The SSA has a longstanding policy of automatically stopping benefit payments for anyone recorded as aged 115 and older.
A previous SSA review in March 2015 found that approximately 6.5 million individuals over the age of 112 were likely deceased but had not been marked as such in the system. This outdated data has contributed to ongoing concerns about fraud and inefficiencies in Social Security administration.
Social Security Payments Errors
A July 2024 report from the Social Security Inspector General found that between fiscal years 2015 and 2022, the SSA distributed nearly $8.6 trillion in benefits. Of this amount, approximately $71.8 billion—less than 1 percent—was classified as improper payments. The majority of these were overpayments to living recipients, which are generally required to be repaid.
Writing on X on February 24, Musk expressed optimism about the cleanup’s potential benefits: “We are increasingly optimistic that, as the immense waste & fraud are eliminated from Social Security & Medical that there is potential to increase actual dollars received by citizens & better healthcare!”
