# Those people Declared DEAD By Social Security **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 6, 2006, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-people-declared-dead-by-social-security/347240 "2006-03-06T12:48:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-people-declared-dead-by-social-security/347240/1 "2006-03-06T12:48:05Z")
…what happens when they assert that they are in fact alive? What legal procedure do you need to be declared alive? When my grandfather died, his SS checks kept coming-even after my mother wote a letter to SS, enclosing a copy of the death certificate. incidentally, SS ought to be the best source for long lived people-does the SS administration admit to sending checks to somebody, say \> 120 years old? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-people-declared-dead-by-social-security/347240/2 "2006-03-06T13:00:25Z")
You have the right to [appeal](http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10041.html) any decision made by the Social Security Administration, including a decision that you are dead. > [@SSA.org](#): > > If you wish to appeal, you must make your request in writing within 60 days from the date you receive our letter. We assume you receive the letter five days after the date on the letter, unless you can show us you received it later. Call your local Social Security office if you need help with your appeal. Although if I were the one declared dead I think I’d just go to my local SSA office and present myself as alive with identification. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-people-declared-dead-by-social-security/347240/3 "2006-03-06T14:58:32Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Although if I were the one declared dead I think I’d just go to my local SSA office and present myself as alive with identification. After a credit report of mine came back saying I was no longer with the living, that’s all I did . . . well, actually I told my Mom. She’s an SSA claims rep. So, naturally when I told her I expired, she shed one tear . . . . . . and then beep boop bip, fixed it the next day at her office. Thus, I’m alive again. Tripler Trust me man, being dead’s a real bitch! ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2006, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-people-declared-dead-by-social-security/347240/4 "2006-03-06T15:01:56Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > SS ought to be the best source for long lived people-does the SS administration admit to sending checks to somebody, say \> 120 years old? Formerly, the Social Security Administration did not ask for age verification unless a person claimed age-related benefits (at which point submitting a birth certificate would be required). Thus a person who never claimed age-related SS benefits could get away with lying about his or her age. But more likely, an extravagantly long lifespan in SSA records was the result of clerical data entry error. Keeping in mind that the first Social Security numbers were issued in November 1936, you’ll find in the Social Security Death Index: - 16 people born in 1836 (one of whom died in 1984, and five of whom died before November 1936). - 55 people born in 1819 (one of whom died in 1994, and sixteen of whom died before November 1936). ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2006, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-people-declared-dead-by-social-security/347240/5 "2006-06-11T21:38:16Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > Formerly, the Social Security Administration did not ask for age verification unless a person claimed age-related benefits (at which point submitting a birth certificate would be required). Thus a person who never claimed age-related SS benefits could get away with lying about his or her age. > > But more likely, an extravagantly long lifespan in SSA records was the result of clerical data entry error. > > Keeping in mind that the first Social Security numbers were issued in November 1936, you’ll find in the Social Security Death Index: > > - 16 people born in 1836 (one of whom died in 1984, and five of whom died before November 1936). > - 55 people born in 1819 (one of whom died in 1994, and sixteen of whom died before November 1936). Is this remotely possible? Born in 1819, died 1994? This equates to 175, a statistically UNLIKELY lifespan. (As far as I know, no human has lived past 122! ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2006, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-people-declared-dead-by-social-security/347240/6 "2006-06-11T21:55:11Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Is this remotely possible? Born in 1819, died 1994? This equates to 175, a statistically UNLIKELY lifespan. (As far as I know, no human has lived past 122! You know what they say about statistics… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2006, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-people-declared-dead-by-social-security/347240/7 "2006-06-11T21:55:34Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > Formerly, the Social Security Administration did not ask for age verification unless a person claimed age-related benefits (at which point submitting a birth certificate would be required). ). I am glad to learn that this was a later requirement. My Grandmother was born in 1901 or 1902. Her birth, and Baptism (and based on this later the birth certificates of her Children) said she was born in 1902. In 1966, SS somehow became convinced she had been born in 1901 and made her eligible for whatever Medicare and SocSec were extant in '66. This OUTRAGED her a Lady of a certain age and all that - but SS was adamant at the time. She never agreed with SS’s assessment – even when she felt she was legitimately in the system she would gum up the works by putting her “REAL” birthdate on all SS forms. This caused problems almost constantly. Eventually, by the early 80’s, SS seemed to tolerate her(?) eccentricy and an uneasy peace seemed to settle in between them — but when she died in 1995 (aged either 94 or 93) she was still insistent SS was wrong. Her final closeout post-death SS statement listed her brithdate as 1902 ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2006, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-people-declared-dead-by-social-security/347240/8 "2006-06-11T22:08:13Z")
Way to tell a long, pointless story in GQ and step on the punch-line jimmmy! :wally SS’s last statement had her b-day in 1901 - they never changed it. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-people-declared-dead-by-social-security/347240/9 "2006-06-12T20:15:55Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Is this remotely possible? Born in 1819, died 1994? This equates to 175, a statistically UNLIKELY lifespan. (As far as I know, no human has lived past 122! Well, that’s my whole point. These are obviously incorrect records. They are the result either of lies, or of clerical errors. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-people-declared-dead-by-social-security/347240/10 "2006-06-12T20:32:39Z")
> [@jimmmy](#): > > Her final closeout post-death SS statement listed her brithdate as 1902 It would be interesting to look her up in the 1910 and 1920 U.S. censuses, and see how old she was then. Give me her maiden name, and where she was living in those years, and I can do so for you. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-people-declared-dead-by-social-security/347240/11 "2006-06-12T22:00:21Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > …what happens when they assert that they are in fact alive? What legal procedure do you need to be declared alive? When my grandfather died, his SS checks kept coming-even after my mother wote a letter to SS, enclosing a copy of the death certificate. incidentally, SS ought to be the best source for long lived people-does the SS administration admit to sending checks to somebody, say \> 120 years old? It’s a presumption of death. See 20 C.F.R. 404.721 I recently found (and then lost) a description of the procedure followed by the SSA in the case where the presumption is invoked and then the worker shows up alive. It was part of my research for [What happens when someone “legally dead” shows up alive?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mlegallydead.html) No biggie though. It basically says you have to show identification and answer some questions.