The Shadow
The Social Security Administration (SSA) today shared its significant progress in
identifying and correcting beneficiary records of people 100 years old or older. The data
reported in the media represent people who do not have a date of death associated with
their record. While these people may not be receiving benefits, it is important for the
agency to maintain accurate and complete records.
“I thank President Trump for highlighting these inconsistencies during his speech last
night to a joint session of Congress,” said Lee Dudek, Acting Commissioner of Social
Security. “We are steadfast in our commitment to root out fraud, waste, and abuse in our
programs, and actively correcting the inconsistencies with missing dates of death.”
The agency follows long established program integrity initiatives that identify people
who have a higher likelihood of being deceased due to their age or incomplete death
reports. For example, SSA receives data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services of individuals who have not used Medicare Part A or Part B for three or more
years. SSA uses the data as an indicator to select and prioritize cases of individuals age
90 or older, who are currently in pay status and living in the United States, to determine
continued eligibility for Social Security benefits. The agency attempts to conduct an
interview with these individuals to verify they are still alive. If the agency identifies
someone is deceased, it immediately stops payment and reports any suspicions of fraud to
SSA’s Office of the Inspector General.
