One of our subscribers submitted a request for fact-checking an article published by CBS News, which discusses Social Security retroactive payments. Readers have been questioning whether certain beneficiaries—potentially including individuals over 120 years old—are receiving payments.
What the Article Claims
The CBS News article, written by Aimee Picchi, reports that the Social Security Administration (SSA) has issued over 1.1 million retroactive payments as part of the Social Security Fairness Act. The report states that $7.5 billion has been distributed, with an average payout of $6,710. The piece attributes these payments to a law signed in January by former President Biden, which removed restrictions on public pension beneficiaries receiving their full Social Security benefits.
What’s Misrepresented?
The article provides specific figures about retroactive payments but fails to clarify a key concern—who exactly is receiving these payments. Reports across multiple sources, including government audit documents, indicate that a small number of deceased individuals or those with extraordinarily high ages have incorrectly remained in Social Security systems.
For years, SSA has faced scrutiny over payments mistakenly sent to deceased individuals due to improper record-keeping. The exact number of centenarians (people over 100) receiving benefits was not detailed in the CBS piece, leaving out crucial transparency regarding unusual distributions.
Are People Over 120 Receiving Payments?
While SSA payment errors have made headlines before, no verifiable evidence confirms systematic payments being directed to individuals over 120 years old. The SSA acknowledges record-keeping issues in the past, but routine audits have led to corrective actions when errors are detected.
What This Means for the Public
Readers should be cautious when interpreting reports of large-scale government payments. While the article from CBS News accurately reports on payments issued under the Social Security Fairness Act, it does not fully address persistent concerns over SSA’s record-keeping reliability.
Users can submit fact-check requests for free through our DBUNK app. Articles like this demonstrate why an extra layer of scrutiny is essential.
For the original CBS article, visit: CBS News
