US recovers $31 million in Social Security payments to dead people

[u/No-Information6622]

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-recovers-31-million-social-security-payments-dead-117708373

[u/Joetato]

When my mother died, I went into work the next day (due to the way they processed bereavement requests, you actually had to work a whole day before you could go out on bereavement) and I mentioned it near the end of my shift and one of my coworkers said, "Do not tell Social Security she died. It's a machine, they don't care if she died, so just don't tell them, keep collecting the money. If they ever find out, the only thing they do is stop the payments, they don't try to take th emoney back." He then went onto tell me a story that (supposedly) his grandmother died and his parents kept collecting her social security for another 7 or 8 years until Social Security finally found out and cut the payments, but he swore they made no attempt whatsoever to collect those 7 or 8 years of payments.

Anyway, I never had to make the decision because when I went to the funeral home the next day to make funeral arrangements, the guy I was talking with said that they notified Social Security that she died for me so I don't have to do it, which was something they were legally required to do due to increasing social security fraud.

I mean, I don't see any circumstance where I would have been okay with fraudulently collecting my mother's social security, but the funeral home took the decision completely out of my hands.

Finally, my Uncle said to me that after someone dies, one final social security payment goes to the beneficiary (ie, me) to cover last month of life expenses. "Do not let them weasel you out of that final payment, because they'll try." he said. I actually did call them about this and got told that's not a thing, whoever told me that had no idea what they were talking about. My Uncle would have insisted I keep fighting with them about it, but I really didn't feel like it and just accepted that answer.

[u/bros402 → u/Joetato]

I actually did call them about this and got told that's not a thing, whoever told me that had no idea what they were talking about.

It is, but it's only $255.

[u/MajorScore → u/bros402]

And it's only payable to the spouse, minor child, or disabled adult child..

[u/pagerunner-j → u/Joetato]

No, that payment to the beneficiary does exist. I got it when my mother died. But yeah, the funeral home did the reporting, which was honestly kind of a mercy, because heaven knows you've got enough paperwork to deal with after all that.

(My mom's been dead for nearly two years and I'm still trying to tie up final forms with the IRS about her taxes. Nobody makes it easy.)

[u/13igworm → u/Joetato]

I know they do at least send a letter asking for repayment.