The Death Master File (DMF) is an official Government dataset of deceased citizens. The dataset contains over 85 million death records from 1936 to present. The data is distributed by the Department of Commerce National Technical Information Service (NTIS).
In December 2013 the Bipartisan Budget Act became law which prohibits disclosure of DMF information during the first 3 years following an individual’s death. The information is only accessible to certified individuals that have a legitimate fraud prevention interest or legitimate business purpose as a basis to receive the information, as well as systems, facilities, and procedures in place to safeguard the information. The certification process must be completed on an annual basis to maintain access to DMF.
As part of the certification, certified individuals must show to the satisfaction of an Accredited Conformity Assessment Body (ACAB), the ability to protect the security and confidentiality of the information. An attestation or audit is required to be submitted by the ACAB which certifies that the individual or entity has sufficient controls to protect the security and confidentiality of the information to safeguarding information. The controls framework utilized must be in conformity to a nationally or internationally recognized standard such as the Service Organization Controls (SOC) of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). Such attestation by an ACAB must be completed every three-years. Failure to comply with these requirements may be assessed penalties of up to $250,000 per year. Access to the file may also be revoked.
Larson & Company is an accredited assessment body under the AICPAs applicable SOC standards. We are able to perform the required certification audit. For more information please contact Andrew Wan.
