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Social Security Watchdog: I See Dead People
The Social Security Administration is either under the impression that the zombie apocalypse is finally happening or it’s just totally oblivious to the fact that it has 112-year-olds living in its database. A new Inspector General report reveals that the SSA’s electronic file contains Social Security numbers for more than 6.5 million people born before June 1901 whose deaths were never documented. The agency is supposed to keep track of death records in its “Death Master File,” which is used by both the government and private sector to catch identity fraud. However, it apparently has no way to record death information for people “who exceed maximum reasonable life expectancies,” so it just keeps them immortal. The problem with not recording the deceased, other than just obvious incompetence, is that fraudsters can easily use the numbers with the very low risk of getting caught. Read More…
Do you have to be american citizen to recieve any type of bennifits…My office seems to have what I have heard to be illegal aliens getting social security, I heard it with my own ears at the office..these are young, health latino men getting ss bennifits… is this legal??????
Butch:
Thank you for your comment. This is a myth (one of several, actually) that we encounter frequently in our dealings with folks nationwide, and it’s a myth that’s perpetuated by media articles and social media rants. The fact is that in order for anyone to receive Social Security benefits, they must in the U.S legally and must have been paying in to the system for at least 10 years to accumulate the credits necessary for benefits. These rules apply to all workers, whether native-born or immigrants.
The situations mentioned in your comment could apply to benefits other than Social Security (Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), TANF, SNAP, and SSI), and for further information I refer you to this document from the Immigration National Forum: https://immigrationforum.org/article/fact-sheet-immigrants-and-public-benefits.
Again, thank you for the message!
Gerry Hafer
AMAC Foundation Social Security Advisory Service