📋 Social Security Offers Assurances as AARP Pushes for Protections (AARP Article)

[Winter2025VA]

FROM THE ARTICLE: Most older Americans count on monthly benefits as their largest source of income.

By Kenneth Terrell, AARP.

Published February 20, 2025.

The acting head of the Social Security Administration (SSA) on Feb. 19 sought to reassure older Americans that payments will continue as usual and that Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staff have limited access to its systems, amid growing concerns over service disruptions and the privacy of beneficiaries’ personal data.

“Our continuing priority is paying beneficiaries the right amount at the right time, and providing other critical services people rely on from us,”  Acting Social Security Commissioner Lee Dudek said in statement.

USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE: https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/advocacy/info-2025/social-security-payments-data-protections.h...

[BettiS720642]

Note that Social Security Commisioner Lee Dudeck said" “Our continuing priority is paying beneficiaries the right amount at the right time, and providing other critical services people rely on from us." Yet they are cutting Social Security staff by half, and closing local Social Security offices. That would be "providing other critical services people rely on from us." So basically, he lied. Social Security was already underfunded, with long waits for services. Now it will get SO much worse. Please consider the accuracy of your sources.
https://www.newsweek.com/social-security-administration-staff-cut-half-2036903

[GAKKIEZ]

No need to worry about the DOGE unless you are receiving benefits you are not entitled to.  The DOGE is already identifying many that have been improperly placed on social security rolls and questionable payouts with no identification/social security number. 

[BettiS720642]

Social Security is actually beyond efficient, it is hyperefficient. Please provide a link to ANY organization that has a zero percent error rate.

"Collins said that incorrect birth dates or unnoticed deaths may not represent the biggest fraction of overpayments. Other reasons may be that the system has not caught up with life developments that prevent a former beneficiary from receiving payments, such as being incarcerated.

Why the problem is so hard to fix

As a percentage of all payments, improper payments account for 0.84% of the total, the inspector general has found. That’s "better than any private insurance company in the nation," and with a lower cost of administration, said Henry J. Aaron, a fellow with the Brookings Institution think tank and a former chair of the Social Security Advisory Board.

As is often the case with complex systems, solving the last remaining fraction of technical problems can prove to be the most difficult. "The costs of having 0% error rate would actually be quite high, and would increase administrative costs," Collins said.

Politifact "Are 150-year-old Americans receiving Social Security checks, as Elon Musk said?"

[d376092h]

You actually believe that?

[tomwestbrook]

Mere dumbosity. DOGE & Musk are after our benefits. Pure and simple. They need to come up with $8trilion to dole out to the 1% as tax cuts as undeserved gifts.

[WebWiseWoman]

I am pained to write this but I think we all need to be wary; I feel a storm coming; it will hurt many of us because we won't be able to pay rent or actually buy food, which we won't have a stove to prepare it on since we won't be able to pay rent...

Just our silly old person view...

[CarmenE673098]

“"DOGE personnel must follow the law and if they violate the law they will be referred to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution.”

This is from the acting SS director's letter after the former Director resigned in protest. Well who is dumb enough to believe if Muck's DOGE violates the law that the Trump Administration's Justice Department would prosecute Musk? 

I just saw a excerpt from CPAC with Musk making a joke/comment about cutting SS. I found it infuriating. Very condescending comment. He isn't even an American. Never had someone in his family that has served this Country.

I want them out of SSA completely. I want the workers in the SSA to be kept, and not cut or downsized at all. They do a good job and should be supported. 

If you are a Conservative I suggest you call, email, write letters to your Republican Congressman demanding that DOGE is removed from the SSA or you promise to not vote for them in the midterm. 

I have called my Republican Representatives almost every day this week. 

Without SS I will be in financial trouble. 

What is DOGE doing at the SSA? If not to cut. How long will it be before they start examining the amount we are paid? Deciding we are receiving too much money so there needs to me "Adjustments". 

We all better act now.

[GailL1]

@CarmenE673098 wrote:  

“ What is DOGE doing at the SSA? If not to cut. How long will it be before they start examining the amount we are paid? Deciding we are receiving too much money so there needs to me "Adjustments". 

================================

Maybe they are trying to do something about situations like this:

Office of the Inspector General - Social Security Admin. - 08/19/2024 - IG Reports: Nearly $72 Billi... 

They are looking for processes and routines that could be updated or fixed to help the agency out in situations like the link shows.  Even better would be to stop it before it got to the point of overpayment collections maybe years down the road.

They are looking for the verification of life forms that verify a beneficiary is still alive especially if their benefits are going to another country where notifications of deaths is sometimes lacking.  Those beneficiaries who receive their benefits while living abroad who are over 90 are suppose to do this every year; every 1-2 years if younger.

IF indicated, they would also find any underpayment routines also.  

Why would we object if the purpose is to save money to the system because of some misstep.  IMPROPER PAYMENTS is a big problem for the SSA as well as Medicare - where waste, fraud and abuse is taking place on a regular basis.

CMS.gov - MLN Outreach and Education - Medicare Fraud & Abuse: Prevent, Detect, Report 

There are many OIG.ssa.gov reports where any corrective action needs to be reviews.

https://oig.ssa.gov/audit-reports/ 

But most of all MAYBE they can suggest some way to update the antiquated technology that needs to be updated so that the system can work better and more effectively.  Maybe with their tech suggestions - the funds can be allocated to bring us out of the dark ages to make the system work better.

[BettiS720642]

Social Security is actually beyond efficient, it is hyperefficient. Please provide a link to ANY organization that has a zero percent error rate.

"Collins said that incorrect birth dates or unnoticed deaths may not represent the biggest fraction of overpayments. Other reasons may be that the system has not caught up with life developments that prevent a former beneficiary from receiving payments, such as being incarcerated.

Why the problem is so hard to fix

As a percentage of all payments, improper payments account for 0.84% of the total, the inspector general has found. That’s "better than any private insurance company in the nation," and with a lower cost of administration, said Henry J. Aaron, a fellow with the Brookings Institution think tank and a former chair of the Social Security Advisory Board.

As is often the case with complex systems, solving the last remaining fraction of technical problems can prove to be the most difficult. "The costs of having 0% error rate would actually be quite high, and would increase administrative costs," Collins said.

Politifact "Are 150-year-old Americans receiving Social Security checks, as Elon Musk said?"

[tomwestbrook]

I wonder what their so-called "fraud expert" Leland Dudek has been doing all these years to prevent the overpayments mentioned. I don't think this administration is actually doing anything useful about this.

[Summer2025]

Who told any of us that #doge personnel had to follow any law? I'm writing the didn't follow any law AND broke many!

[Summer2025]

And who will enforce the laws?

Just asking...

[tomwestbrook]

Crickets, apparently. The bad actors have control of everything and Congress is completely paralyzed or uninterested.