In one of its last acts before recessing through the elections, the Senate passed legislation (S-1360) designed to give agencies more authority to prevent improper payments by agencies to deceased individuals.
The bill, backed by leaders of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, follows a hearing held there disclosing inadequate sharing among agencies of basic death data maintained by SSA. Most agencies rely on an incomplete version, it found.
The measure would allow all agencies full access to the complete death data file for program integrity purposes as well as for other needs such as public safety and health. It also would better facilitate the sharing of death data among agencies, including those that record deaths overseas.