Immigrants prove they are alive, forcing Social Security to undo death label

[piddyprints]

5. I have some experience with being declared dead.

Happened on the exact day I was to get my first pension check. It was "pending" on Friday, to be deposited the following Monday. When I logged in, I watched it get deposited and immediately clawed back. It took 3 months to finally get back on schedule after countless phone calls and letters to customer service CEOs of the pension fund managers and the company I worked for.

Turns out that anyone can call with your first and last name, of which mine are quite common, and tell them you have died. Apparently, at the time, no SS number or birth date was required. And they don't call to see if you're dead because, if you were dead you wouldn't answer your phone and it would be fraud if you did... or some kind of double talk.

I asked why it took a New York minute to grab the money, but 3 months to get it all straightened out. Well, they just don't have a set of procedures for bringing people back to life. I suggested they make damn sure the person has died, like maybe verifying SS number and birth date? Now, with all this bullshit going on with DOGE, I worry every month that this sort of nightmare will happen again.

I just hope these people don't have to go through that kind of red tape to get their SS benefits back. Just having to show up at a field office these days is ridiculous. I wish them all the best of luck... and FUCK everyone responsible for this nightmare!