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Earlier in the year, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leader Elon Musk claimed that “millions of dead people” over age 100, with no death record, were receiving Social Security benefits. The Social Security Administration quickly denied that, but a new bill being introduced in the House would actually crack down on benefits payments to the deceased.
Last week, the new bill, Valid Benefits Act, was reintroduced by Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL). The bill would have federal agencies and departments check every six months to see whether adults ages 105 or older are deceased. It would require Social Security as well as Medicare and other federal health and retirement benefits to "ensure, on a semiannual basis, that each such individual remains eligible for such benefits."
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The bill comes after several months of allegations by DOGE that Social Security is losing money to fraud and mismanagement. In March, Social Security announced “that more than three million deaths are reported to the Social Security Administration each year … the agency’s records are highly accurate. Of these millions of death reports received each year, less than one-third of 1% are erroneously reported deaths that need to be corrected.”
“No American who has paid into Social Security and Medicare should see their benefits compromised by scam artists or incompetent bureaucrats,” said Rep. Steube. “It should not have required DOGE examining the rolls to ensure 12 million Americans listed as 120 years old or more were finally properly recorded as deceased.
“With millions of seniors relying on Social Security and Medicare and our national debt approaching $37 trillion, it is important to make sure every dollar is spent the right way with no room for malfeasance or error. That is why we must protect our retirement programs and beneficiaries by requiring eligibility verification for individuals who are 105 years and older.
The Valid Benefits Act, first proposed by Rep. Steube in 2019, aims to combat fraud and waste in federal benefits programs. It mandates verification of eligibility for federal benefits for individuals aged 105 years or older. The bill's reintroduction comes in the context of recent efforts by the DOGE to reduce government waste.
Related: Social Security must prevail: 4 steps Trump, Congress must take ASAP, says Schwartz Center
Earlier in the year, Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) introduced a similar bill that requires states to refer to Social Security's Death Master File database quarterly to ensure that living enrollees correctly receive Medicaid capitation payments, after a federal audit found that $249 million in Medicaid payments went to deceased enrollees in 14 states.
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Lynn Cavanaugh
Lynn Varacalli Cavanaugh is Senior Editor, Retirement at BenefitsPRO. Prior, she was editor-in-chief of the What's New in Benefits & Compensation newsletter. She has worked for major firms in the employee benefits space, Vanguard and Willis Towers Watson, as well as top media companies, including Condé Nast and American Media.
