Federal RuleAug 21
62
DOL Rewrites Disability Rules for 'Merit-Based Opportunity' Push
RuleLabor DepartmentFederal Contract Compliance Programs OfficeSignificant Wallet
119-s-269119th CongressWALLET
Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act
Sponsored By: Senator Kennedy, John [R-LA]
Became Law
Summary
Strengthens cross‑agency data sharing between the Social Security Administration and the Do Not Pay (DNP) working system to prevent improper payments. It also raises the evidentiary standard for recording deaths and sets rules for sharing state death-data costs.
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- Beneficiaries: SSA cannot record a death in its records unless there is "clear and convincing" evidence.
- States: Requires interagency agreements that cover each State's proportional share of death-data costs and gives those agreements periodic review rights.
- Federal agencies and program integrity: SSA must share authorized information with the Do Not Pay system to help prevent and recover improper payments and must notify cooperating agencies when death-related errors occur. These provisions take effect on December 27, 2026.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Stronger death record checks for Social Security
Beginning December 27, 2026, Social Security shares death data with the government's Do Not Pay system to stop improper payments and recover money paid by mistake. Sharing follows required privacy rules. Social Security and that system must agree on how to split State death data costs, and they can review the deal over time. Social Security cannot mark someone as deceased in records it shares unless there is clear and convincing evidence. If a death record is wrong, Social Security must tell the agencies that use its death data.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Kennedy, John [R-LA]
LA • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI]
MI • D
Sponsored 1/28/2025
Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]
VA • D
Sponsored 2/24/2025
Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]
IA • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]
NH • D
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Moody, Ashley [R-FL]
FL • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov