We recently uncovered another shift in the Social Security Administration’s Limited Access Death Master File (LADMF). With 35 years of specialized experience in utilizing and analyzing the Death Master File (DMF), Berwyn has developed unmatched expertise in quickly identifying even the subtlest patterns and anomalies. The most recent change is the latest in a series of updates we’ve been closely monitoring that have raised serious questions about the LADMF’s accuracy, integrity, and long-term reliability.
A Quick Look Back
- April 2025: Millions of records were suddenly added to the Limited Access DMF (LADMF). The addition included individuals 120 years old and more than 6,000 living individuals, with no clear indicator separating the living from the deceased.
- June 2025: The SSA reversed course and removed the majority of living individuals.
The Latest Update
Over Labor Day weekend, another 1.074 million records appeared in the file without notice or explanation. Even more troubling:
- 96% of these records list deaths prior to 2010, before the DMF’s decline and its transition to the LADMF. It remains unclear why these records were excluded from the full DMF files at that time.
- There’s no indication that these records are not legitimate
- It is unclear what triggered this update or if more are coming
Why It Matters
The LADMF has been in decline since 2011 and today captures only 16% of U.S. deaths. Now, with unpredictable additions and removals, the reliability of the file is in serious doubt.
For organizations that depend on the LADMF, this creates real risks. Missed or incorrect death records can lead to compliance issues, financial losses, and negative impacts on participants and policyholders.
There is a Better Solution
That’s why we built CertiDeath®, a comprehensive, validated death audit solution that goes far beyond the LADMF. CertiDeath consolidates multiple proprietary data sources, capturing 96.5% of U.S. deaths which is well above the LADMF’s reach of 16%. With CertiDeath, records are verified, dramatically reducing false positives and eliminating the guesswork caused by SSA file errors.
Most importantly, when new records recently appeared in the SSA file, we didn’t just take them at face value, we validated them. By locating obituaries for a number of these individuals, we confirmed that many of the additions are in fact legitimate deaths. This direct, evidence-based approach sets CertiDeath apart, ensuring our clients can rely on verified truth, not questionable data.
Learn more about CertiDeath
What’s Next
The Berwyn Group is actively analyzing the new records and will share our findings in a future update. Stay tuned—we’ll continue to break down what these changes mean and how organizations can stay prepared for what’s next.
