The Social Security Administration Addressing Aged Records – Actions Support President’s Priorities
WASINGTON DC (STL.News) The Social Security Administration (SSA) shared on May 5th its significant progress in identifying and correcting beneficiary records of people 100 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 receive benefits, the agency must 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 B for three or more years. SSA uses the data as an indicator to select and prioritize cases of individuals aged 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 interview these individuals to verify they are still alive. If the agency identifies that someone is deceased, it immediately stops payment and reports any suspicions of fraud to SSA’s Office of the Inspector General.
