New report outlines strategy to leverage vital records data to detect and prevent improper payments

WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 10, 2024 – A new report from the Data Foundation proposes a federal Office for Vital Records Coordination and Innovation (OVRCI) to help mitigate billions of dollars in improper payments made by the U.S. federal government each year. By better coordinating federal access to vital records data, the proposed OVRCI would address the root causes of inefficiency and inaccuracy that currently hinder the federal government’s ability to use vital records data to detect and prevent improper payments. 

Vital records data, including birth, death, and marriage data, are used to establish identity and verify eligibility for government benefits and financial assistance. The Data Foundation’s report, Unifying Federal Use of Vital Records Data: A Coordinated Approach to Mitigate Improper Payments, explores how vital records data – focusing on death data in particular – are accessed by the federal government to address improper payments and opportunities to better leverage these data to improve program integrity.

“Focusing on underlying data challenges enables an understanding of the fundamental, system-wide complexities hindering federal capacity to mitigate improper payments,” says Corinna Turbes, Director of the Center for Data Policy at the Data Foundation. “Efficiently and effectively harnessing death data, and eventually vital records data more broadly, is an opportunity to address these complex issues and build strong cross-governmental relationships through a data policy lens.”

Death data are already used in various federal efforts to tackle improper payments – however, systemic issues with death data limit the ultimate usefulness of efforts to ensure program integrity. At the root of these problems rests inconsistent federal investment in data systems and poorly coordinated governance. 

The Data Foundation’s proposed OVRCI is a federal entity designed to streamline, standardize, and improve the use of death data across all federal agencies. As a facilitator and coordinator, the OVRCI would focus on enhancing the federal government's ability to efficiently and effectively use vital records data, beginning with death data, while preserving state ownership of vital records data and respecting existing infrastructure.

“Public trust in government has been declining for years, making it urgent that we improve the timeliness and accuracy of the vital records data used for public programs and that we modernize the overly paper-based processes,” says Jane Wiseman, Senior Fellow to the Data Foundation, CEO of Institute for Excellence in Government, and Harvard Fellow. “By using modern technologies, the entire system can become more efficient and equitable, and we can vastly improve convenience for the public for all manner of transactions, from claiming benefits for a deceased loved one to enrolling their children in school.”

The Data Foundation presents a suite of recommendations for Congress and the Executive Branch to advance the federal OVRCI. Laying the groundwork for a more efficient, accurate, and cost-effective system for managing vital records data has the potential to significantly reduce improper payments, improve public service delivery, and be a catalyst for innovation far beyond its initial scope of promoting program integrity.

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About the Data Foundation: The Data Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. that seeks to improve government and society by using data to inform public policymaking. Our research and educational activities proactively and rapidly address relevant, emerging data-related needs in the country with the goal of devising realistic solutions, accelerating policy coordination, and advancing innovation. The Data Foundation values diversity and transparency in pursuit of an equitable, data-informed society. In 2024, the Data Foundation was recognized by Candid Guidestar with the Platinum Seal of Transparency and received 4-Stars from Charity Navigator. To learn more, visit www.datafoundation.org.