Wilfredo Pagan, a 77-year-old Long Island resident, has spent years battling an unexpected adversary: the Social Security Administration. Despite being very much alive, Pagan has been repeatedly denied Social Security benefits because, according to government records, he has been dead for years. The bureaucratic mix-up has left him struggling to pay mounting medical bills while fighting to reclaim the benefits he has earned.
A Bureaucratic Nightmare
Pagan, who owns a small shop in Far Rockaway selling spiritual candles and religious statues, has been trying to prove his existence to the SSA for years. His goddaughter, Deana Bain, has been by his side, showing officials multiple records dating back to 2016 that incorrectly list him as deceased. Yet, every attempt to correct the error has been met with delays and dead ends.
“We'll do an investigation and call you,” officials have repeatedly told Bain. But, as she told WNBC-TV news, “Nothing.”
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Pagan’s frustration deepened when he visited his local Social Security office in Freeport, bringing his original Social Security card to support his claim. Instead of resolving the issue, a worker confiscated his card, telling him it was fake. Pagan, who has worked his entire life and contributed to Social Security, was left humiliated and accused of fraud.
“Like I was a thief,” he recalled. “That is what hurt me.”
Despite presenting additional documents, including his birth certificate, Pagan says officials refused to listen.
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The Consequences of a Clerical Error
The effects of being mistakenly declared dead by Social Security extend beyond denied benefits. According to the Social Security Advisory Board, between 7,000 and 12,000 people are incorrectly recorded as deceased each year. The consequences can be severe, affecting identity authentication, employment opportunities, tax refunds, and even access to credit.
For Pagan, the error has had a devastating impact on his declining health. Without Social Security benefits, he has struggled to cover his medical expenses, and Bain worries that hospitals may refuse to treat him due to unpaid bills.
Adding to the confusion, Bain says that at one point, SSA officials suggested that someone else was receiving Pagan's benefits using his Social Security number. They claimed a person in the Dominican Republic had died while using his identity, but provided no further details.
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A Glimmer of Hope?
Despite the repeated setbacks, Pagan had no trouble obtaining a U.S. passport last year, which listed his Social Security number. Yet, the death notices from the SSA continued to arrive.
After WNBC reported on Pagan's case, the SSA finally took action. Within hours of the news station reaching out to the local Social Security office, a representative contacted his family. While the agency declined to comment on Pagan's case specifically, he was granted an appointment at the Freeport Social Security office on Feb. 12.
The outcome of this meeting hasn't yet been reported on, but Pagan could be owed thousands of dollars in back benefits. For a man who has spent years trying to prove he is alive, this progression may finally bring the resolution he desperately needs.
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