False Deaths Mistaken Or Otherwise Plague Social Security
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Mounting mistakes in the Social Security Administration (SSA) have resulted in delays and disruptions in benefits and an uptick in the number of living beneficiaries being listed as dead. This increase in errors is a result of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) staff cuts and attempts to update SSA’s computer system quickly. He is also the local representative of the American Federation of Government Employees. His co-workers and he are not resurrectionists. However, they have been raising Social Security recipients from the dead recently.
Glasgow told KFF Health News that there has been a marked increase in living people whose Social Security records list them as dead.
When these walking dead turn up at his office, Glasgow reports, “There is no information on the record, just that they are dead.” As a result, staff have to verify that the recipient is alive and process the paperwork to rectify the mistake.
Immigrants
Another factor that may add to the increase in SSA beneficiaries being erroneously classified as dead is President Trump’s efforts to push immigrants out of the country.
An April story from the Associated Press reported that the administration had
reclassified over 6,000 legal immigrants as dead
. In an April story from the Associated Press, it was reported that the administration had reclassified over 6,000 legal immigrants as dead. Trump’s actions, however, were intended to force these immigrants to “self deport”.
DOGE Disruption
Another factor influencing mistakes made by SSA is staff reductions made by DOGE.
Saving Advice reported on those changes launched last month and the consequences that many close to SSA predicted.
“Everything they’re doing is
driving this agency to system collapse,” O’Malley told CNN. “It will lead to interruptions in service, and that will ultimately cascade into more frequent system interruptions for the processing of claims, ultimately leading to system collapse and eventually the interruption of benefits.”O’Malley told KFF Health that attendees at a recent Racine, WI, reported false SSA deaths.
“They are terminating people’s financial lives,” O’Malley said.
A Social Security number is needed for employment, banking, and credit accounts, insurance, and other daily necessities. By being declared dead, your Social Security number becomes inactive.
Efficient Or Ineffective
In April, DOGE launched a campaign to reduce SSA expenses and make it more efficient. As part of this effort, DOGE cut 7,000 employees. O’Malley, however, and others warned that the move would have a devastating effect on the agency. The Economic Policy Institute says that the only way to save money by reducing the number of employees is to make it difficult for them to receive the benefits they have earned
. “Such backdoor benefit cuts, and making a popular government program look bad, are the real goals behind DOGE attacks on Social Security.”
Rich Couture, a spokesperson for the American Federation of Government Employees’ Social Security Administration general committee, is not so direct.“It has never been explained with any degree of clarity how they came up with that figure,” said Couture. “What is the purpose of losing 7,000 jobs?” asked Couture. How can any of this supposedly make the operation more efficient? How does it improve the service? How can it improve service? Our position is that losing 7,000 people doesn’t do any of those things.”
Staffing Cut As Recipients Grow
The SSA pays benefits to almost 70 million Americans. This number is also growing faster than it has in the past 100 years. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that citizens 65 and older make up 55.8 millions, or 16.8 percent, of the country’s total population. According to a report from the SSA’s Inspector General, this rapid growth in Social Security aged people has led to a record backlog of payment action. That report stated in part:“SSA cited unexpected staff reductions, increased workloads, and less than expected overtime funding that would have been used to pay employees to process more PC (Processing Centers) pending actions, as explanation for the record-breaking backlog.”
Side Note – No Social Security Checks This Week As Planned
A Social Security check will not be issued this week. No problem. The week of May 5 through 10 is one. The week of May 5 through 10 is one.
You can check when checks are do by accessing the
SSA payment calendar.Read More:Max K. Erkiletian began writing for newspapers while still in high school. The award-winning journalist went on to co-found the print magazine Free Bird. He has contributed to a variety of national and regional publications, as well as numerous online publications. This has given him the chance to interview many prominent people, from the former Chairman of Federal Reserve Bank Paul Volker and Blues musicians Muddy waters and B. B. King. Max lives with his wife Karen in Springfield, MO and their cat Pudge. He spends as much time as possible with his kids, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
