Correcting False Death Reports
Every year the Social Security Administration mistakenly includes thousands of people in its Master Death File, a database of dead persons. The Administration processes death reports from funeral homes, individuals, and government agencies. Mistaken reports can cause emotional distress, damage credit, and harm reputation. Following is a checklist for avoiding mistaken death and remediating damage if it happens.
Checklist
Avoiding - stay visible (e.g., engage in social media, participate in bar activities, take part in social activities, and publish articles in print and online).
Correcting - contact sources, request retraction, and alert contacts to the mistake.
Recovering - seek compensation for negligence and intentional
harm for egregious situations.
Trailblazing - create a niche practice of helping clients to
correct death reports, recover damages, and repair credit.
Avoiding - stay visible (e.g., engage in social media, participate in bar activities, take part in social activities, and publish articles in print and online).
Correcting - contact sources, request retraction, and alert contacts to the mistake.
Detecting - check the Internet (e.g., death files, credit
scores, obituaries, search engines, and state records).
Articles
Advisory Board, Social
Security and the Death Master File, Social Security Administration, June
2019.
Rae Ellen Bichell, Social Security Data Errors Can Turn People Into the Living Dead, NPR Morning
Edition,
Aug. 10, 2016.
Staff, How to Find Death Records, FamilySearch.com, Sep.5, 2022.
Staff, Mistakenly Reported as Deceased, Experian, Apr. 24, 2018.
Staff, What Should I Do If I Am Incorrectly Listed as Deceased In Social Security’s Records?, Social Security Administration, Jul, 26, 2022.
Staff, Understanding IRS Notice for Account Locked Due to Death, IRS, Sep. 5, 2022.
Rae Ellen Bichell, Social Security Data Errors Can Turn People Into the Living Dead, NPR Morning
Staff, How to Find Death Records, FamilySearch.com, Sep.5, 2022.
Staff, Mistakenly Reported as Deceased, Experian, Apr. 24, 2018.
Staff, What Should I Do If I Am Incorrectly Listed as Deceased In Social Security’s Records?, Social Security Administration, Jul, 26, 2022.
Staff, Understanding IRS Notice for Account Locked Due to Death, IRS, Sep. 5, 2022.
Books
Susan Van Ryn, Mistaken Identity:
Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope, Howard Books, Mar. 31, 2009.
Stewart Levine, The Best Lawyer
You Can Be: A Guide to Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Wellness, ABA Book Publ.,
Aug. 23, 2018.
Websites
AnnualCreditReport.com (free credit reports)
Exit Strategy (death planning)
Legacy.com (obituary archive)
My Trees (death searches)
Social Security
Administration (death information)
U.S. Treasury
(deceased taxpayers)
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