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Social Security automatically halts payments to anyone over the age of 115 and a 2023 report acknowledged that most people over 100 in the database were not receiving benefits, but noted it would be too costly to correct the database.

Inexperienced DOGE staffers seemingly failed to address their concerns with Social Security employees, leading DOGE staffers Musk to repeatedly claim DOGE had uncovered massive fraud.

References

• Trump, Musk Exaggerate Scale of Improper Social Security Payments to the Dead (factcheck.org)
• No, 150-Year-Olds Aren’t Collecting Social Security Benefits (wired.com)
• Former head of Social Security says Elon Musk and DOGE are wrong about the agency (npr.org)
• Office of the Inspector General Audit Report: Numberholders Age 100 or Older Who Did Not Have Death Information on the Numident (perma.cc)