Seattle man wrongly declared dead loses Social Security benefits amid DOGE cost-cutting
VOA staff put on leave as result of DOGE cuts
Alex Gorbachev, who was placed on leave at Voice of America's Russian Service, joins LiveNOW's Austin Westfall to share his experience.
WASHINGTON - A Seattle man was mistakenly declared dead by the Social Security Administration (SSA), leading to the sudden loss of his benefits, Medicare coverage, and even access to his bank funds, according to The Seattle Times.
Leonard "Ned" Johnson, 82, first learned of the error when his wife received a condolence letter from their bank in February. The letter informed her that Social Security had reported Johnson as deceased — and as a result, his December and January benefits had been clawed back, totaling $5,201, The Seattle Times reported.
The error also cut off his February and March payments, canceled his Medicare coverage, and flagged his credit score as belonging to a deceased person, making it impossible to obtain new credit.
"You wake up one day and discover you’re dead," Johnson told The Seattle Times. "It’s been truly surreal."Johnson
Johnson and his wife tried for weeks to contact SSA, calling daily without success. Eventually, he went in person to a local Social Security office in downtown Seattle, where he waited hours before jumping the line and proving he was alive with his passport. While his benefits were partially restored, his March payment was still missing as of last week.
DOGE cuts blamed for surge in Social Security errors
The backstory:
Johnson’s case comes amid rising concerns about deep staffing cuts across the SSA under President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), now led by Elon Musk. The Biden-appointed SSA director has warned that DOGE's actions could push the agency toward collapse.
As part of a broader cost-cutting mission, DOGE is proposing the elimination of 7,000 SSA jobs, The Seattle Times reported. A ProPublica investigation recently described the effort as "frenetic and error-riddled," with multiple local offices at risk of closing. Johnson said the Seattle office he visited was severely understaffed, with just two employees facing a backlog of cases.
RELATED: Are millions of dead people really receiving Social Security benefits?
Meanwhile, Musk and Trump continue to claim millions of dead people are fraudulently collecting Social Security benefits. "We have millions and millions of people over 100 years old" receiving checks, Trump said in February. Musk echoed the sentiment on X, writing, "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 rhetoric, government watchdogs say these claims are greatly exaggerated. A July 2024 SSA inspector general report found that improper payments accounted for less than 1% of all benefits paid from 2015 to 2022. Most errors were made to living individuals due to eligibility or income reporting mistakes.
A separate Treasury Department review found $31 million in federal payments — including but not limited to Social Security — went to deceased individuals over a three-year period. That amounts to $215 million recoverable over that time span, a fraction of the SSA’s total budget.
The SSA uses outdated software, including COBOL-based systems that can default to extremely old birth dates when information is missing. This leads to odd entries in the system — like people listed as born in the 1800s — but not actively receiving benefits.
FILE - In this photo illustration, a Social Security card sits alongside checks from the U.S. Treasury on October 14, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo illustration by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The SSA has safeguards in place, including halting benefits for anyone listed as older than 115 unless proof of life is submitted.
Why you should care if SSA errors increase
Why you should care:
For Johnson, the mistake nearly derailed his finances and access to healthcare. It also left him questioning how many others could be affected — especially under increased pressure from DOGE.
Social Security’s own leadership has pushed back against the narrative that fraud is rampant. "These are records we never bothered with," the agency’s director said of outdated entries that have no impact on benefit payouts.
Experts also warn that politicizing the agency’s database issues could mislead the public. "Let’s not pretend [fraud] is where the system’s biggest financial problems are," said George Mason University senior researcher Chuck Blahous.
Johnson’s wife told Snopes that while they’ve now resolved much of the situation, they were warned the "death" designation may resurface in future records or databases. One people-search website still lists Johnson as deceased.
More Americans could be wrongly cut off from benefits
What's next:
While Johnson’s Social Security and Medicare access have been partially restored, his case may foreshadow a bigger problem. The Seattle Times reports that SSA agents cautioned him that once someone is flagged as dead in the federal system, the error can recur — and cause further disruptions.
Pam Johnson said the experience left them wondering how many others, particularly seniors with no backup income, could survive a similar ordeal.
"We think Ned is the canary in a coal mine," she told Snopes. "This is a much bigger story."
The Source: This article was reported from Los Angeles. It was based on original reporting from The Seattle Times, Snopes, the Associated Press, and internal FOX Television Stations coverage from February 2025.