New US Social Security Chief Lee Dudek Clarifies Misleading Claims About Deceased Centenarians Receiving Benefits

The Social Security Administration's new acting head, Lee Dudek, clarified that deceased centenarians are not receiving benefits, countering claims by Donald Trump and Elon Musk. They had suggested that millions of people over 100 years old were improperly getting payments. Dudek emphasized that while some improper payments occur, the figures mentioned by Trump and Musk misrepresent the actual data.

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Claims and Clarifications on Centenarian Payments

During a press briefing in Florida, Trump claimed that millions of centenarians were fraudulently receiving Social Security benefits. He suggested removing these individuals to strengthen the system for those aged 70 to 90. Musk humorously speculated about vampires collecting benefits, highlighting his department's focus on eliminating fraud.

Confusion partly arises from Social Security's outdated software, which defaults missing birthdates to over 150 years ago. This issue was first reported by WIRED. Despite these defaults, most individuals listed as born before 1920 are not receiving benefits. Updating the database would cost over USD 9 million, so the agency opted against it.

Inspector General Reports and System Updates

Reports from March 2023 and July 2024 by the Social Security Administration's inspector general noted the lack of a new system to accurately record death information. Approximately 18.9 million Social Security numbers belong to people born in 1920 or earlier but are not marked deceased. However, this does not imply they receive benefits.

A report from July 2023 confirmed that almost none of these individuals currently receive payments. Since September 2015, payments automatically stop for those older than 115 years. Dudek reiterated the agency's commitment to transparency and acknowledged confusion due to database defaults.

Fraud Concerns and Government Efforts

The inspector general's July 2024 report revealed that from fiscal years 2015 to 2022, the agency paid USD 8.6 trillion in benefits, with less than 1% being improper payments. Most errors involved overpayments to living individuals. In January, the Treasury recovered over USD 31 million in federal payments made to deceased people.

The Treasury aims to recover more than USD 215 million during a three-year period ending in 2026. Chuck Blahous praised Musk's efforts to address improper payments, while Sita Nataraj Slavov warned that such claims might oversimplify government financial issues.

White House Response and Future Actions

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt referenced an inspector general report confirming USD 71.8 billion in improper payments by the SSA. The administration is working to identify further waste and fraud as part of a broader effort to protect taxpayers.

The Social Security Administration continues its efforts to ensure accurate benefit distribution while addressing concerns about misinformation and system inefficiencies.