In a recent development, the U.S. government has successfully recovered over $31 million in Social Security disbursements that had been mistakenly issued to deceased individuals. This initiative, which officials described as “just the tip of the iceberg,” is part of a pilot program that lasted five months. The Department of Treasury was granted temporary access to the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) “Full Death Master File,” an extensive database tracking individuals who have passed away, as part of the 2021 omnibus appropriations bill. According to Treasury records, this file houses more than 142 million entries dating back to 1899.
The Treasury Department anticipates that its recovery efforts could lead to retrieving upwards of $215 million during its three-year access period, which is set to span from December 2023 until 2026. David Lebryk, the Treasury’s Fiscal Assistant Secretary, pointed out in a statement that the outcomes observed so far may only represent a small fraction of potential recoveries. He urged Congress to consider granting permanent access to the master file, asserting that doing so could lead to substantial reductions in fraud, enhancement of program integrity, and better protection of taxpayer funds.
This initiative has highlighted the government’s ongoing challenges in countering fraud, waste, and abuse, aligning with one of former President Donald Trump’s promises during his campaign. The president-elect has appointed two high-profile business figures, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, to take charge of a new agency known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This non-governmental task force is entrusted with the mission of streamlining federal operations, including the reduction of government personnel, cutting back on programs, and minimizing federal regulations. This aligns with Trump’s broader “Save America” campaign for his anticipated second term in the office.
As of now, a spokesperson for the Trump transition team has yet to respond regarding whether the forthcoming administration will maintain these recovery efforts or push for the transformation of the Treasury’s provisional access to the death file into a permanent one. The implications of these efforts may reshape how the government approaches financial oversight and fraud prevention in the future.
