Overview of the Social Service Payment System (SSPS)

SSPS is a legacy system used to provide authorization and payment processing for more than $1 billion per year in services delivered to DSHS clients.  This mission-critical system is used by several major administrations across DSHS including: Economic Services Administration, Aging and Disability Services Administration, Health & Rehabilitative Services Administration, Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration, Medical Assistance Administration and Children's Administration.
 

Approximately 3,500 case workers across the state use SSPS to authorize payments to over 83,000 providers and payees for services to over 185,000 clients.  Of the 83,000 providers/payees, over 35,000 are individuals who work directly for department clients.  SSPS is a Unisys mainframe computer system updated by Y2K and more recently by a number of newer technologies designed to improve payment processing and reduce costs.