Improper Payments Legislation: Key Provisions, Implementation, and Selected Proposals in the 114th Congress, Garrett Hatch, Specialist in American National Government, December 7, 2016.
“As Congress searches for ways to generate savings, reduce the deficit, and fund federal programs, it has held hearings and passed legislation to prevent and recover improper payments. Improper payments—which exceeded $137 billion in FY2015—are payments made in an incorrect amount, payments that should not have been made at all, or payments made to an ineligible recipient or for an ineligible purpose. The total amount of improper payments may be even higher than reported because several agencies have yet to determine improper payment amounts for all of their programs…”