"tens of millions of dead people may be collecting social security"

[Crepitus]

At least according to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

“President Trump has directed Elon Musk and the DOGE team to identify fraud at the Social Security Administration. They haven’t dug into the books yet, but they suspect that there are tens of millions of deceased people who are receiving fraudulent Social Security payments,” she said.

There are only about 70 million people in total getting SS. There may be hundreds of deceased getting payments, but certainly not millions or tens of millions.

I mean, seriously. Does anyone really think that 1/3 of recipients are dead?

Over the weekend, Musk posted a table supposedly showing that the Social Security database has millions of people in it over the age of 140.

"Ninety-eight percent of social security number holders who are age 100 or older do not receive benefits, Justin Wolfers, professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan, explained on X. “Why are there dead people on (this one table of) the social security database? They died before the use of electronic death records,” he added.


So the real question here is are they really that stupid?


Or do they just think you are?

'Frustrating': Experts push back against team Trump claim that dead people collect Social Security

President Donald Trump’s Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, pushed a claim Monday on Fox News that there may be many dead people receiving Social Security payments. Experts have pushed back against that idea, which has come from Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, indicating...

www.alternet.org

 

[rightwinger]

Can they show any of those people collecting money?

They just are numbers that haven’t been registered as dead

 

[TroglocratsRdumb]

death certificates should be required to notify SS

 

[martybegan]

At least according to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

“President Trump has directed Elon Musk and the DOGE team to identify fraud at the Social Security Administration. They haven’t dug into the books yet, but they suspect that there are tens of millions of deceased people who are receiving fraudulent Social Security payments,” she said.

There are only about 70 million people in total getting SS. There may be hundreds of deceased getting payments, but certainly not millions or tens of millions.

I mean, seriously. Does anyone really think that 1/3 of recipients are dead?

Over the weekend, Musk posted a table supposedly showing that the Social Security database has millions of people in it over the age of 140.

"Ninety-eight percent of social security number holders who are age 100 or older do not receive benefits, Justin Wolfers, professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan, explained on X. “Why are there dead people on (this one table of) the social security database? They died before the use of electronic death records,” he added.


So the real question here is are they really that stupid?


Or do they just think you are?

'Frustrating': Experts push back against team Trump claim that dead people collect Social Security

President Donald Trump’s Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, pushed a claim Monday on Fox News that there may be many dead people receiving Social Security payments. Experts have pushed back against that idea, which has come from Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, indicating...

www.alternet.org

Then why are they still in the database?

 

[Crepitus]

death certificates should be required to notify SS

They are now. That's explained in the linked piece.

 

[Crepitus]

Then why are they still in the database?

Again that's explained in the linked piece.

 

[martybegan]

Again that's explained in the linked piece.

No, it's "explained" in the linked piece, with the person guessing as to why, and using the old "thrown spaghetti" approach, claiming a bunch of reasons and seeing what sticks.

 

[LeftofLeft]

Death certificates are reported immediately to the SSA. If someone receives payment(s) after their death, by law, the executor is required to return the payment. In a case I was close to, the death occurred and payments were made electronically and then retracted the next day.

 

[pknopp]

Tens of millions may not be also.

 

[AsherN]

When you do a database dump with no knowledge of the complete schema and no knowledge of how that data is actually processed...

 

[WorldWatcher]

Then why are they still in the database?

Data retention.

You don't "delete" people out of the system. You move them to an "inactive" status so you have the historical data.

I work in HR as an Information Systems Administrator. We have approximately 3,500 employees active at any point in time. However I have electronic employee records in the system going back to the 1980's (approximately 22,000 records).

Once the record is set to "inactive" then no payroll transaction can occur, so I'm assuming the Death Flag in the SSA would have a similar function. That's why the data should be updated.

WW

 

[martybegan]

Data retention.

You don't "delete" people out of the system. You move them to an "inactive" status so you have the historical data.

I work in HR as an Information Systems Administrator. We have approximately 3,500 employees active at any point in time. However I have electronic employee records in the system going back to the 1980's (approximately 22,000 records).

Once the record is set to "inactive" then no payroll transaction can occur, so I'm assuming the Death Flag in the SSA would have a similar function. That's why the data should be updated.

WW

So they can show that to us then.

 

[WorldWatcher]

So they can show that to us then.

Show you what?

Historical records of hundreds of millions of American's going back to 1935 and those paper records that were inputed into a COBOL system in the 1960's.

Sure, I don't know what you think you will find, but have at it. Although you may find there are restrictions on accessing personal information, how long after death those restrictions apply I don't know. Let us know what you find out will ya.

WW

 

[skye]

 

[marvin martian]

Tens of millions may not be also.

Wouldn't it be good to know for sure?

 

[JLW]

You truly have to be brain dead to believe there are "millions" of dead Americans collecting Social security.

 

[TheGreatSatan]

Then why are they still in the database?

Americans know why.

Democrats and rinos are stealing from them.

Democrats = traitors

 

[pknopp]

This is simply volume II of THEY ARE EATING DOGS!!

 

[Rocko]

It’s hard to imagine this not being bullshit

 

[80zephyr]

death certificates should be required to notify SS

You have to know they are dead first.