Warner, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to End Social Security Checks for Dead People

Press Release

U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, introduced bipartisan legislation with Senate and House colleagues today to help save millions of federal dollars by curbing erroneous federal payments to deceased individuals.

Government Accountability Office watchdogs estimate federal agencies disbursed nearly $125 billion in improper payments to ineligible recipients last year. A recent investigation by CBS News' 60 Minutes reported that more than $1 billion in farm subsidies and disaster aid was paid to 170,000 dead people over a six-year period. And the Office of Personnel Management Inspector General found just four years ago that $601 million in improper payments were made to federal retirees found to have died over the previous five years.

"A simple thing like doing a better job keeping track of who's dead and who's alive can save taxpayers hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars by stopping fraudulent payments to the deceased," said Sen. Warner. "This bill is just common sense. If we're going to get serious about improving our nation's fiscal health, we have to cut down on waste, fraud and abuse due to these kinds of avoidable errors."

The Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased People Act was introduced today by Sen. Warner, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Ranking Member Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN), and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ). Companion legislation was also introduced in the House of Representatives by Reps. Cheri Bustos (D-IL) and Reid Ribble (R-WI), along with 22 additional co-sponsors.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) maintains the most complete federal database of individuals who are reported to have died. However, only a small number of federal agencies have access to this official list, and most federal agencies rely on a slimmed down, incomplete and less timely version of the death information. In addition, most Inspectors General lack access to the complete death information database. As a result, many federal agencies make erroneous payments to people who are actually deceased.

The legislation builds upon recently enacted improper payment laws by allowing and requiring federal agencies to use more accurate and complete lists of deceased individuals to confirm payment eligibility.

Source