Treasury Data Pilot Prevents and Recovers $31 Million in Payments to Deceased Individuals During a Five-Month Period

Streamlined access to improved death data will result in significant program integrity improvements, initial pilot results showWASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced it prevented and recovered more than $31 million in fraud and improper payments during a five-month pilot with the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Full Death Master File.“These results are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Fiscal Assistant Secretary David Lebryk. “Congress granting permanent access to the Full Death Master File will significantly reduce fraud, improve program integrity, and better safeguard taxpayer dollars.”Key highlights of the pilot program include:$215 Million Projected Net Benefit Over Three Years: Treasury’s initial assessment projects over $215 million in net benefit during the three-year access period (December 2023 – December 2026).Enhanced Detection Capabilities: The integration of SSA’s high-quality death data resulted in a 139 percent increase in total number of death matches and improved timeliness and quality of data.Increased Federal