I'm Not Dead… Yet!

There has been quite a bit of controversy recently about the Social Security System's Death Index, often called the SSDI. Politicians and bureaucrats are trying to eliminate some of the information in the SSDI for questionable reasons. (See http://goo.gl/wjbdk.) One man in San Diego also would like to remove some information from the SSDI: his name, Social Security Number, birth date, ZIP code, and last-known residence.

Then there is one more item he would like to remove: his death date. You see, Mark Pinney is very much alive but the SSDI claims he is dead.

Pinney has found that getting the error corrected has turned out to be a Herculean task. The problem started in September 2010 when his bank card was rejected in a local store. He went to his bank to get it sorted out. The bank told Pinney that he was dead. Even stranger, the bank representative told Pinney the bank couldn't couldn't reopen his account until Pinney could prove he was alive.

Does this remind you of Catch 22?

Of the approximately 2.8 million death reports the Social Security Administration receives per year, as many as 28,000 are incorrectly entered into its Death Master File.

You can read more and even watch a slightly humorous, although frustrating, video at http://goo.gl/dIYGD.