GN 02602.070 Procedure for Resolving Death Alerts and Exceptions

A. Alerts and Exceptions that do not require additional development or verification

Not all alerts and exceptions require additional development or verification. If you make entries into the Social Security Administration (SSA) systems out of sequence, an alert may result. Because the records for the individual are incomplete, you must take action to enter death information to all records. We define alerts and exceptions in GN 02602.065.

1. DIPS not used

This alert shows on the Death Alerts Tracking System (DATS) because you entered a death transaction through the payment record(s) instead of through the Death Information Processing System (DIPS). No further development of the death report is required to resolve this alert. However, you must enter the death information into DIPS and wait for the death report to process overnight to resolve this alert. For information about processing death reports through DIPS, see GN 02602.051.

2. Unknown exception

This exception is informational only. The purpose is to notify you that, for an unknown reason, you will not be able to process the death transaction to the Numident. You must take any necessary action on payment records, as appropriate, and submit an internal Change Asset Problem Reporting System (CAPRS) ticket to Systems informing them of the details of the exception. You do not need to take any action to remove this exception from DATS.

B. Alerts requiring verification

The following alert types, defined in subsection GN 02602.065B, require verification to resolve the alert and remove it from DATS:

Third-party verification;
Name does not match; and
Numident Death Alerts (for ETC: D cases, see RM 10220.415).

The steps to verify these alerts are listed in GN 02602.070C in this section.

C. Steps to verify alerts

Step	Action
1	Check the Numident, MBR, SSR, HIQR, PHUS, THIS, PCACS, Paperless or Paperless Read Only Query System (PPL ROQS) query as well as EVID, and MDW to see if we received pending death development. If we received pending death development, go to step 7. If we did not receive pending death development, go to step 2.
2	Check the Numident, MBR, SSR, HIQR, PHUS, THIS, PCACS, Paperless or Paperless Read Only Query System (PPL ROQS) query as well as EVID, and MDW to see if this is SSA’s first indication of death. If this alert is SSA’s first indication of death, go to step 3. If this alert is not SSA’s first indication of death, go to step 5.
3	Attempt to contact the alleged deceased, or family of the deceased, by phone. The individual must be able to provide status of the decedent. If you were able to make contact, go to step 7. If you were not able to make contact, go to step 4.
4	Send a come-in letter, SSA-L-2708, SSA-L-2751, or SSA-L-2752; record your development and set a diary date to follow-up on the alert in 45 days. When your diary elapses, go to step 7.
5	Determine if we reinstated payments due to an incorrect death, but the death information was not removed from the Numident. If we reinstated benefits, but death was not removed from the Numident, do no further development and go to step 11. If benefits were not reinstated and death is not on the Numident, go to step 6. If benefits were not reinstated and death is on the Numident but not on the payment records, and the report of death on the Numident does not show EDR: Y, go to step 3. If benefits were not reinstated and death is on the Numident but not on the payment records, and the Numident death record shows EDR: Y, utilize the date of death associated with the EDR: Y to terminate benefits on the payment records using POS.
6	If we did not reinstate benefits, there is no death on the Numident, and no development is pending, return to step 3. You must determine the status of the individual (alive or deceased) and ensure it is correct on the Numident.
7	Have you determined the person is deceased? If yes, go to step 11. If no, go to step 8.
8	Is the date of the come-in letter greater than 45 days? If yes, go to step 10. If no, go to step 9.
9	Set a diary date to follow-up on the come-in letter, and other pending development, from the date of the come-in letter plus 45 days. If we did not send a come-in letter, send a come-in letter and diary for 45 days, as explained in step 4.
10	Consider the person deceased using the date on the alert if we did not receive a response to the come-in letter after 45 days. Go to step 11.
11	Add, correct, or remove the death information on the Numident in accordance with Processing Reports of Death Using DIPS, in GN 02602.051. For erroneous deaths and the exceptions to the face-to-face interview, see GN 02602.055.

D. References

GN 02602.050 Reports of Death
GN 02602.051 Processing Reports of Death Using DIPS
GN 02602.055 If an Individual Deceased on SSA Records is Alive
GN 02602.056 Procedure to Correct an Incorrect Death Record
GN 02602.065 Types of Death Alerts and Exceptions

To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0202602070

GN 02602.070 - Procedure for Resolving Death Alerts and Exceptions - 02/04/2016
Batch run: 02/04/2016
Rev:02/04/2016

Program Operations Manual System (POMS)