In a recent statement, the newly appointed head of the Social Security Administration (SSA) addressed growing misconceptions regarding deceased centenarians and their benefits. Contrary to claims made by former President Donald Trump and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who suggested that a vast number of individuals over the age of 100 are wrongfully receiving Social Security payments, Acting SSA Commissioner Lee Dudek clarified that these assertions are not accurate.
Dudek, who assumed his role under the Trump administration, responded to comments from both figures that had gone viral across social media platforms. Trump posited during a Florida briefing that “millions” of centenarians were collecting benefits fraudulently. He remarked, “If you take all of those millions of people off Social Security, all of a sudden we have a very powerful Social Security,” while making exaggerated claims about individuals allegedly documented as being over 300 years old. Musk echoed these sentiments on social media, humorously suggesting that there might be vampires taking advantage of the system.
Despite the existence of improper payments, particularly to deceased individuals, the allegations put forth by Trump and Musk are exaggerated. The core of the confusion stems from outdated software at the SSA. Their systems, which run on the COBOL programming language, struggle with dates due to missing identifiers. As a result, some records reflect ages that are implausibly high, such as over 150 years old, simply because the database does not have accurate death dates recorded.
Furthermore, reports from the SSA’s inspector general indicate that while a significant number of records exist for individuals born before 1920, it does not imply these individuals are presently collecting benefits. Dudek confirmed that the agency made a strategic decision not to update its database, citing a high estimated cost of over $9 million. A July 2023 report clarified that most of the individuals referenced are not currently receiving payments, noting that the SSA automatically halts payments for anyone older than 115 years.
In response to the surge of misinformation, Dudek highlighted the agency’s commitment to transparency. He stated that many names on the records lack a corresponding date of death, reinforcing that these individuals should not be perceived as receiving benefits. He expressed his confidence in overcoming these challenges in collaboration with the agency’s team.
As for the extent of fraud within the Social Security system, a recent report documented that between fiscal years 2015 and 2022, the SSA disbursed nearly $8.6 trillion in benefits, with about $71.8 billion categorized as improper payments—less than 1% of the total amount. The majority of these mistakes were overpayments to living beneficiaries rather than payments to deceased individuals. Earlier this year, the U.S. Treasury reclaimed over $31 million of federal payments improperly issued, revealing that systemic issues exist but affect only a small percent of disbursements.
Experts have weighed in on the need for careful examination of misinformation regarding Social Security. Chuck Blahous from the Mercatus Center stated that while he supports efforts to identify and eliminate improper payments, it is essential to recognize that the errors within Social Security are relatively low compared to other federal programs such as Medicaid. Similarly, Sita Nataraj Slavov from George Mason University warned that misconceptions about Social Security solvency could mislead the public into believing that the financial issues facing the program are easily rectifiable without broader sacrifices.
Reiterating the mission of the SSA, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt referenced the inspector general’s findings, assuring that efforts are underway to minimize waste and fraud across the agency to protect taxpayer interests effectively.
