According to a recent investigation, the government’s attempt to increase its oversight of the Social Security Administration (SSA) was predicated on an unverified claim. For month the SSA was sending benefit payments to “dead people”. However, it’s been confirmed that is not true.
That story was based on data that was incomplete, but it was still used to justify the government’s oversight of Social Security’s records. Millions of people who rely on their monthly payments for retirement and disability benefits were left wondering if the program was being run improperly. The evidence currently indicates, however, that the SSA’s records were generally correct from the beginning.
How the False Story Started
The story began when the staff in the U.S. Treasury Department went through internal data and noticed some inconsistencies in Social Security death records. This information made it seem like the people who listed as deceased, were still receiving benefit payments.
Instead of confirming what is actually going on, some officials made the assumption that people who were dead, were still being paid. The data was unverified and was based on outdated information.
Nevertheless, the rumour quickly spread. According to reports, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk reviewed the same data and speculated that the benefits may be flowing to “dead people” or to scammers posing as them. As soon as that theory gained momentum, government officials started demanding that the SSA’s operations be looked into.
Officials Learned the Truth Early
Investigators who accessed the Social Security databases had found no major evidence relating to the claim that payments were being sent to deceased people.
The Death Master File, one of the most precise death-tracking systems in the world, is actually maintained by the SSA and is updated every day using data from hospitals, states, and other federal agencies.
Yet, instead of publicly correcting the misinformation, some government officials allowed the false story to spread.
A Convenient Political Narrative
Officials argued that the SSA needed interventions because of their “failure to keep accurate records”. They used this as a way to state that the SSA systems was outdated. However, according to official audits, cases of payments being made to deceased individuals are extremely rare, less than 0.006% of all Social Security transactions.
Experts Say It Was Never About Fraud
Many political experts have argued that the government used an unverified story to push for unnecessary changes and more political influence over the agency.
Some members of Congress are now calling for an investigation into who started the misleading story and why officials didn’t step in to stop it once they knew it was false.
Damage to Public Trust
There are millions of Americans who rely on Social Security to pay their essential expenses. By citizens knowing that the government knew something was not true, but continued to let it spread, may cause them to lose trust in the system.
Seniors, people with disabilities, and survivors depend on their monthly checks to cover essentials like food, housing, and medicine. When false stories circulate about the program’s integrity, it creates unnecessary fear among those who need it most.
The Real Story Behind the ‘Scandal’
With further evidence now available, it is evident that the alleged “Social Security fraud scandal” was founded on false information. Early on, Treasury Department officials had access to reliable SSA data, but they chose to disregard the facts.
The Social Security system was not broken; the issue was the story that was going around. Officials allowed a false claim to spread, and millions of Americans were misled for political reasons.
For a system that millions rely on, it’s important that no false information is circulated.