Millions of "dead" Social Security recipients actually caused by a COBOL coding quirk

TL;DR: Rumors have been circulating about millions of deceased individuals allegedly receiving Social Security checks. However, this sensational claim is far from the truth. The real story is a complex interplay between aging technology, government systems, and misinterpretations by younger IT professionals, particularly those in the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The rumors began when Elon Musk claimed that a significant number of Americans over the age of 100 were inappropriately receiving benefits. Musk and other DOGE representatives said they had uncovered "unusual occurrences" during their preliminary review of Social Security. Musk went so far as to assert that individuals as old as 150 were listed as benefit recipients. He later expanded on these claims, stating that over 20 million American centenarians were receiving Social Security payments. Musk shared an image on X of what he described as a spreadsheet from a Social Security database to support his argument. ... Read full article.