Former commissioner of the Social Security Adminstration expects a system collapse within the next 30 to 90 days. “People should start saving now"

[jneffer]

It doesn't say they are either receiving them or not receiving them.

The bottom line is they aren't. This is because the application is written in COBOL, which doesn't have a date format. A default date from the past is used to flag these rows of data. In this case, it was from the late 1800s.

For the love of God can we finally put this stupid claim to rest?

i'd agree its a non-issue

i just don't think saying less that a number that is less than half the 100+ year old population is getting SS benefits shows any wrong-doing or fraud

 

[cohawk]

44k NOT collecting SS. There's the fraud. Someone else is collecting. Why is it hard for you leftists to admit that people break the law when it comes to SS checks. I even admit that it's probably evenly split between dems and republicans.

Are people over 100 receiving Social Security benefits? What we know

Musk called the 20 million people receiving Social Security past age 100 "the biggest fraud in history."

www.newsweek.com

However, the vast majority of those listed in the database were not still receiving monthly checks, with 18.4 million who had not earned benefits for 50 years and likely deemed dead. Only 44,000 were still earning checks, with just 13 of those listed as age 112 or older.

This might be hard for you to understand. 44k out of over 300m isn't many. Just because they are over 100 doesn't mean they need stop receiving funds. They are receiving legitimate payments. Even if I give you the benefit of the doubt 44k isn't much fraud. It pales in comparison to the tax cut given to the 1%.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

In one of the number of fact checks, I read that since 2015, SS benefits are automatically stopped at 115 years of age. I assume this can be overridden but this process step would negate this “150 year old people are getting social security” silliness.

 

[jneffer]

In one of the number of fact checks, I read that since 2015, SS benefits are automatically stopped at 115 years of age. I assume this can be overridden but this process step would negate this “150 year old people are getting social security” silliness.

there's a reason all that you ever hear about these things are the initial tweet...never a follow up for how the problem was fixed

because the second you do any digging, you realize the problem was - more often than not - uninformed people not understand what they're looking at

 

[cohawk]

In one of the number of fact checks, I read that since 2015, SS benefits are automatically stopped at 115 years of age. I assume this can be overridden but this process step would negate this “150 year old people are getting social security” silliness.

That's correct.

 

[Sullivan]

what? this is the second bullet point of the article you posted (where the 44,000 number is referenced)

• While an audit published in 2023 found that the central Social Security database, known as the Numident, does include 18.9 million people born before 1920 who do not have death information on record — making them more than 100 years old if alive — only 44,000 of them were receiving Social Security Administration (SSA) payments.

there's also a longer discussion later in the article:
"It is possible that some of the 44,000 number holders — who were born in or before 1920 at the time of the audit and were receiving SSA benefits — are cases of fraud and listed as "about 150 years old" or even above 200, as Musk claimed.

The auditors wrote that the SSA's failure to keep updated death records leaves the agency and other federal agencies that use the Numident open to fraud. However, there were no specific examples presented in the audit of "150-year-old" fraudsters, nor was there any mention of systematic fraudulent activity uncovered by the auditors. "

maybe i'm misunderstanding the article...where does it say they aren't receiving benefits?

Why are there 150 year-old people receiving social security? Why are dead people receiving social security. Why are there people collecting paychecks from the government, when they no longer work for the government?

There is waste, fraud and abuse everywhere in government. And the D's are fine with ignoring it.

 

[jneffer]

Why are there 150 year-old people receiving social security? Why are dead people receiving social security. Why are there people collecting paychecks from the government, when they no longer work for the government?

that 44,000 number isn't 150+ years old, it's 105+ years old (1920 is the cutoff) - and there's somewhere around 100,000 or so of those people alive today

are you sure you read the article that you posted?

also, do you think people collecting Social security are working for the government?

 

[IMCC965]

Are people over 100 receiving Social Security benefits? What we know

Musk called the 20 million people receiving Social Security past age 100 "the biggest fraud in history."

www.newsweek.com

However, the vast majority of those listed in the database were not still receiving monthly checks, with 18.4 million who had not earned benefits for 50 years and likely deemed dead. Only 44,000 were still earning checks, with just 13 of those listed as age 112 or older.

This might be hard for you to understand. 44k out of over 300m isn't many. Just because they are over 100 doesn't mean they need stop receiving funds. They are receiving legitimate payments. Even if I give you the benefit of the doubt 44k isn't much fraud. It pales in comparison to the tax cut given to the 1%.

I knew one of you would bring this up: "...44k out of over 300m isn't many..."

This argument is very confusing. ONLY 44k receiving funds that don't exist, so it's not that big of a deal that money is disappearing. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU would rejoice if you found a ****ing $1/$20/$50 dollar bill laying on the ground. But hey, millions of dollars lost to thieves is no big deal.

What dollar amount in fraud or waste is NOT acceptable to you people? Seriously.

 

[Hawky4361]

I've been in the banking industry for a long time and I've seen the amount of older folks that live "paycheck to paycheck" on their SS. They will starve if this happens. This is incredibly disturbing.

Edit: Side note, the folks claiming that dead people are receiving SS benefits are morons. Those funds are reclaimed/returned by the FI very quickly upon the death of a recipient.

You've been in the banking industry for a long time and you BELIEVE SS payments aren't going out in the next 30 days??

 

[Ree4]

You've been in the banking industry for a long time and you BELIEVE SS payments aren't going out in the next 30 days??

Where did I say that? Glad you're able to make poor assumptions.

 

[Joes Place]

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/01/doge-actions-may-cause-social-security-benefit-interruption-ex-agency-head.html

Social Security has never missed a benefit payment since the program first began sending individuals monthly benefits more than eight decades ago.

But the recent actions at the U.S. Social Security Administration by Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency are putting monthly benefit checks for more than 72.5 million Americans at risk, former commissioner and former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley told CNBC.com.

"Ultimately, you're going to see the system collapse and an interruption of benefits," O'Malley said. "I believe you will see that within the next 30 to 90 days."

Ahead of any interruption in benefits, "people should start saving now," O'Malley said.

The Social Security Administration uses multiple systems and technologies that Elon Musk has criticized for leading to errors. As commissioner, O'Malley told Congress the agency needed more funding for IT modernization.

O'Malley said DOGE leaders are now making changes at the agency, and significant staff cuts have already led to system outages. Those intermittent IT outages may happen more frequently and for more extended periods of time until there is a "system collapse and an interruption of benefits," he said.

FWIW - I just noticed an "outage" in the USDA datasets tracking snowpack in the Rockies (and other watersheds)

This is data that states and municipalities use to gauge how much water they will have for the upcoming season. DOGE shutting stuff like this down has very very bad consequences "downstream", so to speak.

The impacts from this wholesale gutting of agency workers - w/o understanding what any of them even do - is going to create something much worse than a "mild recession".

 

[praguehawk]

Why are there 150 year-old people receiving social security? Why are dead people receiving social security. Why are there people collecting paychecks from the government, when they no longer work for the government?

There is waste, fraud and abuse everywhere in government. And the D's are fine with ignoring it.

They are NOT and I am going to pray that you have good help around you to deal with whatever condition is preventing you from understanding this.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

there's a reason all that you ever hear about these things are the initial tweet...never a follow up for how the problem was fixed

because the second you do any digging, you realize the problem was - more often than not - uninformed people not understand what they're looking at

Like eating cats and dogs, or $50 million in condoms for Gaza, or a trillion in savings the first week of DOGE, much of this stuff is easily dispelled with 5 minutes of Googling.

Has to start with “That doesn’t sound right.”

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

I knew one of you would bring this up: "...44k out of over 300m isn't many..."

This argument is very confusing. ONLY 44k receiving funds that don't exist, so it's not that big of a deal that money is disappearing. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU would rejoice if you found a ****ing $1/$20/$50 dollar bill laying on the ground. But hey, millions of dollars lost to thieves is no big deal.

What dollar amount in fraud or waste is NOT acceptable to you people? Seriously.

Why do you assume those 44k are fraudulent?

 

[lucas80]

44k NOT collecting SS. There's the fraud. Someone else is collecting. Why is it hard for you leftists to admit that people break the law when it comes to SS checks. I even admit that it's probably evenly split between dems and republicans.

So, why no arrests?

 

[lucas80]

When my mom passed I recall the SSA was able to promptly end her monthly direct deposit without us family members saying a word.
But, yeah, massive fraud.