WASHINGTON – A man from Seattle was erroneously declared dead by the Social Security Administration (SSA), which resulted in the abrupt termination of his benefits, Medicare coverage, and access to his bank accounts, as reported by The Seattle Times.
Leonard “Ned” Johnson, 82, discovered the mistake when his wife received a condolence letter from their bank in February. The letter stated that Social Security had reported Johnson as deceased, leading to a total reimbursement of his benefits for December and January, amounting to $5,201, according to The Seattle Times.
This error also halted his February and March payments, terminated his Medicare coverage, and flagged his credit score as that of a deceased individual, making it impossible for him to secure new credit.
“You wake up one day and find out you’re dead,” Johnson told The Seattle Times. “It’s been truly surreal.”
Johnson and his wife struggled for weeks to contact the SSA, calling daily without success. Ultimately, he visited a local Social Security office in downtown Seattle, where he waited for hours before having to assert himself in line and proved he was alive with his passport. While some of his benefits were reportedly reinstated, his March payment remained absent as of last week.
DOGE cuts blamed for increase in Social Security errors
The backstory:
Johnson’s situation arises amid growing concerns regarding severe staffing reductions within the SSA under President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), currently helmed by Elon Musk. The SSA director appointed by Biden has cautioned that DOGE’s actions could drive the agency toward collapse.
In pursuit of broader cost reduction, DOGE is recommending the elimination of 7,000 SSA jobs, as reported by The Seattle Times. A recent investigation by ProPublica characterized this initiative as “frenetic and error-prone,” with various local offices facing potential closures. Johnson remarked that the Seattle office he visited was dramatically understaffed, with only two employees managing a significant backlog of cases.
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Meanwhile, Musk and Trump continue to assert that millions of deceased individuals are fraudulently receiving Social Security benefits. “We have millions and millions of people over 100 years old” who are still receiving payments, Trump remarked in February. Musk echoed this claim on X, suggesting that “maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security.”
What the actual data says about Social Security fraud
By the numbers:
Despite the heightened rhetoric, government watchdogs indicate these assertions are significantly overstated. A July 2024 report from the SSA inspector general found that improper payments comprised less than 1% of all benefits issued between 2015 and 2022. Most inaccuracies involved living individuals due to mistakes in eligibility or income reporting.
A separate review by the Treasury Department revealed that $31 million in federal payments—covering various programs including Social Security—was disbursed to deceased individuals over a three-year timeframe. This equated to $215 million in recoverable funds over that period, which is a mere fraction of the SSA’s overall budget.
The SSA operates with outdated systems, including COBOL-based programs that can default to extremely old birth dates when certain data is absent. This leads to unusual entries—such as individuals born in the 1800s—not actively receiving benefits.
FILE – This photo illustration shows a Social Security card alongside checks from the U.S. Treasury as of October 14, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Photo illustration by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The SSA has measures to prevent fraud, such as ceasing benefits for anyone recorded as older than 115 unless proof of life is provided.
Why you should care if SSA errors increase
Why you should care:
For Johnson, this error almost disrupted his financial stability and access to medical care. He is now left wondering how many more individuals could potentially be affected—especially amid increasing pressures from DOGE.
Leadership within the Social Security Administration has actively opposed the claim that fraud is widespread. “These are records we never paid attention to,” the agency’s director remarked about outdated entries that don’t influence benefit distributions.
Experts caution that politicizing the agency’s database issues could mislead the public. “Let’s not pretend [fraud] is the biggest financial issue facing the system,” remarked Chuck Blahous, a senior researcher at George Mason University.
Johnson’s wife informed Snopes that while they have resolved a significant amount of the situation, they were advised that the “death” designation could reappear in future records or databases. A people-search website still lists Johnson as deceased.
More Americans could be wrongly cut off from benefits
What’s next:
Though Johnson’s access to Social Security and Medicare has been partially restored, his case may indicate a larger issue. The Seattle Times reports that SSA agents cautioned him that once someone is flagged as deceased in the federal system, the error could repeat — leading to additional complications.
Pam Johnson expressed concerns about how many others, particularly seniors without supplementary income, might endure a similar situation.
“We believe Ned is the canary in a coal mine,” she told Snopes. “This is a much larger issue.”
The Source: This article was reported from Los Angeles and is based on original reporting by The Seattle Times, Snopes, the Associated Press, and internal coverage from FOX Television Stations dating back to February 2025.
