WASHINGTON — The newly appointed leader of the Social Security Administration (SSA) clarified on Wednesday that reports suggesting that numerous deceased centenarians are receiving Social Security benefits are false. Lee Dudek, the acting commissioner of the agency, made these comments following misleading assertions by former President Donald Trump and prominent entrepreneur Elon Musk claiming that a vast number of individuals over the age of 100—some allegedly as old as 300—are improperly collecting benefits.
While it is acknowledged that there have been incorrect payments, including to deceased individuals, the assertions made by Trump and Musk exaggerate the situation and distort actual data from the Social Security Administration.
At a recent press briefing in Florida, Trump proclaimed that there are “millions of people over 100 years old” receiving Social Security benefits, labeling them as “obviously fraudulent or incompetent.” He articulated a scenario where eliminating these supposed beneficiaries, many of whom he claimed were over 200 years old, would significantly stabilize and strengthen the Social Security system.
Musk, who is advocating for enhanced government efficiency to eliminate fraud, also shared a series of provocative comments on his social media platform. He suggested fantastical possibilities, such as the existence of vampires receiving benefits, while emphasizing the seriousness of the reported discrepancies within the Social Security records, which he claimed account for living individuals who should be marked as deceased.
However, the reality is that no evidence supports Musk’s and Trump’s assertions about numerous beneficiaries over the age of 100. The confusion stems partly from the outdated software system employed by the SSA, particularly its COBOL programming, which can lead to incorrect data entries regarding individuals’ birthdates. Reports indicate that many records lacking a date of death may appear as more than 150 years old by default, without necessarily implying that those individuals received benefits.
A series of audits conducted by the SSA’s inspector general earlier this year outlined that while there were around 18.9 million Social Security numbers of individuals born in 1920 or earlier that lacked proper death annotations, this does not imply these individuals were collecting benefits. The agency has opted not to update its database due to the high costs, estimated at over $9 million. Additionally, since September 2015, benefits for anyone older than 115 years have been automatically halted.
Dudek, who stepped into his role after Michelle King’s departure, issued a statement underscoring the agency’s focus on transparency and acknowledging the misunderstandings surrounding centenarian benefits. He pointed out that reported figures represent individuals listed in the SSA database without death dates, clarifying, “These individuals are not necessarily receiving benefits.” Dudek expressed his confidence that with the support of his team, the agency will continue to serve the American public effectively.
In terms of fraud within the system, a report published in July 2024 highlighted that between the fiscal years of 2015 to 2022, the SSA disbursed nearly $8.6 trillion in benefits, with approximately $71.8 billion, or under 1%, identified as improper payments. Most of these discrepancies involved overpayments made to living beneficiaries. Furthermore, the U.S. Treasury retrieved over $31 million in erroneous payments made to deceased individuals earlier this year as part of an initiative that aims to reclaim funds based on data access granted through legislation.
Experts on social policy, such as Chuck Blahous from the Mercatus Center, acknowledged the need to address fraudulent payments but cautioned against overstating the issue. They noted that other programs, like Medicaid, exhibit significantly higher rates of improper payments compared to Social Security. Meanwhile, Sita Nataraj Slavov emphasized that these exaggerated claims may mislead the public into thinking that simple solutions exist for the financial challenges facing Social Security.
In response to the ongoing discourse surrounding improper payments, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt referenced the SSA’s inspector general report, proclaiming that ongoing efforts are focused on identifying and eliminating waste and fraud to protect taxpayer interests.
