Tens of millions of Social Security records with previously missing or inaccurate information have finally been updated, according to a press release from the Social Security Administration.
It is the largest correction of vital Social Security records in the 91-year history of the department, according to the SSA.
'This is the first time SSA has undertaken an effort of this scale, and I am proud of the work we have done to strengthen the foundation of identity data relied upon throughout government and the economy.'
The massive effort corrected data of 15% of all active Social Security numbers, or about 50 million files out of 330 million.
About 25 million records with missing citizenship information were updated, and the agency is in the process of correcting the inaccurate citizenship status of 8.5 million records.
About 17 million death dates were also added to records.
The SSA also "implemented stronger internal controls to prevent inaccuracies due to manual data entry" that could otherwise have happened in the future.
"The Social Security Number database is our country’s books and records. The database’s accuracy is essential to maintaining integrity of government services for citizens," read a statement from Commissioner Frank Bisignano.
"Accurate SSN records prevent fraud across federal programs and support the proper administration of benefits," he added. "This is the first time SSA has undertaken an effort of this scale, and I am proud of the work we have done to strengthen the foundation of identity data relied upon throughout government and the economy."
The SSA said the corrections will prevent payments from being made to the wrong recipients.
"These improvements demonstrate a government‑wide commitment to safeguarding identity data, preventing fraud, and preserving proper program administration," said the SSA in its press release.
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Experts estimate that the Social Security program may no longer have enough funds to make benefit payments by 2034.
President Donald Trump previously promised he would not cut the program's benefits and said it could be fixed by purging its rolls of illegal aliens and others fraudulently receiving payments.
Democrats have floated plans to significantly raise taxes on the wealthy in order to ensure the program's viability.
"We will have to make a choice," said Glenn Hubbard, a top Bush administration economist, to the AP. "If you want Social Security benefits to look like they are today, we're going to have to raise everyone's taxes a lot. And if that's what people want, that's a menu, and you pay the high price and you move on."
He said the other choice is to restrict benefits to decrease the cost of the program.
"It's really a political choice," he said. "Neither one of those is pain-free."
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