Elon Musk vs. SSA: Social Security Administration Exposed?

Nearly 3,000 people over the age of 200 are still receiving Social Security benefits. At least, that’s what Elon Musk is claiming.

Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have been making headlines, this time claiming that the Social Security Administration (SSA) is making payments to more than 20 million people who are over 100 years old. His post on X included a chart showing that more than 20 million beneficiaries are supposedly 100 or older, including nearly 1.5 million people over the age of 150 and nearly 3,000 people over 200 still receiving benefits.

If that’s true, we have a serious problem. But here’s the thing—we don’t actually know where Musk is getting this data. If he pulled this straight from Social Security records, that could actually be part of the problem. More on that later...

The Truth About Payments to the Dead

Payments to deceased individuals isn’t a new issue for SSA. Back in January 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced it had clawed back more than $31 million in federal payments that improperly went to dead people. And according to Treasury officials, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

What makes this even more interesting? The official who revealed this isn’t some recent Trump appointee pushing an agenda—he’s been at the Department of the Treasury since 1989. And this investigation had nothing to do with Trump. It was actually part of the Appropriations Bill of 2021, which granted Treasury temporary access to SSA’s Full Death Master File for three years—from December 2023 to December 2026.

And this alone is insane. The Social Security Administration maintains the most complete and up-to-date records on deaths, but the Treasury Department, which actually issues Social Security checks, does NOT usually have access to this data.

Why? Because privacy laws protect SSA’s death records and aren’t automatically shared with Treasury. That means for years, Treasury had to rely on outdated databases, partial data, and slow updates from SSA. This is exactly why improper payments have slipped through the cracks for years. Without direct access to the Full Death Master File, Treasury has essentially been flying blind.

Does This Have Anything to Do With Musk’s Claim?

Not really. The chart Musk shared doesn’t just suggest fraudulent payments—it suggests that more people are receiving Social Security benefits than the entire population of the United States. That’s a whole new level of scandal.

So, where is he getting this data? We don’t yet know.

The COBOL Factor: Is This a Database Glitch?

Some programmers have already pointed out that SSA’s systems are written in COBOL, a programming language from the 1950s.

This matters because older programs like COBOL can default to placeholder values. If a date of death isn’t recorded, the system might assign a generic number—like an age of 150+.

If that’s the case, these people aren’t actually receiving benefits—their records just haven’t been updated properly.

What About SSA’s Fraud Safeguards?

In 2015, SSA implemented RETAP (Regular Transcript Attainment and Selection Pass). This system automatically terminates benefits for anyone 115 years or older, unless there’s proof that they’re still alive. Every month, RETAP runs a check on Social Security records, and if someone meets the criteria for likely being deceased, their benefits are stopped.

If Musk’s numbers were true, it would mean multiple government systems have failed at an unprecedented level.

Is There a Cover-Up?

While I do believe millions of dollars in improper payments happen due to bad record-keeping, I also hope that our government watchdogs haven’t been this careless with taxpayer money.

But here’s what’s really interesting—people are furious that DOGE even had access to these records. In fact, SSA’s Acting Commissioner, Michelle King, was replaced over the weekend because she refused to provide certain requested information. 🧐

And the more pushback I see, the more convinced I am that there’s something they don’t want us to see.

Turn On the Bright Lights

I say we turn on all the lights. No sacred cows. No bureaucratic cover-ups. Full transparency.

And sure, there’s going to be pushback, but as the saying goes…

“When you turn on the lights, the roaches scatter.”

One thing is for sure—as this story develops and more truth comes to light, I’ll be right here keeping you informed.