The Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act amends the Social Security Act to improve the sharing of death information between the Social Security Administration and the federal Do Not Pay working system. The bill directs the Commissioner of Social Security, to the extent feasible, to provide certain information to the Do Not Pay system so it can be used for authorized purposes, including preventing improper payments and helping recover payments made in error. It also requires the SSA and the Do Not Pay system operator to enter into an agreement covering the proportional share of state death data costs, with the arrangement subject to periodic review.
The bill also adds a safeguard intended to reduce erroneous death determinations. It prohibits the Commissioner from recording a death on a record that may be shared under this section unless there is clear and convincing evidence that the individual should be presumed deceased. In addition, if SSA identifies an error, it must notify any agency that has a cooperative arrangement with SSA under the relevant provisions. The amendments take effect on December 27, 2026.
Impact
This law amends Section 205(r) of the Social Security Act, changing how death data is shared and managed for federal payment-integrity purposes. It expands the ability of the Social Security Administration to furnish death information to the Do Not Pay working system, which is used by federal agencies to screen for improper payments, while also creating a cost-sharing framework for state death data and adding a higher evidentiary standard before a death can be recorded for sharing. The law also requires notification to partner agencies when SSA corrects an error, affecting federal-state data coordination and agencies that rely on SSA death records for eligibility and payment checks.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and moved without recorded controversy in the available history. It passed the Senate in September 2025 and the House in January 2026 before becoming Public Law 119-77. The title and structure suggest a bipartisan, administrative-efficiency measure focused on reducing waste and preventing payments to deceased individuals, while also addressing concerns about mistaken death records.
Contention
The main policy tension in the bill is between improving fraud prevention and avoiding wrongful death designations. Supporters are likely focused on strengthening payment integrity and interagency coordination, while the added requirement for clear and convincing evidence before recording a death reflects concern about false positives and the harm caused when living individuals are incorrectly marked deceased. A secondary point of concern is the cost-sharing arrangement for state death data and the operational burden on SSA and the Do Not Pay system, though no explicit opposition is reflected in the provided record.