WASHINGTON — The new leader of the Social Security Administration, Lee Dudek, clarified on Wednesday that deceased individuals aged 100 or older are “not necessarily receiving benefits,” countering assertions made by former President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk regarding widespread improper payments to centenarians and even those claiming absurd ages like 200 or 300 years.
Dudek, who assumed the position as acting commissioner appointed by Trump, responded after the two public figures spread misinformation on social media and during press conferences, suggesting an alarming number of deceased individuals continue to receive payments from the agency.
While it is accurate that some erroneous payments have occurred, including payments to those who have passed away, the figures announced by Trump and Musk significantly exaggerate and misinterpret actual Social Security data.
What has been stated by Trump regarding centenarians receiving payments? On Tuesday, Trump indicated in a Florida press briefing that “millions of people over 100 years old” are receiving Social Security benefits, labeling this situation as a sign of either fraudulent practices or incompetence. He further remarked that if these centenarians were removed from the system, Social Security would appear considerably stronger with payments only being made to younger individuals. He mentioned the existence of a person in the system supposedly listed as 360 years old.
Supporting Trump’s claims, Musk, who is leading an initiative focused on combating inefficiencies, took to social media to express his concerns, making comments like “Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security,” and highlighted the issue by pointing out how the system lists many deceased individuals as “ALIVE,” claiming that some would have lived before the establishment of the United States.
Are there indeed tens of millions over the age of 100 receiving benefits? The answer is no. A significant part of the misinterpretation arises from the outdated COBOL programming systems utilized by Social Security, which lacks a proper date type. As a result, some records with missing or incomplete birthdates default to an incorrect reference date exceeding 150 years in the past. This was first reported by WIRED regarding Social Security’s operational systems.
Moreover, reports from the Social Security Administration’s inspector general in March 2023 and July 2024 indicated that the agency has failed to implement new systems to accurately reflect death records, leaving approximately 18.9 million Social Security numbers active for individuals born in 1920 or earlier. However, this does not imply these individuals were receiving benefits.
The agency opted not to update the database due to the expense, estimated at over $9 million. However, the inspector general’s report in July 2023 confirmed that “almost none of the numberholders discussed in the report currently receive SSA payments.” As of September 2015, the administration has automatically ceased benefits for those aged 115 and older.
What does the acting commissioner of Social Security have to say? Dudek publicly reaffirmed the agency’s dedication to transparency following reports about age-related benefit issues. He acknowledged the confusion stemming from the database’s default settings and stated, “The reported data are individuals in our records with a Social Security number who do not have a date of death associated with their record. These individuals are not necessarily receiving benefits.” Dudek expressed confidence that with the initiative’s support, Social Security would continue to effectively serve the American populace.
How serious is the issue of fraud within Social Security? A July 2024 report revealed that from fiscal years 2015 through 2022, nearly $8.6 trillion was dispensed in Social Security benefits, with improper payments making up about $71.8 billion, which is less than 1% of total disbursements, mostly in overpayments to living individuals.
Additionally, earlier this year, the U.S. Treasury recovered over $31 million in various federal payments, including Social Security, that had improperly gone to deceased individuals. Treasury officials noted that this was only a small portion of the larger issue. This recovery was part of a pilot initiative authorized by Congress giving the Treasury access to the Social Security Administration’s “Full Death Master File,” a comprehensive database of deceased individuals maintained by Social Security since 1899.
Concerns have arisen regarding misinformation regarding Social Security payments. Chuck Blahous from the Mercatus Center acknowledged Musk’s push for cleaning up improper payments but indicated that Social Security does not have among the highest error rates compared to other federal programs like Medicaid, which has significantly higher improper payment rates post-ACA expansion.
He stressed the importance of pursuing any fraudulent payments but cautioned against presuming that resolving issues within Social Security would address the system’s more considerable financial challenges. Sita Nataraj Slavov, a public policy expert, warned that the remarks from Musk and Trump could mislead the public into believing that simple solutions exist for Social Security’s financial difficulties, which she deemed inaccurate.
Regarding the political response, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt referenced the inspector general’s findings and remarked that the Social Security Administration is actively working towards identifying and preventing waste, fraud, and abuse in an effort to safeguard taxpayer dollars as part of a comprehensive governmental strategy.
