Nearly 1.1 million deceased received government checks

The US Government Accountability Office stated:

that about $1.4 billion in COVID-19 stimulus payments were mistakenly sent to dead Americans.

The USGAO said that from the 30th of April, nearly 1.1 million dead people received payments of around $1,200 each, which were part of Congress’ economic relief programme. Wow!

“The number of economic impact payments going to decedents highlights the importance of consistently using key safeguards in providing government assistance to individuals”

This took place because the payments did not synchronised between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the US Treasury.

“IRS has access to the Social Security Administration’s full set of death records, but Treasury and its Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which distribute payments, do not”

The USGAO urged Congress to give the US Treasury with

“access to the Social Security Administration’s full set of death records, and require that Treasury consistently use it, to help reduce similar types of improper payments”.

They also recommend "that IRS should consider cost-effective options for notifying ineligible recipients how to return payments.”

The (CARES) Act worth $2 trillion was passed by Congress in March to help American workers and businesses get through the economic repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic.

Imagine solving this within a blockchain.