A DBUNK subscriber recently asked us to investigate claims regarding Social Security’s retroactive payments. The article, published by CBS News on March 4, 2025, states that over 1.1 million people have received retroactive payments due to the Social Security Fairness Act. While the report contains several accurate details, it leaves out key context and includes misleading claims.
Misleading Information: Exaggerated Beneficiary Numbers
The article claims that the retroactive benefits are going to “more than 1.1 million people with public pensions,” implying all of them were previously barred from receiving full Social Security benefits. However, Social Security’s own reports indicate that not all of these recipients were previously denied their full benefits; some were eligible for only a partial increase under the new law.
Context Matters: The “Average” Retroactive Payment
The CBS article states that the average retroactive payment is $6,710 as of March 4, 2025. While mathematically true, this figure does not fully capture the wide variance in payments. Some individuals received considerably less, while a fraction received significantly more due to their specific lifetime earnings, pension amounts, and length of time they were impacted by the previous policies.
Missing Clarity: Did People Over 120 Years Old Receive Payments?
One major unanswered question concerns extraordinary cases where beneficiaries may be over 120 years old. While reports have surfaced about improper Social Security payments to deceased or supercentenarian individuals in past audits, no direct evidence confirms that payments under the Social Security Fairness Act specifically reached such individuals. SSA has yet to release data that clarifies if retroactive benefits were sent to ineligible or deceased recipients.
An Overlooked Detail: Surviving Spouses and Their Benefits
The article briefly mentions surviving spouses and family members but fails to explain how they are affected by these retroactive adjustments. Some spouses and dependents were impacted differently, and their payments are based on the earnings record of the deceased worker, often leading to a lower-than-expected payout.
The Bottom Line
While the CBS article provides basic details on the Social Security Fairness Act and the retroactive payments, it lacks full transparency. By omitting key context about varying payment amounts and the possibility of payments going to extremely elderly or ineligible recipients, the article leaves readers with an incomplete picture. As misinformation spreads rapidly, it’s important to verify all claims related to social programs.
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