DOGE’s plans for social security are back door way to cut payments, experts and former official warn: ‘This is the most serious threat I’ve ever seen to it’ 

• Elon Musk’s ECPice team, Doce, seeks social security, The cheat’s claim while pushing controversial changes that can make it difficult for older access to benefits. The critics, including Mark Cuban, saying that changes about an effort to “backdoor” pay and the agency’s gut.

The Elon Musk department for the Government Heal has a new target of trying to eliminate government waste: Social Security.

Musk and the DOGE team accuses the agency who has competed in widespread fraud, especially claiming to be Ten million dead It’s wrong to accept people.

To prevent some of these admitted identity fraud, the agency has implemented more powerful Testimony Methods of Identity: A suggestion to compel millions to file the Social Security claims of the Person.

The change was criticized by some, including billionaire Mark Cuban, who calls to move a “Back to door door to cut off payments.”

SSA officers officer and expert echo the comments of Cuban and raise concerns about social security impact initiatives.

Backdoor benefits are cut

Laura Haltzel, a former Commissioner of the Social Security Administration Associate resigned in late February, speaking wealth Doge uses pretense fraud within the agency as a means to reduce the amount of benefits paid.

The agency announced on Tuesday that individuals who could not verify their identity through an online Social Security account must be held their own social security office to make it personally. art leak memo It is also preferred that Social Security phone support can end the identity verification, which will also add to human visits.

In response to new protest measures, Social Security Administration also planthat processing Direct Deposit Change Fest processing – both online and a significant reduction from the past 30 days holding.

Many people, including Cuban, raised concerns about how it affects older citizens who released social security checks.

“How many older people are the exclusar of their SS checks can be able to afford the internet? How many old unemployed, or don’t people quit their credit to their bank account,” the Billionaire to say in a post over X.

Haltzel says changes are more difficult for some Americans to access their benefits while just a small target fraud. He said the changes were worth the “de facto” social security cut, the promise of Trump’s administration that the popular benefit was not moved.

“It creates an environment where the beneficiaries we try to serve cannot only access the benefits they paid for,” he said.

“We often try to get easier for those who claim … more efficiently for those who claim. And the justification is kept going with this idea of ​​having a good deception,” he said. “Well, the math is no longer adding.”

According to SSA’s Inspector general, only 0.3% of claims encountered in deception. Security accuracy rate is over 99% and the agency has many protection protections against improper payment, according to progressive thinking-tank Budget center and policy priorities.

Tiffany Flick, a former chief of the US Social Security Administration staff, as Doge’s Toverover said the SSA shown “based on the overall myth of massive fraud.”

In a court filing, Flick raises concerns about doge staff‘ ability to protect the taxpayer’s sensitive data. He said he is “not confident” that doho employees have “necessary knowledge and training to prevent SSA or SSA trained, systems or programs.”

“In such a chaotic environment, the risk of dropping the wrong hands is important,” he said to filing.

On Thursday, a The Federal Judge temporarily prevents the doge From accessing sensitive Social Security Administration data, saying that they have little reason for their fraud searching.

“The dog’s team is important to participate in a SSA fishing expedition, finding an epidemic of fraud, based on little doubt,” letter to the judge.

Database in Dead’s Musk’s’

One of the main buddies of Muskar and juice used for the need for reform is to claim Those dead people Social Security is paid, a musk musk refers to as a “dead database of the dead.”

“Maybe Twilight is true and there are many vampires collecting Social Security,” Musk Sayed by a post of X.

“Having millions of people marked by Social Security as ‘alive’ when they die before a country. Think of that in a country. Think about that in a country a different post.

Trump later echoed the claims of a press briefingthat claims to be “millions and millions of people over 100 years of age” received Social Security benefits: “Clearly fraudulent.”

Claims are debunted by experts and news outlets, but musk keeps pushing into claim.

“What doesn’t understand people is that you can have an active social security number for long periods because Widow’s social benefits, which is the President of Social Security Security Courtion, told Fate.

Altman said he was worried that the dog seeks to convince people with a widespread fraud in degrading the government and governmental confidence.

“It can end perfect non-function, and can make plenty of waste and abuse,” he said.

Musk and Trump-thrown numbers show the wrong social security data.

“They do not understand the difference between an active claim and active benefits and benefits of history,” said Halkel, who still did not receive benefits. “It is simply unworthy of time and effort with our staff to go to records to undo the past history of a person who passes welfare fees.”

Work cuts can be placed overtaveffed agencies under strain

Officers also produce concerns about the proposed SSA-cut staff.

The Haltzel took the “fork in the road to the road” offered, said the team had “all the SSA a definite fear that if they could not lose, their work could lose them.”

He accuses the cut-cutting team intentionally to make a culture of fear and impolite and increasing a clear dissuit for government employees.

DOGE is clear about its plans to slast headcount to the government, but experts say cuts can cause the first undeveloped SSA to crush pressure.

“You can reduce direct costs through small federal employees, and you can make it more difficult for people to ask for benefits because people who serve them are lost,” said Halkel. “Fewer people, take longer.”

“They have completely created administrative burdens where there is no need, under storage, you know, waste, fraud, and abuse,” he added.

Altman warns the workload of agency that increases as staff level decreases. SSA has hit a 25-Years under the agency employees in 2024 fiscal year.

“You have increased and staff decreases,” he said. “I work on this program in the last 50 years, and it’s the worst threat I’ve seen it.”

Representatives for SSA did not respond to Fortune’s Ask for comment.

This story originally shown Fortune.com

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