Tag Archives: death master file

9/11 victims missing from Social Security’s Death Master File

A new report from a New York City TV station shows that many people supposedly killed on September 11, 2001, are not listed on the Social Security Death Master File.

Also, a YouTube video shows that only 405 people, associated with 9/11, are listed on the File.

There are many reasons for the Death File not showing all those killed on 9/11: “For example, by law, we cannot make public the death reports we get from certain states. Another possibility is that the death was not reported to us because the person was not receiving benefits or there were no survivors’ benefits to be paid on the deceased’s Social Security record.”-Mark Hinkle, Social Security

Also, it’s been revealed that Social Security makes lots of mistakes.  One study showed that depending on where you lived, and then died, in the United States, could effect your listing.  Northeastern states have higher rates of errors with Death File listings, while western states have the lowest rate of errors.

Also, the Social Security tends to list many deaths as happening on the 15th of every month. Officials say it’s simply a default day, because many deaths reported to them do not indicate a day of death.

Don’t forget that the Death File still lists thousands of people in the United States, who are very much alive, as being dead.  Basically the Social Security Death Master File is not a good source of information if you’re doing any kind of research or study.  You might want to try the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) mortality registry.