The U.S. House of Representatives has given the green light to a measure aimed at preventing the federal government from incorrectly doling out payments to deceased individuals. This bill, the brainchild of U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, seeks to curtail what has been a wasteful expenditure of taxpayer money. Following its successful passage through the Senate back in October, the bill has now received unanimous consent from the House and is on its way to the President's desk for a final signature.
Senator Wyden, who took the lead on the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, was joined by Senators John Kennedy, R-La., and Gary Peters, D-Mich. in steering this legislation. According to a statement obtained by Wyden's official Senate page, Wyden has expressed, “I am committed to ensuring that Americans’ hard earned benefits are protected. That’s why I’m supporting this bill to ensure Americans’ personal data and earned benefits from Social Security are protected.”
There's a backstory to this bill, one that involves a proactive step taken by the Social Security Administration (SSA) in 2023. The SSA commenced sharing its database of deceased persons with the Treasury Department, a move that was made under a three-year pilot program sanctioned by Congress. This data exchange proved to be a beneficial strategy – within the first five months, the Treasury Department managed to redeem $31 million in fraud and improper payments. Moreover, projections suggest a reduction of more than $215 million in improper payments by the year 2027.
Wyden’s bill solidifies this arrangement between the SSA and Treasury, making the data-sharing agreement permanent. It also packs a punch with a key provision, ensuring that the SSA does not label any individual as 'deceased' unless there is clear, and convincing evidence. This comes on the heels of reports which indicated the SSA was incorrectly declaring immigrants as deceased with an alleged goal of pressuring legal U.S. residents to self-deport. These actions caught Wyden's attention, prompting him to demand a cessation of such practices and an investigation, which the SSA confirmed in June had been halted, according to Wyden's own report.
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