U.S. Treasury Recovers $31 Million in Improper Social Security Payments to Deceased Through Pilot Program

Jan 15, 2025, 08:10 PM

The U.S. Treasury Department has successfully recovered more than $31 million in Social Security payments that were improperly sent to deceased individuals through a five-month pilot program. This recovery was achieved following Congress granting the Treasury temporary access to the Social Security Administration's (SSA) 'Full Death Master File' for three years, starting from December 2023. The SSA's database contains over 142 million records of deceased individuals dating back to 1899. The Treasury anticipates recovering more than $215 million over the three-year access period. David Lebryk, the Treasury's Fiscal Assistant Secretary, described the current recovery as 'just the tip of the iceberg,' emphasizing the potential for further reductions in fraud and improvements in program integrity if Congress grants permanent access to the file.