WASHINGTON, D.C. – Bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) to prevent taxpayer dollars from being spent in error on payments to deceased Americans has unanimously passed the Senate. The Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act helps strengthen the accuracy and completeness of the Social Security Administration’s death data, gives federal agencies access to this complete data, and requires agencies to use the death data to curb billions of dollars in improper payments. The bill was approved by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where Peters serves as the Ranking Member, and now moves to the House for consideration.
“This bill will help save millions of taxpayer dollars by ensuring that the Social Security Administration can permanently share important data with the Treasury’s Do Not Pay system, preventing wrongful payments to deceased individuals. I have long supported this legislation because I believe it is a vital step in safeguarding taxpayer dollars and ensuring the integrity of our payment systems,” said Senator Peters.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) maintains the most thorough federal database of individuals who are reported to have died, but only a few federal agencies have access to this list, and most instead rely on an incomplete and less up-to-date list of reported deaths. This oversight results in many federal agencies making erroneous payments to people who are actually deceased. Earlier this year, the Treasury Department announced that it had recovered $31 million in fraud and improper payments that were made to deceased individuals over a five-month period after receiving temporary access to SSA’s national records of deceased individuals. The Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act would make this practice permanent, and also includes additional guardrails to prevent the executive branch from placing non-deceased persons on the master list.
Peters has long worked to prevent wasteful spending and improve government efficiency. He has passed numerous bills into law to address improper payments, streamline government operations, and save taxpayer dollars. Peters’ bipartisan MEGABYTE Act has saved taxpayers more than $4 billion by reducing duplicative software purchases and improving software management practices.
