He’s Alive — But Social Security Says He’s Dead: LI Man Battles Bureaucratic Nightmare

By: Mario Mancini

A 77-year-old Long Island man has been trapped in a bizarre bureaucratic nightmare for years—one where the government insists he is both deceased and a fraud. As a result, he has been unable to collect his Social Security benefits, leaving him struggling to cover mounting medical expenses.

“I am suffering because every day I say, ‘Why do I deserve what happens to me?’” Wilfredo Pagan of Freeport told NBC 4. “It’s a nightmare. I think they want to kill me.”

Pagan, who runs a small religious figurine and candle shop in Far Rockaway, has been formally listed as deceased by the Social Security Administration (SSA), a mistake that has wreaked havoc on his life.

According to NY Post, his dire financial situation has been exacerbated by medical bills he cannot pay due to his frozen benefits.

Adding insult to injury, Pagan claims that when he initially attempted to correct the error, a Social Security worker confiscated his card, accusing him of fraud. Despite presenting multiple forms of identification, including a birth certificate, his attempts to prove he is very much alive have been met with continued roadblocks.

In a particularly infuriating twist, Pagan was recently able to obtain a valid U.S. passport—with his Social Security number listed on it. Yet, while the State Department recognizes his existence, the Social Security Administration continues to send him death notices. Pagan has even been told that his benefits might be going to someone in the Dominican Republic.

Pagan’s goddaughter, Deana Bain, expressed frustration at the endless bureaucratic runaround. “They say, ‘We’ll do an investigation, and we’ll call you.’ And—nothing,” Bain said. “They don’t come out and tell you anything anymore because I don’t know if they realized, ‘Yeah, we kind of messed up.’”

The repercussions of the government’s mistake extend far beyond lost benefits. Pagan worries that if he needs emergency medical treatment, hospitals may deny him care due to his unpaid bills. Bain echoed this concern, stating, “I am worried about him going to the hospital and they won’t take him because he owes so much.”

Cases like Pagan’s are not unheard of, but they are incredibly difficult to resolve. When an individual is mistakenly declared dead in official records, it can take months or even years to rectify the error, with some never recovering the lost benefits. The Social Security Administration has yet to publicly comment on Pagan’s case or offer a resolution.

Despite the ongoing battle, Pagan remains determined to reclaim what is rightfully his. “I’m entitled to that money,” he said. “They don’t want to give it.”

For now, Pagan continues to fight against a system that refuses to acknowledge his existence—while he is very much alive and waiting for justice.