WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk have been making bold claims that millions of deceased individuals, some allegedly over 200 or even 300 years old, are still receiving Social Security benefits.
Musk, in a series of social media posts, called this a “HUGE problem,” stating that the system still recognizes people who would have lived before the United States was founded.
Trump, in a press briefing, claimed that “millions and millions” of people over 100 years old are on Social Security, calling it a case of fraud and incompetence.
However, official Social Security data does not support these claims. While some improper payments have been made, the numbers cited by Trump and Musk are misleading and exaggerated.
What Did the Trump Administration Say About Social Security Payments to the Elderly?
During a press event in Florida, Trump said, “We have millions and millions of people over 100 years old” receiving benefits.
He went on to suggest that eliminating these fraudulent payments would significantly improve the financial health of Social Security.
He even mentioned that one person in the system was listed as 360 years old.
Musk took to his platform, X, to make similar claims, posting sarcastic messages about vampires collecting Social Security and pointing out that the system still recognizes people from before America’s founding.
How Big of an Issue is Social Security Fraud?
Social Security fraud does exist, but it is not as widespread as Musk and Trump suggest. According to a July 2024 report from Social Security’s inspector general, from 2015 to 2022, the agency paid out $8.6 trillion in benefits.
Out of this amount, $71.8 billion—or less than 1%—was identified as improper payments. Most of these were overpayments to living individuals, not deceased ones.
In early 2024, the U.S. Treasury Department recovered $31 million in improperly issued federal payments, including Social Security.
This was part of a pilot program that started in 2021 after Congress gave the Treasury temporary access to the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) “Full Death Master File.” The SSA has records of over 142 million deceased individuals dating back to 1899.
The Treasury estimates that it could recover up to $215 million by 2026. While this is a significant amount, it is far from the scale Trump and Musk claim.
Are Millions of People Over 100 Still Getting Social Security?
No.
The confusion comes partly from outdated Social Security software, which uses the COBOL programming language. When birth dates are missing, the system defaults them to an arbitrary date more than 150 years ago.
This makes it appear as if there are individuals in the system who are much older than they are.
A March 2023 report from the Social Security Administration’s inspector general stated that about 18.9 million Social Security numbers belonged to people born in 1920 or earlier but were not marked as deceased.
However, this does not mean that these individuals are still receiving benefits.
The Social Security Administration decided against updating its system due to the high cost, which could exceed $9 million.
A report in July 2023 clarified that almost none of the affected Social Security numbers were actively receiving payments.
Furthermore, since 2015, the agency has automatically stopped payments to people listed as being older than 115 years.
Concerns Over Misinformation About Social Security
Experts warn that Trump and Musk’s claims could mislead the public. Chuck Blahous, a senior researcher at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, said that while tackling fraud is important, Social Security is not one of the biggest areas of government waste.
“Medicaid improper payment rates are much higher and increased significantly after the expansion under the Affordable Care Act,” Blahous said.
“If we’re talking about financial mismanagement, Social Security would be far down the list.”
Sita Nataraj Slavov, a professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, echoed these concerns.
She warned that these claims might make people believe Social Security’s financial problems can be easily fixed by eliminating fraud.
“The real concern is that people will think we can solve Social Security’s financial issues without raising taxes or adjusting benefits,” Slavov said. “That is simply not true.”
Read More:
- Donald Trump Confirms Social Security, Medicare Will Stay Safe – No Cuts Planned!
- Social Security Payment Schedule and Maximum Benefit Amounts for 2025
What Does the White House Say?
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt responded to these concerns by pointing to the Social Security inspector general’s report, which confirmed that at least $71.8 billion in improper payments had been identified.
She also emphasized that the Biden administration is committed to reducing waste and fraud.
“The Social Security Administration is now working to identify even more waste, fraud, and abuse as part of the administration’s whole-of-government effort to protect American taxpayers,” Leavitt said.
Conclusion
While some improper Social Security payments have been made, the claims by Trump and Musk are significantly exaggerated.
There is no evidence that tens of millions of deceased individuals over 100 years old are receiving benefits.
Instead, the issue largely stems from outdated government record-keeping and minor instances of fraud. Experts caution that focusing on this issue distracts from the real financial challenges facing Social Security.
Disclaimer- Our team has thoroughly fact-checked this article to ensure its accuracy and maintain its credibility. We are committed to providing honest and reliable content for our readers.
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