Social Security Administration Acting Commissioner Lee Dudek emphatically denied allegations this week that millions of deceased individuals—including people over 100 years old—are fraudulently collecting benefits. This rebuke comes after inflammatory claims from former President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk sparked public confusion about systemic failures.
During a Florida press briefing, Trump asserted, 'We have millions and millions of people over 100 years old' receiving payments, labeling them 'obviously fraudulent.' Musk amplified the narrative on X, quipping, 'Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security.'
'These individuals are not necessarily receiving benefits,' Dudek clarified, attributing database discrepancies to obsolete COBOL programming systems that default incomplete birthdates to 150+ years ago.
Key facts from Social Security inspector general reports reveal:
- Only 0.84% of $8.6 trillion paid from 2015–2022 involved improper payments
- Just $31 million reclaimed from dead recipients in 2024 recovery efforts
- Automatic payment suspensions for anyone over 115 since 2015
While the agency's Death Master File contains 18.9 million unmarked pre-1920 births, Dudek emphasized these entries aren't active beneficiaries. Updating this legacy COBOL system would cost $9 million—a price the SSA deemed prohibitive.
Experts warn against oversimplifying Social Security's financial challenges. George Mason University's Chuck Blahous noted, 'Medicaid error rates dwarf Social Security’s.' Public policy professor Sita Slavov cautioned, 'Fixing this won’t solve solvency—it requires tough tax/benefit decisions.'
The Treasury Department’s ongoing audit anticipates recovering $215 million by 2026 through cross-referencing death records. However, as White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt acknowledged, rooting out remaining waste remains 'a whole-of-government effort.'