PORTLAND, Ore. — When Margaret Swoboda marked her 100th birthday this past April, she chose a quiet celebration with close family at a neighborhood restaurant, wary of hosting a larger gathering during the ongoing risks of COVID-19.
But just a few months later, the federal government sent her a very different kind of recognition: a letter questioning whether she was even alive.
A Startling Letter
Swoboda, who still lives independently in Northeast Portland, received a notice from federal officials demanding proof that she was not deceased. If she failed to respond, her pension benefits would be cut off.
“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I’ve made it a whole century, and now I have to prove I’m not dead?”…