Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) has reintroduced legislation cracking down on federal benefits payments to the deceased.
The Valid Benefits Act requires agencies and departments that issue benefit payments to verify the eligibility of individuals over the age of 105 for those benefits.
Rep. Steube first introduced the bill in 2019; however, recent efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to uncover government waste, fraud, and abuse have increased its relevance.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump and outgoing DOGE leader Elon Musk claimed that Social Security payments were still being issued to deceased enrollees, with listed ages of supposed recipients going north of 150 years old.
However, as CBS explained, Social Security relies on an ancient programming language (COBOL). It does not always properly log deaths, causing COBOL to use a default reference date that is over 150 years old. Moreover, this did not mean that payments were still going to these deceased (or possibly immortal) enrollees.
Nevertheless, as Rep. Steube said in his press release, "No American who has paid into Social Security and Medicare should see their benefits compromised by scam artists or incompetent bureaucrats."
"It shouldn't have required DOGE examining the rolls to ensure 12 million Americans listed as 120 years old or more were finally properly recorded as deceased," the Florida Congressman continued, adding, "With millions of seniors relying on Social Security and Medicare and our national debt approaching $37 trillion, it is important to make sure every dollar is spent the right way with no room for malfeasance or error. That is why we must protect our retirement programs and beneficiaries by requiring eligibility verification for individuals who are 105 years and older."
In late February, Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) introduced a similar bill that requires states to refer to Social Security's Death Master File database quarterly to ensure that living enrollees correctly receive Medicaid capitation payments after a November 2023 audit report found that $249 million in Medicaid payments went to deceased enrollees in 14 states.