Social Security Chief Denies Claims of 100+ Year-Old Deceased People Receiving Checks

Social Security Administration (SSA) debunks claims of “dead individuals over 100 years old getting payments”

Recently, a few claims surfaced that hundreds of thousands of lifeless human beings, who have been over 100 years antique, are still receiving Social Security benefits. These claims had been fueled via former President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, main to widespread debate and situation approximately fraud in the Social Security machine.

Responding to this, SSA’s Acting Commissioner Lee Dudek completely debunked these claims. He clarified that although the SSA may have names of individuals over 100 years old in its records, it does not mean that they are getting payments. Instead, it is the result of outdated database systems and administrative delays, and the actual erroneous payments are very rare.

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Social Security Chief Shuts Down Claims

Truth of the claims

Where did these claims come from?

The controversy commenced whilst Donald Trump and Elon Musk alleged that a large number of useless human beings had been receiving Social Security payments. Musk had made numerous posts on social media wherein he mentioned “massive fraud” within the government machine and stated that billions of dollars had been lost because of such wrong payments.

However, professionals fast refuted these statements and made it clear that at the same time as there may be a few gaps in the database, it does not mean that fraudulent payments are actively being made.

What did the Social Security Administration say?

SSA’s acting commissioner Lee Dudek acknowledged that the agency’s records may contain names of individuals over 100 years old, but he explained that the problem is due to outdated COBOL-based programming. In some cases, SSA substitutes generic dates for birth dates due to a lack of records.

Dudek also assured that genuine payments are carefully monitored and that incorrect data entries do not mean that dead individuals are receiving payments.

How does SSA’s payment monitoring system work?

How ​​does SSA track dead individuals?

SSA maintains records of deceased persons in its “Death Master File (DMF)” which is reported from state agencies, funeral homes and families.

• Verification process: Before discontinuing payments, SSA verifies the deceased from multiple sources.
• Cross-references with IRS and Treasury data: The agency regularly cross-checks its records with tax data and financial transactions to prevent fraud.
• Annual data updates: SSA updates birth and death records each year to remove any irregularities.
• Fraud prevention measures: SSA works with law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute fraud.

How ​​common are erroneous payments?

According to a report by the Social Security Inspector General, less than 1% of total SSA payments from 2015 to 2022 were miscalculated. This means that although some errors do occur, they are rare and do not mean that fraud is widespread.

According to a 2022 report, the SSA identified overpayments of about $6.9 billion, but most of these were due to administrative mistakes, not fraud.

Why do these data errors occur?

Outdated COBOL systems:

Many SSA systems are programmed in COBOL, which was developed in the 1960s. Because of these systems, when a date of birth is missing they automatically insert excessive ages (150+ years), producing misleading statistics.

Delays in death reporting:

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While most deaths are reported within 30 days, in some cases it may take longer due to paperwork delays or data matching issues.

Inconsistencies in record-keeping:

SSA has to rely on multiple databases, which can sometimes have inconsistencies, especially for deaths that have not been reported.

How is SSA addressing this issue?

Steps taken to improve data accuracy:

• Modernizing IT infrastructure: SSA has launched initiatives to upgrade its systems to reduce reliance on outdated COBOL software.
• Strengthening death reporting processes: SSA is working with state agencies and mortuaries to report deaths quickly.
• Promoting AI and fraud detection systems: Artificial intelligence (AI) and gadget gaining knowledge of algorithms are being tested to detect irregularities.
• Improving oversight through legislative proposals: Bills are being taken into consideration by means of legislators to enhance SSA’s capability to come across fraud and mistakes.
• *Public awareness and reporting methods: SSA has added less complicated methods for families to record deaths, taking into consideration faster updates to records.

Thus, SSA is gradually taking several steps to improve its systems and increase the accuracy of data, minimizing such mistakes in the future.

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