Sunset
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
OP - What a great Thread title !
Dying does sound like an inconvenience.
Dying does sound like an inconvenience.
I died, but I am better now
- Thread starter Lewis Clark
- Start date
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Somehow this thread title reminds me of Lewis Grizzard's 6th book but YMMV.
https://www.amazon.com/Elvis-Dead-Dont-Feel-Myself/dp/1588382710
https://www.amazon.com/Elvis-Dead-Dont-Feel-Myself/dp/1588382710
Lewis Clark
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2018
- Messages
- 1,030
Things seem to be all heading in the right direction for resolution. Even the Defense Finance & Accounting Service said today that I should get my February retired pay on time at the end of February, and my back pay for January is (allegedly) being processed. Of course, I'll believe it when the funds are deposited into my bank account.
Important takeaway: When this error happens to the next victim, the victim needs to be proactive in contacting their financial institutions about the error, as I was. But don't just speak to anyone in customer service. Ask to speak with their Survivor Support department (or whatever they call it) if they have one. In some institutions, only the Survivor Support folks have the ability to enter notes into their systems and stop them from carrying on with this type of error.
Two of my financial institutions - USAA and Navy Federal Credit Union - continued to act on the erroneous death report even after I spoke to customer service two or three times about the situation. It took the Survivor Support folks to finally fix the problem (assuming it is actually fixed at this time). Of course, nobody could tell me why I was not directed to Survivor Support in the first place.
I'll be ready to get my Congresscritter involved if this continues beyond mid-March.
Important takeaway: When this error happens to the next victim, the victim needs to be proactive in contacting their financial institutions about the error, as I was. But don't just speak to anyone in customer service. Ask to speak with their Survivor Support department (or whatever they call it) if they have one. In some institutions, only the Survivor Support folks have the ability to enter notes into their systems and stop them from carrying on with this type of error.
Two of my financial institutions - USAA and Navy Federal Credit Union - continued to act on the erroneous death report even after I spoke to customer service two or three times about the situation. It took the Survivor Support folks to finally fix the problem (assuming it is actually fixed at this time). Of course, nobody could tell me why I was not directed to Survivor Support in the first place.
I'll be ready to get my Congresscritter involved if this continues beyond mid-March.
Have you ever found out what happened, apart from blaming it on a random typo?
Lewis Clark
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2018
- Messages
- 1,030
No. A random typo is the best explanation they could - or would - give me. At least they (Social Security) had it marked down as an unconfirmed death without a death certificate.
This type of error appears to be common. I think either they just didn't want to take the time to investigate the root cause, or just didn't want to tell me.
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Hey, it's the gummint! When my old megacorp screwed up my retiree health insurance (canceled it), I was able to fix it with one phone call. YMMV
Lewis Clark
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2018
- Messages
- 1,030
You could have gone all day without throwing that line out.
It's been the financial institutions who have told me this happens more often than most people realize.
Mistakes happen. I get that, and I make mistakes too. But it shouldn't have to be this difficult to get it fixed.
djsander
Recycles dryer sheets
About right for a government agency. They seem to exceed at incompetence.
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I'm much more forgiving of mistakes (we all make 'em) but much less tolerant when the folks who make mistakes can't seem to fix 'em - or seem to take no responsibility for fixing 'em. I recall an episode of MASH in which Hawkeye was listed as KIA. Bad enough that he wasn't getting paid. Much worse that the Army had informed his dad that he had died and Hawkeye could not get a connection to call his dad. The "humor" was when the Graves Registration officer (aka stiff-lifter) hung around hoping to talk Hawkeye into going with him - not sure to where, but it was (sorta) funny. Wow, I fogot how much I miss MASH though I still catch reruns and YMMV.
