Imagine receiving a letter from a federal agency stating that you died.
That’s what happened to a man with special needs in New Jersey.
Being declared deceased by the Social Security Administration means ending vital benefits and health insurance. It wreaked havoc on his entire family’s finances.
Kevin Gill still can’t look at his mom’s pictures without breaking down.
“You know, my brother is very emotional about it obviously. My mother was his primary caregiver,” said Karen O’Boyle, Kevin’s sister.
They had been inseparable for 62 years.
Kevin is the second oldest son in a Staten Island family of five kids.
His mom, Virginia, provided full-time care for him ever since he was born.
He is mostly non-verbal and has some intellectual disabilities. But his mom always pushed him forward. She died on Christmas Eve, and somehow, both she and her son were declared deceased at the same time.
That April 1 notice was a killer. Despite numerous attempts to resurrect their brother’s status, Kevin’s Social Security stopped and his health insurance, Medicare, was cut off.