Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased People Act

Bill: 114-s-1073
Sponsor: Sen. Carper, Thomas R. [D-DE]
Introduced: 2015-04-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Congressional oversight
Debt collection
Government Operations and Politics
Government information and archives
Health information and medical records
Intergovernmental relations
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Social security and elderly assistance
State and local government operations
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: 

Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased People Act 

 
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Benefits) of the Social Security Act to direct the Social Security Administration (SSA) to: (1) provide information on all deceased individuals that is furnished to or maintained by SSA, subject to appropriate safeguards against unauthorized use or disclosure, to federal or state agencies providing benefits or administering a federal program; and (2) provide for the use of such information by federal agencies to operate the Do Not Pay working system and to carry out tax administration or debt collection duties. 
 
Directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to analyze and report to Congress on potential alternative sources of death data maintained by non-federal sources. 
 
Amends the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act of 2012 to require the OMB to: (1) issue guidance to agencies that operate or maintain a database of information relating to beneficiaries, annuity recipients, or other purposes for which improved data matching with databases would be relevant and necessary; (2) develop a plan to assist states and local agencies, and Indian Tribes and tribal organizations, to provide information, in an electronic format, to the federal government on the deaths of individuals; and (3) submit to Congress a plan to improve data matching with the federal government on the death of individuals who are benefit recipients and an annual report on the implementation of such requirements. 
 
Directs the SSA to submit a plan to ensure the accuracy and completeness of death data of individuals who are not eligible for or receiving social security benefits. 

action_date: 2016-05-09
text: 

Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased People Act 

 
(Sec. 2) This bill amends title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Benefits) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to direct the Social Security Administration (SSA) to pay state or local governments for transcribing and transmitting to the SSA information on death records.
 
The SSA shall make cooperative arrangements with federal and state agencies for use of SSA information on all deceased individuals by federal or state agencies providing federally funded benefits or administering a federal program for such benefits.
 
The SSA shall make similar arrangements for the use of such information by federal agencies to:
 
 
operate the Do Not Pay working system (which uses specified federal agency databases to reduce improper payments or awards); 
 
ensure proper payments under a federal program, including federally funded benefits;
 
conduct federal policing agency prevention activities, detection activities, crime investigation, or apprehension of alleged offenders; and 
 
carry out tax administration or debt collection duties. 
 
 
 The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) shall analyze potential alternative sources of death data maintained by non-federal sources. 
 
(Sec. 3) The Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act of 2012 is amended to require the OMB to:
 
 
issue guidance to agencies that operate or maintain a database of information relating to beneficiaries, annuity recipients, or other purposes specified in Sec. 3 for which improved data matching with databases relating to an individual's death would be relevant and necessary;
 
develop a plan to assist state and local agencies, Indian Tribes, and tribal organizations to provide death information electronically to the federal government; and 
 
submit to Congress a plan to improve state, local, and tribal data matching with the federal government on the death of federally funded benefit recipients. 
 
 
(Sec. 4) The SSA shall submit a plan to improve the accuracy and completeness of death data (including data on individuals who are neither eligible for nor receiving OASDI or title XVI [Supplemental Security Income] benefits). 
 
The plan shall include:
 
 
a procedure for identifying, and verifying information about, individuals who are still alive and are older than the oldest known living person;
 
improved policies and procedures for identifying and correcting erroneous records, especially about dead individuals listed as alive and living individuals listed as dead;
 
improved policies and procedures for identifying and correcting errors in Numerical Identification System records; 
 
a process for employing statistical analysis of SSA death data to determine an estimate of the number of erroneous records; and 
 
recommendations for legislation.
 
 (Sec. 5) The SSA shall report to Congress on: (1) all SSA information systems containing sensitive information; and (2) the measures the SSA is taking to secure and protect these systems.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-05-09
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 456.
action_date: 2016-05-09
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Johnson with amendments. With written report No. 114-249.
action_date: 2016-05-09
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Johnson with amendments. With written report No. 114-249.
action_date: 2015-07-29
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported with amendments favorably.
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Introduced in Senate