Social Security Death Index

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The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) is a death record database based on the Death Master File of the US Social Security Administration . Most people who have died in the US since 1962 and a Social Security number ( Social Security Number , SSN) had, are listed in the SSDI, if the death of the Social Security Administration indicated. For most of the years since 1973, the SSDI includes between 93 and 96 percent of deaths in people aged 65 and over. In 2009 it contained entries for over 84 million people.

In contrast to the Death Master File, the SSDI can be accessed online free of charge on various genealogical websites. The genealogical data that can be obtained from it make the SSDI a popular tool for genealogists and biographers.

The data includes:

  • First name and surname , also middle initial since the 1990s
  • Date of birth
  • Month and year of death; from 2000 complete date of death
  • Social security number
  • State or territory in which the social security number was issued
  • Last known place of residence with ZIP code

Once a deceased person is in the database, their application for a Social Security Card (Form SS-5) can be obtained from the Social Security Administration. Form SS-5 contains other genealogical information such as place of birth , father's name, and mother's full maiden name. Since the Social Security Administration documents are government records, the Freedom of Information Act requires that this information be available to the public. The Death Master File is used to counter attempted fraud and to prevent the identity of a deceased person from being stolen and, for example, loans being applied for on their behalf.

A review in the late 2000s found that the Social Security Administration had falsely recorded 23,000 living people as dead within two years. It is sometimes difficult for those affected to convince government agencies that they are alive; in the Nashville area in 2008 there was a report of a woman who was falsely marked deceased in 2000 and suffered subsequent difficulties, such as suspension of health insurance and rejected electronic tax returns . This report also addressed the fact that people in this situation are particularly at risk of identity theft as their social security number has been made public.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mark E. Hill, Ira Rosenwaike: The Social Security Administration's Death Master File: The Completeness of Death Reporting at Older Ages . In: Social Security Bulletin . tape 64 (2001/2002) , no. 1 , p. 45-51 ( ssa.gov [PDF]).
  2. ^ Nancy Amons: Government Still Declares Living Woman Dead ( en ) WSMV.com. February 20, 2008. Retrieved October 29, 2010.