pile of money

Uncle Sam sure can mess up a lot of money.

In fiscal year 2015, the federal government made $136.7 billion in improper payments, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). And the problem is worsening. Last year’s total is more than $30 billion greater than the 2013 amount.

“Improper payments — payments that should not have been made or were made in incorrect amounts —have presented a continuing challenge to the fiscal position of the federal government and have been estimated to total over $1 trillion government-wide since 2003,” the GAO said in the report released this week. “In the last 2 fiscal years, total estimated improper payments at federal agencies have increased considerably.”

Although those sums are huge, Obama administration data indicate the 2015 payment accuracy rate is 95.61 percent, up more than a percentage point from when President Obama took office.

The report does not say why the payments have increased so much so quickly. It is not even clear just how great the problem is.

“For several years, GAO has reported that the federal government is unable to determine the full extent to which improper payments occur and reasonably ensure that actions are taken to reduce them,” according to the report.