WASHINGTON — The newly appointed head of the Social Security Administration (SSA) clarified on Wednesday that deceased individuals over the age of 100 are “not necessarily receiving benefits,” countering widespread assertions that millions of centenarians are collecting payments from the agency.
Lee Dudek, the acting commissioner of the SSA appointed by former President Donald Trump, made this statement following false claims made by Trump and billionaire advisor Elon Musk regarding the existence of numerous individuals aged 100, 200, or even 300 years old who are allegedly obtaining Social Security payments improperly.
While some improper payments have occurred, including to deceased individuals, the figures cited by Trump and Musk significantly misrepresent the actual data reported by Social Security.
During a press briefing in Florida on Tuesday, Trump declared that “we have millions and millions of people over 100 years old” receiving benefits, labeling such payments as “obviously fraudulent or incompetent.” He further mentioned that removing these individuals from the system could strengthen Social Security for those aged 70 to 90, making a bizarre claim about a person listed as being 360 years old.
Musk, who heads a governmental efficiency initiative focused on combating fraud, waste, and misuse, took to social media to express similar sentiments. He humorously remarked, “Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security,” while emphasizing the “HUGE problem” of deceased individuals being improperly marked as “ALIVE” in the records.
Are millions over the age of 100 receiving benefits? The answer is no.
The confusion surrounding this issue stems from the SSA database’s software, which relies on COBOL programming. This inadequate system leads to entries without proper birthdates defaulting back over 150 years, resulting in erroneous records. Reports indicate that the SSA has yet to implement a new system for accurately annotating death information, which has affected approximately 18.9 million Social Security numbers for those born in 1920 or earlier, although this doesn’t confirm that these individuals are receiving benefits.
Due to the high costs associated with updating the database—estimated to exceed $9 million—the SSA opted not to proceed with this upgrade. A report from July 2023 confirmed that “almost none” of the individuals mentioned in previous reports receive Social Security payments, and as of September 2015, payments are automatically halted for recipients aged over 115.
What is Dudek’s stance on this misinformation? Following his appointment after the resignation of Michelle King, he reiterated the SSA’s intent to remain transparent in a public news release on Wednesday.
He acknowledged that the misunderstanding stems from the default configurations in the database and clarified that the data reflects individuals in the system with Social Security numbers lacking any recorded dates of death. He reassured that these people are “not necessarily receiving benefits.”
“I am confident that with the support of our organization, Social Security will continue to meet the needs of the American populace,” Dudek stated.
The question of how significant Social Security fraud really is was addressed by a July 2024 report from the SSA’s Inspector General, indicating that between fiscal years 2015 to 2022, almost $8.6 trillion was distributed in benefits, with roughly $71.8 billion, or less than 1%, categorized as improper payments, predominantly due to overpayments to living individuals.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Treasury reclaimed over $31 million from various federal payments sent to deceased recipients, a recovery that one former official described as “just the tip of the iceberg.” This action was part of an initiative after Congress allowed temporary access to the SSA’s “Full Death Master File” for a three-year span in 2021, providing Treasury with the capability to recoup more substantial amounts in improper payments. The SSA’s database includes more than 142 million records tracking deaths dating back to 1899.
Concerns regarding the dissemination of misleading information about Social Security payments were raised by Chuck Blahous, a research strategist at the Mercatus Center. He praised Musk’s efforts in fraud detection but lamented that the Social Security agency, in terms of improper payment rates, is not among those with the highest error levels—highlighting issues emerging from Medicaid as potentially more significant.
Another expert, Sita Nataraj Slavov, warned that the statements made by Musk and Trump could mislead the public into believing that resolving governmental financial challenges is more straightforward than it truly is, emphasizing the need for complex solutions rather than simple fixes.
In response to the criticism, a White House spokesperson referred back to the findings from the SSA’s inspector general report, reiterating the administration’s commitment to addressing improper payments and ensuring accountability in the management of taxpayer resources.
