An 84-year-old Florida widow says she is 'tired' of trying to prove she is alive after being mistakenly declared dead by the government, a mistake that has repeatedly caused problems with her finances and official records.
Priscilla Slack says the mix-up began after her husband died two years ago, when she was somehow also listed as deceased. What seemed like a small administrative error has since affected vital parts of her life.
Bank account and credit card cancelled
Her bank account was the first to be affected. Priscilla said: "First they cancelled my bank account, and they cancelled my credit card. When I went to vote, I was still cancelled."
She initially tried to see the funny side, assuming the mistake would be quickly put right. She told NBC affiliate WFLA: "I kept my sense of humour about it early on, because we can all make mistakes and push the wrong button."
Passed between agencies
But the mix-up was not resolved, and problems continued to grow. Priscilla said the original error came from the Social Security Administration, and although she believed it had been corrected, other agencies continued to act as though she was dead.
Each time she thought the issue had been resolved, another problem appeared. She has since faced difficulties including holding bank accounts, paying taxes and voting, with agencies periodically requiring her to prove again that she is alive.
IRS letter and ongoing struggles
Most recently, Priscilla received a letter from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) claiming she had filed a tax return using the Social Security number of someone who was deceased, forcing her to prove the number belonged to her.
Attempts to resolve the problem have involved being repeatedly passed between the IRS and the Social Security Administration. She said: "How am I supposed to deal with these agencies who can't deal with each other?"
Priscilla believes the agencies involved should now be responsible for correcting the records rather than leaving her to keep challenging the mistake. The problems have continued for more than two years, despite her previously being told the Social Security error had been corrected. A spokesperson for the IRS said the matter was being escalated to an advocacy department in an effort to resolve it, according to WFLA.
