SSA raids dead man’s account in Arizona

In Phoenix, Arizona, when a 79-year-old man passed away, his daughter discovered that the Social Security Administration (SSA) had taken almost $25,000 from his bank account, according to AZFamily.com.

Her father, a relatively healthy 79-year-old man, died just months after a cancer diagnosis.

Following his death, the daughter, a co-executor for her father’s estate, began reviewing his finances. She soon discovered that the SSA had raided her father’s bank account less than two weeks after his death.

“Twelve days after he passed, I got a note from the bank saying that [over] $24,000 had been removed from his account,” she explained.

She found out that the SSA had made a mistake and recorded her father’s death as Feb. 10, 2010, but he died on Feb. 10, 2012 as his death certificate clearly indicates.

Under the impression that they had provided a dead man retirement benefits for the past two years, SSA emptied his account to recoup their money.

The daughter said that dealing with the SSA has been a nightmare, and getting the SSA to put it back has been next to impossible.

To remedy the nearly $25,000 mistake, she has called the agency and even visited their offices, but they are yet to fix it.

What should she do? Can an attorney help?

If you or someone you know needs help with Social Security Disability benefits, contact the Social Security Disability lawyers at Fleschner, Stark, Tanoos & Newlin.