Woman Is "A Little Upset" To Hear That She Has Died

[matcom]

<snip>

When word spread last Thursday morning that Pleasanton retiree Mary Lawson had passed away at age 84, no one was more upset than Lawson herself, who was very much alive and enjoying a historical novel on CD.

An employee at Lawson's doctor's office called to inform her that, according to the Social Security Administration, she had died Jan. 11. So how had she managed to keep her subsequent appointments?

The employee laughed, and so did Lawson -- until she realized the pitfalls associated with no longer being alive. She found her bank account frozen and her monthly $832 Social Security check missing. Her doctors were told they couldn't claim Medicare for a corpse.

After a few stressful days, Lawson was relieved to learn Monday afternoon that she was officially alive. The government acknowledged the mistake, resurrected her and promised to fix any problems that had cropped up while Lawson wasn't really dead.

"I'm the healthiest ghost you've ever seen," Lawson declared Monday from the recreation room at her mobile-home park. But the former schoolteacher, who survived two husbands and now claims three great-grandchildren, admitted, "This is the first day I haven't been shaking.''

Lowell Kepke, a Social Security spokesman in Richmond, confirmed that Lawson had been reported dead but said it wasn't clear why.

"It appears a wrong Social Security number was put in our system," he said.

Such cases are "extremely rare," Kepke said, adding, "With 47 million beneficiaries, some mistakes will be made."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/02/15/BAGU1BB1S81.DTL

[Aristus]

1. I had this problem with a client when I was in banking.

She had been declared dead and had all her pension money cut off. She was retired military, retired civil service and, of course had Social Security, as well. She came to me frantic, wondering what to do. I spent half a day on the phone with all the appropriate agencies, telling them she's alive and well, she was standing right in front of me an hour ago.

Took some doing, but I got it straightened out. She really cottoned to me after that. When I quit my banking job, she begged one of the tellers to have me call her so she could find out what happened to me! She was sweet.

[shesemsmom]

2. You know when the computer says you are dead it must be so

my Mom says the computers will ruin the world. Scary isn't

[KitchenWitch]

3. I have a similar story

When I was undergoing treatment for lymphoma, I was in a cancer support group with someone who had been declared dead to Social Security. At first it was funny in an ironic sort of way, but it took him close to a year to get it all cleared up. Pretty scary stuff.

[Archae]

4. Back in 1980, *I* was declared dead!

Seriously!

I had been in a bad car accident and was severely injured, and the frikkin' hospital by mistake told my family I had died.

They ask to see the body, the hospital's morgue said I wasn't there.
After almost an hour, my family walks into where I'm in the ICU, my Dad said "I'll be right back."

I learned later he went back, found the ditzoid who told them I was dead, and gave him an earful and a half.

Dad said the guy looked like he wanted to dig himself a hole and get in. :-)