Elon Musk's Social Security Claims Spark Debate on Data Accuracy and Fraud

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and a member of President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), recently sparked a debate on the accuracy of Social Security data after claiming that millions of Americans over 100 years old are still alive and receiving benefits. Musk's assertions, made during an Oval Office press conference, have raised questions about the potential for fraud and the need for better data management within the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Musk's claims were met with skepticism from experts, who pointed out that the SSA's systems were largely written in COBOL, a 60-year-old programming language that does not have a date type. Some implementations rely on a reference point, such as May 20, 1875, for all dates. When a birth date is missing or incomplete, the system defaults to this reference point, resulting in an age of 150 in 2025. This quirk could contribute to the overestimation of centenarians in the system.

However, Musk's claims may not be entirely unfounded. A July 2023 SSA Inspector General audit report identified approximately 18.9 million number holders born before 1920 without death information in their records. The report revealed that 98% of these cases receive no payments, with the anomaly largely attributed to pre-electronic record-keeping era deaths. The SSA has declined previous recommendations to update these records, citing implementation costs between $5-10 million and limited benefit to current programs.



The debate surrounding Musk's claims highlights the broader issue of data accuracy and the potential for fraud within the Social Security system. As the U.S. population ages and life expectancy increases, the number of centenarians is expected to grow, placing an increased strain on the SSA's resources and data management capabilities. The SSA must address the discrepancies in its records and implement better data management practices to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the Social Security system.

In conclusion, Elon Musk's claims about the Social Security system have sparked a debate on the accuracy of data and the potential for fraud within the system. While his claims may be partially attributed to a quirk of the COBOL programming language used in the SSA's systems, the SSA's Inspector General audit report indicates that there may be a significant number of deceased individuals still listed as alive in the SSA's records. The SSA must address these discrepancies and improve its data management practices to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the Social Security system.