SSA Paid Dead Federal Workers $1.7 Million

An inspector general’s report found that the Social Security Administration improperly paid benefits to federal workers who had previously deceased.

An audit released this week by the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General found that the agency paid $1.7 million in OASDI benefits to 35 deceased beneficiaries. The average payment after death was $49,156 for an average of 84 months.

The report also said that SSA would have continued paying these beneficiaries approximately $258,000 over the next year had the deaths not been identified, and it identified six additional individuals whose deaths were on OPM’s file and whose payments SSA had terminated, but whom the agency paid after their deaths.

Apparently the mishap was due to a lack of communication between the SSA and the Office of Personnel Management. OPM’s annuitant file contained deaths that were not recorded in SSA’s systems.

The OIG recommended in its report that the SSA enter into an agreement with the Office of Personnel Management to periodically obtain its death data with dates of death reported to OPM in calendar year 2014 forward.

Office of Personnel Management Deaths Not in the Social Security Administration’s Systems

About the Author

Ian Smith is one of the co-founders of FedSmith.com. He has over 20 years of combined experience in media and government services, having worked at two government contracting firms and an online news and web development company prior to his current role at FedSmith.