in case the Board’s main data system fails. The Board used the funds  to upgrade, purchase, and/or install computer systems; pay salaries and  fringe benefits of staff working on the project; and cover travel expenses.  For example, the Board paid for new tape and disk backup systems, new  off-site storage contracts, and new image storage systems to ensure  viability of Board data and operations. Finally, to enhance information  security, the Board developed a security awareness program for all Board  staff, and planned to test vulnerability of its systems. While these  mitigation activities were undertaken to position the Board to recover  more quickly from another disaster if one should occur, the Board  acknowledged that these investments have benefited current operations as  well. We are continuing to gather information on whether the $125 million  earmarked for claims processing was available for these mitigation efforts.
section_title: The Board Had Not Used any of the $25 Million Available for Workers with Uninsured Employers
paragraphs: The Board had not used any of the $25 million federal funds available to  reimburse the UEF for benefits the UEF paid to workers with uninsured  employers (or their survivors). Congress appropriated these funds for the  Board to reimburse the UEF—a fund maintained by the state that provides  workers’ compensation benefits for workers associated with uninsured  employers—for payments made to September 11 victims. However, the  Board had used funds from the UEF to pay these benefits and was first  trying to recoup these funds from the uninsured employers before drawing  down federal funds to reimburse the UEF for any unrecovered expense.
section_title: The Board Had Used Some of the $25 Million Available for Volunteers
paragraphs: The Board had used about $456,000 of the $25 million available to  reimburse the UEF for benefits the UEF paid to volunteers (or their  survivors) who were injured or killed as a result of the September 11  attacks. Congress appropriated the $25 million for “first response  emergency services personnel” and, according to Board staff, these funds  were intended for individuals who had served as volunteers associated  with the September 11 attacks. However, the New York workers’  compensation law in existence prior to September 2001 did not include the  term “first response emergency services personnel” and did not extend  coverage to volunteers. To overcome this issue, the Chair of the New York  State Workers’ Compensation Board issued an official order that defined  “first response emergency services personnel” as “ll persons who,  serving without compensation or remuneration, and serving under the  direction of an authorized rescue entity or volunteer agency, provided  services to deal with the emergency situation created by the  September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.” This  order also identified the types of groups that the Board would consider to  be an authorized rescue entity and volunteer agency (including groups  associated with the New York City police and fire departments) and thus  designated which volunteers were eligible for benefits that can be  reimbursed from the $25 million in federal funds. Notably, volunteers are  not covered by the state workers’ compensation program because they  have no employer and, thus, are not considered “employees.” Therefore,  compensation available to September 11 volunteers is limited to the  $25 million appropriated by the Congress for reimbursement to the UEF.
section_title: While Most September 11 Claims Had Been Resolved, Many of Those from Volunteers Were Pending
paragraphs: As of mid-2004, 90 percent of September 11–related workers’  compensation claims had been resolved, that is, the Board had resolved all  the issues that it could with the information available at that point. For the  subset of claims associated with workers whose employers were  uninsured, the Board had resolved 89 percent. In addition to the  September 11 claims for workers’ compensation, the Board had resolved  31 percent of the volunteer claims received and 69 percent of these claims  were pending.
subsections: section_title: Ninety Percent of September 11 Claims for Workers’ Compensation Had Been Resolved
paragraphs: As of mid-2004, most September 11–related workers’ compensation claims  had been resolved, that is, the Board had resolved all the issues that it  could with the information available at that point. Specifically, 90 percent  of the 10,182 claims received by the Board had been resolved. Among the  9,124 resolved claims, 24 percent were death claims, while 76 percent were  claims for an injury or illness. (For September 11 claims data provided by  the Board, see table 1.)
For 42 percent of claims received, the Board had determined that a link  had been established between the September 11 disaster and the resulting  death, injury, or illness and benefits had been paid or were in the process  of being paid. For an additional 10 percent of claims received, the Board  had determined that a link had been established between the  September 11 disaster and the resulting death, injury, or illness, but had  not authorized paying benefits. According to the Board, one of the reasons  that benefits had not yet been paid, even though a link had been  established, was that these employees had not missed more than 7 days of  work on account of their injury or illness.
Ten percent of the claims received by the Board were pending. These  claims were pending for a variety of reasons, including that the claimant  was waiting for his or her hearing to take place; that no causal link had  been established between the death, injury, or illness and the workplace;  or claimants had not pursued their case after filing.
Some September 11 claims were challenged after initial filing and some  were appealed after a decision had been made. An insurance carrier  and/or employer can challenge a claim after a claim is submitted if they  dispute the evidence provided by the claimant. For September 11 claims,  insurers/employers challenged a higher proportion of injury or illness  claims than death claims. Specifically, insurers/employers challenged  about 27 percent of injury or illness claims compared with about 2 percent  of death claims. According to the Board, with illness claims, symptoms can  develop over time, and sufficient medical evidence may not exist at the  time of filing to establish a link between the illness and workplace  conditions. Independent of whether a claim is challenged, either the  claimant or the insurer/employer can appeal a decision after the Board has  resolved a claim. Of the resolved September 11 claims, 5 percent of the  death claims were appealed and 6 percent of injury or illness claims were  appealed.
Of the resolved September 11 claims, 36 percent were resolved with a  hearing(s) and 64 percent were resolved without a hearing(s). Of those  claims with a hearing(s), 11 percent were death claims and 89 percent  were injury or illness claims. The time to process claims with a hearing  was as follows: 43 percent took less than 6 months, 22 percent took  between 6 months and 1 year, and 35 percent took over 1 year. Of those  claims without a hearing(s), 30 percent were death claims and 70 percent  were injury or illness claims. The time to process claims without a hearing  was as follows: 69 percent took less than 6 months, 21 percent took  between 6 months and 1 year, and 10 percent took over 1 year.
section_title: Most September 11 Claims for Workers with Uninsured Employers Had Been Resolved
paragraphs: The majority (89 percent) of September 11 claims for workers with  uninsured employers had been resolved. Most of these worker claims were  resolved with a hearing(s) and took between 3 and 9 months to resolve.  However, nearly a third of these claims took over a year to resolve. For  those worker claims resolved without a hearing, most took less than 6  months to resolve. Eleven percent of claims from workers with uninsured  employers were still pending. Common reasons that these claims were  pending included that the claimant was waiting for his or her hearing to  take place and that no causal link had been established between the death,  injury, or illness and the workplace.
Some claims from workers with uninsured employers were challenged  after initial filing and some were appealed after a decision by the Board  had been made. Specifically, about 26 percent of these claims were  challenged. Independent of whether a claim was challenged, 17 percent of  the resolved claims were appealed after a decision had been made. For  two claims for workers with uninsured employers, the claimants had  received medical or cash benefits paid from state funds, and for one of  these claims, the claimant was receiving continuing cash benefits. (For  data on September 11 claims filed for workers with uninsured employers,  see table 2.)
section_title: Most September 11 Claims for Volunteers Were Pending
paragraphs: While the majority of all September 11 workers’ compensation claims had  been resolved, 69 percent of volunteer claims were pending. According to  Board officials, a high portion of the volunteer claims were pending  because (1) sufficient medical evidence had not been provided to establish  the link between the September 11 volunteer activities and the death,  injury, or illness and (2) claimants had not pursued their case after filing.  Board officials believe that some volunteers may not have pursued their  case further because they had filed a claim before developing symptoms  and, therefore, had little, if any, medical evidence to provide. According to  Board officials, such volunteers had filed a claim so that they could pursue  benefits at a later date if symptoms were to develop. (For data on  September 11 claims filed for volunteers, see table 3.)
Ninety percent of the resolved volunteer claims did not require a hearing.  The majority of these claims were resolved within 3 to 9 months of filing  for benefits. The time it took to resolve the seven volunteer claims that  required a hearing(s) ranged from less than 3 months to more than 6  months. A few volunteer claims were challenged after initial filing: while  there is no insurer involved with a volunteer claim, the Board itself  challenged 2 percent of these claims. The Board challenged these claims  because, for example, it did not believe that a claimant had met the criteria  for being considered a September 11 volunteer or had sufficient evidence  to support the claim. There have been no appeals regarding volunteer  claims. For 85 volunteer claims, the claimants had received medical or  cash benefits, and for 23 of these claims, the claimants were receiving  continuing cash benefits.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared statement. I will be happy to  respond to any questions you or other Members of the Subcommittee may  have.
section_title: GAO Contacts and Staff Acknowledgments
paragraphs: For information regarding this testimony, please contact Robert E.  Robertson, Director, or Brett S. Fallavollita, Assistant Director, Education,  Workforce, and Income Security at (202) 512-7215. Individuals making  contributions to this testimony include Linda L. Siegel, Kenneth J. Adams,  Tonnye Conner-White, Margie Armen, and Amy Buck.
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