Why are the SSA death records publicly available?
The SSA maintains an official repository of death information via the Death Master File (DMF). The DMF is part of the Numident, a master file that contains personal identifying information about each individual to whom the SSA has assigned a Social Security number. The SSA created the DMF as the result of a 1978 lawsuit (Perholtz v. Ross, C.A. Nos. 78-2385, 78-2386 D.D.C.) requiring the agency to make death information available under the Freedom of Information Act. Congress also enacted legislation requiring that the SSA provide death information to various federal and state agencies in order to prevent erroneous payments to deceased individuals. The SSA uses the DMF to fulfill these obligations. In addition, an individuals right to privacy does not apply because all included individuals are deceased. If you require any additional information on the discounted purchase of death records, please contact us by calling the telephone number listed on the About Us page, or use the Comments
