Effective immediately, NTIS will be responding only to emails for customer support. The NTIS call center has been retired. For all questions regarding issues with certifying to receive the Limited Access Death Master File (LADMF), please send an email to DMFcert@ntis.gov. All emails will be answered in the order received. For all questions regarding access to the LADMF data once you are certified, please send an email to subscriptions@ntis.gov. All emails will be answered in the order received.

Limited Access Death Master File

Final Rule Establishing Certification Program for Access to Death Master File in Effect

The National Technical Information Service (NTIS) established a certification program for those seeking access to the Limited Access Death Master File (LADMF) pursuant to Section 203 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 (Pub. L. 113-67).  Section 203 requires that NTIS charge fees sufficient to cover the costs associated with the certification program.  The final rule, which supersedes and replaces the interim final rule previously in effect, was published in the Federal Register on June 1, 2016, and became effective November 28, 2016.  The notice announcing the final rule may be viewed at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-06-01/html/2016-12479.htm.

The certification program established under the final rule limits access to LADMF information to those persons certified under the program.  Certified persons, also called Subscribers, must have a legitimate fraud prevention interest, or have a legitimate business purpose pursuant to a law, governmental rule, regulation, or fiduciary duty in order to be certified under the program.  To access the LADMF, you must:

• Review the sample certification form at https://ladmf.ntis.gov/docs/subscribercertificationform-FM161.pdf and the sample attestation forms at https://ladmf.ntis.gov/docs/attestationform-FM100A.pdf and https://ladmf.ntis.gov/docs/attestationform-FM100B.pdf to make sure you qualify to be certified before you pay the applicable fees. The fees are non-refundable.
• If your Accredited Conformity Assessment Body (ACAB) is owned, managed, or controlled by your organization, they must also submit the LADMF ACAB Firewall Status Application Form.  In that case, you should also review the sample  form at https://ladmf.ntis.gov/docs/0692-0015-firewalledstatusapplication.pdf.
• Annually pay the $2,930.00 LADMF Subscriber Certification Form processing fee at https://ladmf.ntis.gov/Products/Product?productID=13&abbr=DMFCERT0002 and complete and submit a LADMF Subscriber Certification Form at https://dmfcert.ntis.gov.   Certification must be renewed each year.
• Pay the $247.00 LADMF ACAB Systems Safeguards Attestation Form processing fee every three years at https://ladmf.ntis.gov/Products/Product?productID=14&abbr=DMFCERT0003 and complete one of the following: (1) have an ACAB attest that you have systems, facilities, and procedures in place as required under Sec. 1110.102(a)(2) using the ACAB Systems Safeguards Attestation Form.  The ACAB must complete the form, and the ACAB, not you, must submit it at dmfcert@ntis.gov.  (2) If you are a state or local government department or agency, and are assessed by  a State or Local Government Auditor General (AG) or Inspector General (IG)  of the same state or local government as you, you may have the AG or IG complete the State or Local AG or IG Systems Safeguards Attestation Form, and the AG or IG, not you, must submit that form at dmfcert@ntis.gov. Both forms are available at https://dmfcert.ntis.gov. The attestation must be renewed every three years.
• Those who wish to have a firewalled in-house organization attest for them must also pay the $268.00 processing fee at https://ladmf.ntis.gov/Products/Product?productID=15&abbr=DMFCERT0004 and complete and submit the LADMF ACAB Firewall Status Application Form at https://dmfcert.ntis.gov.  The form is available at https://dmfcert.ntis.gov.   Firewalled status must be renewed every three years.
• Submit the appropriate Subscriber Agreement, or Subscriber Agreement Amendment, or Non-Federal Licensee Agreement or Non-Federal Licensee Agreement Amendment. 
• Details about these requirements are available on the LADMF certification website https://dmfcert.ntis.gov where you can fill out and submit all the required forms once you pay the certification fee.

NTIS will provide additional information and updates on this website concerning LADMF matters.

Previous Limited Access Death Master File Announcements are available at https://classic.ntis.gov/products/announcements/

For all other questions regarding issues with certifying to receive the Limited Access Death Master File, please send an email to DMFcert@ntis.gov. All emails will be answered in the order received.

For all other questions regarding access to the LADMF data once you are certified, please send an email to subscriptions@ntis.gov. All emails will be answered in the order received.

If you have any questions, please contact Linda Swan via email: lswan@ntis.gov or by phone: 703-605-6094.

The Social Security Administration is the database owner for the Limited Access Death Master File. For questions regarding this database or its data content management, please contact SSA's Office of Communication at 410-929-4774 or via email press.office@ssa.gov.

Select the product which meets your organization's needs:

DMF Online Products

Easy to use online interface

Variety of subscription options:

• online search
• batch processing (manual, automated)

Online search application updated weekly

LADMF Online Products Order Form

DMF Online Customers go to ladmf/login in order to Log-in.

DMF Raw Data Files Products

Downloadable DMF raw data files for data processing at subscriber's site

Variety of subscription options:

• Quarterly Updates (Full File)
• Monthly Updates
• Weekly Updates

DMF Raw Data Files Products Order Form

DMF Raw Data Files Customers, go to dmf.ntis.gov to view Files Available for Download.

Please review Mandatory Requirements as well as Important Notice prior to purchasing.

NOTE: The Social Security Administration did not begin collecting information for the Death Master File until 1936. Deaths prior to 1936 will not be part of the file.

Leading government agencies, financial institutions, investigative firms, credit reporting organizations, medical researchers, and other industries use the SSA Death Master File (DMF) to verify death, as well as to prevent fraud.

Death Verification

The DMF is an important tool used for verifying death. Medical researchers, hospitals, and medical treatment programs use the DMF to track former patients and study subjects, while law enforcement agencies, and investigative firms use the DMF, in the course of their investigations, to verify a person's death.

Identify Decedent(s) In Order To Provide Benefits To Their Beneficiaries

The Death Master File is an important tool which can be used by pension funds, insurance organizations, Federal, State and Local governments and others responsible for verifying deceased person(s) in support of fulfillment of benefits to their beneficiaries.

Prevent Identity Fraud

By methodically running financial, credit, payment and other applications against the Death Master File, the financial community, insurance companies, security firms and state and local governments are better able to identify and prevent identity fraud, and identify customers who are deceased.

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