NTIS points out in the announcement that the SSA Death Master File can be used by benefit plan administrators to:
- compare a benefits recipient list to the list of deceased persons,
- verify one Social Security Number at a time or run a list of thousands of numbers at once, and
- confirm the date of death of retirees.
Using the database, benefit administrators can save money on checks sent to deceased persons and can better identify and prevent identity fraud. The file contains the names of 75 million persons whose death has been reported to the SSA, and is updated regularly.
To take advantage of five free searches of the SSA Death Master File, send an e-mail to Eulene Orr at eorr@ntis.gov . More information can be found at http://www.ntis.gov/ssa-dmf/ .