Treasury Screened 885 Million Payments and Flagged 4900 for Deceased Payee Review
The Treasury Department intercepted roughly 4,900 federal payments totaling about $99 million after matching them against Social Security Administration death records, but those payments were returned to agencies for review rather than permanently disallowed. The screening draws on expanded access to SSA's Full Death Master File through the Do Not Pay program, though SSA's records do not capture every U.S. death. The permanent statutory authority enabling this process does not take effect until December 27, 2026, meaning Treasury's July 2026 announcement described implementation under a temporary pilot, not the finalized law.