A Southern California family is grappling with a bureaucratic nightmare as the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) mistakenly declared their 86-year-old mother, Sarah Van Leuven, deceased. Despite being alive, the Santa Monica resident has been purged from Medicare and health insurance systems, leaving her without essential medical care. The error has also led to the cancellation of her bank and credit cards and the withdrawal of her pension payments.
Van Leuven, a retired special education teacher from the Los Angeles Unified School District, was listed as deceased on April 1, 2016, the same day she retired. Her family suspects this date might be the source of the confusion, though it remains unclear if the error was due to human mistake or a computer glitch. Her son, Jon Van Leuven, who is also her primary caretaker, has been tirelessly working to rectify the situation. He explained to KGET 17 News that while the SSA’s main record shows she is alive, an auxiliary record still lists her as dead.
The family first became aware of the issue in 2023 and believed it had been resolved until they received another letter from the SSA in August. Despite reaching out to California Senator Alex Padilla and Congressman Ted Lieu for assistance, the family remains uncertain about when the issue will be resolved. Van Leuven expressed gratitude for her children’s support during this ordeal, acknowledging that not everyone in her situation has family to rely on.
The SSA has declined to comment on the specifics of Van Leuven’s case due to privacy laws, as reported by the Daily Mail. Meanwhile, the Van Leuven family continues to navigate the complexities of correcting the error and restoring Sarah’s access to essential services.
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