New law tightens sharing of death records to stop payments to the deceased

What does this do?

The law requires the Social Security Administration to share death record data with the federal "Do Not Pay" system to stop payments sent to deceased people. It also requires "clear and convincing evidence" before Social Security marks someone as deceased, and mandates notifying other agencies if a death record error is discovered.

Who does it affect?

This affects recipients of federal benefits like Social Security, and government agencies that check death records before issuing payments.

Why does it matter?

The changes aim to reduce improper payments to deceased individuals while adding protections against wrongly recording living people as dead, which can cut off benefits and create financial and bureaucratic problems.

What does it cost, and who pays?

• SSA and Do Not Pay agency share costs
• Covers accurate state death records