Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act
Congress requires Social Security to share death data to help stop payments sent after someone dies
Signed Into Law
This legislation has been enacted.
↔Companion bill: House Committee Advances Bill to Cut Social Security Payments to Deceased RecipientsLegislative Progress
Key Points
- Social Security must share state death-record information with the federal system that checks whether someone should be paid.
- The goal is to prevent or recover government payments that go out after a person has died.
- Social Security must use a high proof standard before marking someone as dead in records shared for payment checks, helping avoid mistakes.
- If Social Security wrongly marks someone as deceased, it must tell other agencies it shares data with so the error can be fixed faster.
- The changes do not start right away; they take effect on December 27, 2026.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Milestones
Became Public Law No: 119-77.
The President signed it. This is now the law of the land.
Signed by President.
The President signed it. This is now the law of the land.
Presented to President.
Both chambers passed identical text. The President has 10 days to sign it into law or veto it.
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H634)
The House fast-tracked this bill — limited debate, no amendments allowed, but needs two-thirds support to pass.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
2 articles
US recovers $31 million in federal payments to dead people
Covers Treasury’s pilot using Social Security death records and explicitly notes lawmakers seeking permanent access—core policy goal of the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act.
Social Security Administration ripped for sending checks to dead people: 'Paying actual ghosts'
Mentions the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act as a proposed fix tied to SSA-Treasury death-records data sharing; primarily a broader critique piece.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(5)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.