An EBT card, which works like a debit card, helps millions of families across the United States get food through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
But even with these benefits, there are risks, such as card cloning or hacking, which can lead to money being stolen. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has let states handle requests for stolen benefits since 2022. However, the process is different depending on where you live.
Renee Williams, a 66-year-old woman from Philadelphia, went through something she never thought would happen: the Social Security Administration mistakenly said she was dead. Because of this administrative mistake, she couldn’t get to her bank accounts, health insurance, or retirement benefits, which caused her a lot of stress and hardship.
A serious social security error with wide-reaching effects
It all began when Williams went to the emergency room on a Friday to get medical help. The hospital staff couldn’t handle her information when she tried to use her insurance. “They tried a few different systems, but they all showed that I wasn’t doing anything,” Williams told KYW.
The problem starts with the “Death Master File” of the Social Security Administration, a list of people who have been officially declared dead. As soon as her name was added to this list by mistake, her status changed to “deceased.” Because of this change in status, a lot of problems started happening, like her medical insurance being frozen and her bank accounts being locked.
Worst of all is that mistakes like this happen all the time. New information from the federal government shows that every year, up to 7,000 people in the United States are mistakenly added to the Death Master File.
People who are affected by these mistakes have a lot of problems, from not being able to get to services they need to long-term financial and emotional problems.
A possible explanation for the mistake
Williams thinks the mistake might have something to do with her husband’s death in August. It’s not unusual for mistakes like this to happen after the death of a spouse. Sometimes, Social Security records get family information wrong or don’t link it correctly, which can lead to mistakes that have big effects.
These mistakes in administration show how important it is for government agencies to keep accurate and up-to-date records. Williams’ case shows that even a small mistake can have a big effect on someone’s life.
What to do if this happens to you
It’s important to act quickly if you ever find yourself in a situation like Renee Williams’. Officials say that you should contact your local Social Security office right away to fix the problem. Here is a list of the steps you need to take:
- Gather necessary documentation
- Collect documents that prove you are alive, such as a government-issued ID, your birth certificate, or any other valid document confirming your identity.
- Contact Social Security directly
- Visit a local Social Security office in person to explain the issue. If you’re unable to go in person, call Social Security’s customer service line at 800-772-1213 to begin the correction process.
- Request a correction certificate
- Ask Social Security to provide an official letter stating that the mistake has been corrected. This document will be critical in reactivating your bank accounts, insurance, and other services impacted by the error.
Notify other institutions
Once Social Security has fixed the error, let your bank, insurance company, and any other places that were affected know. Make sure everything is back to normal by giving them the letter from Social Security that says they are wrong.
The far-reaching impact of these errors
Being wrongly declared dead isn’t just a bothersome bureaucratic process; it can also have serious emotional and financial effects. Williams lost important things, like her health insurance, because of the mistake, just as she needed medical help right away.
These mistakes can also cause more problems, like bank accounts being closed, service contracts being canceled, and public benefits being stopped. Usually, fixing these problems takes a lot of time and work, which can be too much for the people who are affected.
A recurring issue impacting thousands
What Renee Williams went through is not unusual. Thousands of Americans have the same problems every year because of mistakes in the Social Security system. Even though people are still trying to make these mistakes less common, the data shows that the problem still exists.
People who have been affected by these kinds of mistakes need to get the help they need as soon as possible. But the Social Security Administration needs to keep improving its methods to make sure that records are correct and that mistakes like this don’t happen again.
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