What do you do when the government says that you’re dead?
If that sounds like a ridiculous question, consider this: Thousands of people each year are erroneously marked as deceased by the Social Security Administration, according to recent testimony by the agency to the U.S. Senate. The SSA says that about 9,000 of the death reports it gets each year “are subsequently corrected.”
The agency also says that it updates its ominously dubbed Death Master File only when someone like a relative, funeral home or state notifies it that someone has died.
Pricenomics mapped data from a 2011 Inspector General report, which, at the time, found that the SSA was tallying about 12,000 extra deaths per year.
Based on that data, Maine is relatively spared from the bureaucrat’s scythe. About 80 to 93 living Mainers were annually added to the Death Master File from 2007 to 2011.
So what happens when the government thinks you’re dead?
You can’t get a job. Your identity can be stolen. You can’t collect Social Security. You can’t file taxes or get a driver’s license. It’s kind of a pain.
Here’s one tale of woe from Judy Rivers, who was twice declared dead by the government. She’s very much alive.
Per Pricenomics:
In August of 2010, communications specialist Judy Rivers went to her local bank to open a new account. As the clerk input Rivers’ personal information, everything seemed to be going smoothly — but then the woman behind the desk stopped abruptly and frowned.
“That’s odd,” she said. “There seems to be an issue regarding your Social Security Number.” With a skeptical glance, the employee rose and disappeared in the back room; several minutes later, Rivers was greeted by the branch manager.
“Ma’am,” the woman pronounced, brandishing a folded paper, “your Social Security Number was deactivated in 2008 due to death.”
Incredulous, Rivers rose from her chair. “You’re trying to tell me I’ve been dead for two years,” she stammered, “and no one bothered to tell me?”
Rivers’ story starts around 25:25 in this video:
By the way, if you’ve ever been accidentally declared dead by the government, email me at dmacleod [at] bangordailynews [dot com].
