Hacker News with Generative AI: Social Security

Doge Plans to Rebuild SSA Codebase in Months (wired.com)
The so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is starting to put together a team to migrate the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) computer systems entirely off one of its oldest programming languages in a matter of months, potentially putting the integrity of the system—and the benefits on which tens of millions of Americans rely—at risk.

Government, Technology, Social Security, Risk

122 points by danso 7 days ago | 130 comments

How the Social Security Administration is dodging a federal court order (muskwatch.com)
The Trump administration has installed a DOGE operative as the new Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Social Security Administration (SSA) in an apparent effort to evade a federal court order blocking DOGE affiliates from accessing databases containing the sensitive personal information of millions of Americans.

Politics, Government, Social Security, Cybersecurity

9 points by chmaynard 9 days ago | 0 comments

A man's quest to show the Social Security Administration he's alive and kicking (cnn.com)

Social Security, Bureaucracy, Government, Identity

9 points by zfg 13 days ago | 1 comments

Judge bars Musk's DOGE team from Social Security records in scathing ruling (cnbc.com)

Law, Social Security, Cryptocurrency, Elon Musk

21 points by rntn 14 days ago | 1 comments

Doge Social Security Closures: Recipients Need to Visit Offices to Get Benefits (gizmodo.com)
As Elon Musk’s DOGE targets the Social Security Administration for cuts and reorganization, the agency is rolling out new rules for benefit recipients that could spur chaos and dysfunction at the agency.

Social Security, Politics, Elon Musk, Cryptocurrency, Government

36 points by rntn 14 days ago | 14 comments

Social Security Admin to require in-person ID checks for new&existing recipients (apnews.com)
In an effort to limit fraudulent claims, the Social Security Administration will impose tighter identity-proofing measures — which will require millions of recipients and applicants to visit agency field offices rather than interact with the agency over the phone.

Social Security, Government, Fraud, Identity Verification, Policy

50 points by petethomas 16 days ago | 45 comments

Here's a 'dead' person on Social Security in Seattle, with plenty to say (seattletimes.com)
“DOGE Has 10 Staffers at Social Security in Hunt for Dead People,” the headlines read this past week.

Social Security, Seattle, Fraud, Government, Crime

10 points by howard941 19 days ago | 1 comments

Doge Pushes Social Security Administration to Cut Off Phone Service (newsweek.com)
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is considering making significant reductions to its phone services amid pressure from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to crack down on purported fraud, waste and abuse the Washington Post reported, citing two sources familiar with internal discussions and records the paper obtained.

Government, Social Security, Fraud, Policy

14 points by qclibre22 22 days ago | 3 comments

Social Security Administration Cuts Will Affect You (prospect.org)
A timely research paper looking at SSA staff cuts in the 1980s found that it led to tens of thousands of Americans not getting their earned benefits.

Social Security, Government, Economics, Policy

14 points by leotravis10 22 days ago | 0 comments

Musk Calls Entitlements the 'Big One' to Cut, Countering Trump (bloomberg.com)
Billionaire presidential adviser Elon Musk called entitlement spending — benefits including Social Security and Medicare — key targets for cuts, an assertion that directly contradicts President Donald Trump’s pledge to not touch those programs.

Politics, Social Security, Medicare, Economics, United States

22 points by toomuchtodo 24 days ago | 8 comments

Social Security Workers Aren't Allowed to Read This Story (wired.com)
Employees at the Social Security Administration (SSA) were informed on Thursday morning that new rules forbid them from accessing “general news” websites, including those that have been at the forefront of the reporting on Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort.

Social Security, Government, Elon Musk, News Censorship, Government Efficiency

9 points by coloneltcb 28 days ago | 0 comments

Elon Musk Calls Social Security a Ponzi Scheme as He Destroys the US Government (gizmodo.com)
Elon Musk called Social Security a “Ponzi Scheme” in a discussion with podcaster Joe Rogan that was released online Friday. And it’s just the latest rhetorical assault by a member of the Trump regime on America’s social safety net as Musk continues to lay off thousands of federal workers and illegally stop payments at several government agencies.

Social Security, Elon Musk, Politics, Government

20 points by rntn 31 days ago | 9 comments

Social Security Administration plans to cut some 7k jobs (npr.org)
The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced Friday that it aims to cut some 7,000 jobs to align with an executive order from President Trump to broadly slash the federal workforce.

Social Security, Government, Politics, Employment, Labor

12 points by geox 34 days ago | 0 comments

The Truth About Social Security and Dead People (bloomberg.com)
There’s a reason millions of people are not listed as deceased in the main database when they should be, but it's not the fraud that Elon Musk and Trump say it is.

Social Security, Politics, Misinformation

13 points by toomuchtodo 38 days ago | 4 comments

Trump official calls Social Security 'wrong' with groundwork for cuts (independent.co.uk)
Donald Trump and Elon Musk are ramping up baseless claims that tens of millions of dead people are collecting Social Security payments, laying the groundwork to cut out “waste” and “fraud” as they look to make dramatic cuts for some of the most expensive programs in the federal budget to pay for astronomical tax cuts for America’s wealthiest households.

Politics, Social Security, Government Spending, Taxes

23 points by throw0101a 42 days ago | 14 comments

DOGE Said It Cut $232M from Social Security. It Was Only About Half a Mil (theintercept.com)
The “Department of Government Efficiency” claimed to have saved the American taxpayer nearly $232 million by canceling an IT contract for the Social Security Administration.

Politics, Government Spending, Social Security, Misinformation

158 points by ceejayoz 42 days ago | 44 comments

So many Americans died from Covid, it's boosting Social Security (fortune.com)
New research finds Social Security will pay out $205 billion less in future benefits owing to COVID-related premature deaths.

Social Security, COVID-19, Economics, Demographics

26 points by askl 43 days ago | 2 comments

150-Year-Olds Aren't Collecting Social Security Benefits (wired.com)
Elon Musk claims to have found rampant fraud in the Social Security Administration. There's a much simpler explanation.

Social Security, Fraud, Elon Musk, Misinformation

15 points by ConfusedDog 45 days ago | 4 comments

Top Social Security Official Leaves After Musk Team Seeks Data Access (nytimes.com)
The top official at the Social Security Administration stepped down this weekend after members of Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency sought access to sensitive personal data about millions of Americans held by the agency, according to people familiar with the matter.

Politics, Privacy, Social Security, Elon Musk, Government

36 points by 2OEH8eoCRo0 45 days ago | 26 comments

Numberholders Age 100 or Older Who Did Not Have Death Information on Numident [pdf] (oig.ssa.gov)

Data Analysis, Social Security, Longevity

16 points by ZeroGravitas 46 days ago | 7 comments

Are DOGE's Claims of Social Security Payments to 150-Year-Olds Way Off Base? (slashdot.org)

Cryptocurrency, Social Security, Dogecoin

82 points by theodpHN 48 days ago | 108 comments

China's single-child generation frets over country's pension system (channelnewsasia.com)
China’s pension system has been under immense pressure due to a rapidly ageing population and declining birth rates, which means more looking to receive payments but fewer working and funding the system.

China, Demographics, Pensions, Social Security

9 points by sohkamyung 121 days ago | 0 comments

Hackers may have stolen the Social Security numbers of every American (latimes.com)

Cybersecurity, Data Breaches, Privacy, Social Security

10 points by cwwc 232 days ago | 0 comments

Hackers may have leaked the Social Security Numbers of every American (engadget.com)

Data Breaches, Cybersecurity, Privacy, Social Security

127 points by dataflow 233 days ago | 182 comments

Every social security number possibly leaked in data breach (latimes.com)

Data Breaches, Cybersecurity, Privacy, Social Security

7 points by acjohnson55 233 days ago | 2 comments

Hackers leak 2.7B data records with Social Security numbers (bleepingcomputer.com)

Data Breaches, Cybersecurity, Privacy, Social Security

8 points by elsewhen 234 days ago | 0 comments

Social Security now expected to run short on funds in 2035, one year later (cnbc.com)