Imagine your tax dollars funding checks for folks who’ve long since left this earth. That’s the maddening reality as the Social Security Administration (SSA) faces heat for sending benefits to the deceased, costing millions in losses.

The SSA’s latest controversy centers on erroneous payments to dead individuals, often pocketed by relatives for years, while Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and others push for urgent reforms to curb fraud and protect taxpayer funds.

This isn’t a fresh issue—past criticism has targeted the SSA for not catching these mistakes sooner.

Senator Ernst demands immediate action

On Tuesday, Senator Ernst sent a pointed letter to SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano, urging stronger administrative steps to stop these ghostly payouts.

“I would ask that you continue doing everything in your administrative powers to stop sending checks to dead people,” Ernst wrote to Bisignano. One has to wonder if the SSA will finally act or keep funding the great beyond.

A government watchdog review exposed over $186 million in Social Security funds potentially misused, failing to reach the intended beneficiaries over several years.

Shocking examples of fraud exposed

Senator Ernst spotlighted egregious fraud cases, like Ellis Kingsep, a Canadian who allegedly cashed $420,000 in checks for his deceased mother from 1995 to 2023.

Authorities even found fake ID-making guides among Kingsep’s possessions, showing the lengths some will go to game the system.

Then there’s Donald Felix Zampach from California, accused of concealing his mother’s death for over 30 years, raking in more than $800,000 in benefits.

More cases and SSA’s weak response

In San Diego, Josephine Guinauli Aquino recently admitted guilt for forging 150 checks after hiding her father-in-law’s 2019 death, collecting over $175,000.

Another instance involves Afshin Setoodeh, whose mother passed in 2022 after leaving the U.S. in 2019, yet he failed to report it and pocketed around $55,000.

A 2023 SSA Office of the Inspector General study revealed $186 million in improper payments, with 12,050 misuse allegations out of 14,877 not properly or timely investigated.

SSA’s efforts fall short of expectations

“The time for the catch-me-if-you-can Social Security fraudsters must come to an end,” Ernst declared. Her exasperation resonates with taxpayers tired of seeing their money vanish into thin air.

The SSA claims progress, with a spokesperson stating that in 2023, over 12.4 million individuals aged 120 and older were added to the Death Master File to fight fraud.

While this sounds like a step forward, it’s tough to applaud when millions still slip through due to sloppy oversight. Taxpayers aren’t asking for symbolic gestures—they want real accountability.