Elder Couple with Bills

A woman in Spain was mistakenly ruled dead and now she finds herself in a nightmare. Yes, it can happen here, too!

There is a master government list in the U.S. that has your name and other identifying information on it. When you pass away, it will be recorded and your death will be noted on another master list.

Finding yourself prematurely declared dead by the government can be a very difficult problem to resolve. However, it is usually not as bad as what one woman is going through in Spain, according to Fox News in “Spanish woman wants to open up grave to prove she’s alive.”

The government maintains a list that records when you pass away, so the government and private businesses can know when you are eligible for services and when your eligibility ends.

Human error sometime causes problems with the list. As a result, people who are still alive are accidentally put on the master list of the deceased.

But rarely does it get as difficult as it is for Juana Escudero. She has been declared deceased for seven years because seven years ago someone with her exact same name and place of birth was recorded as deceased.

As a result, Escudero has not been eligible to receive government services, including going to a doctor for the last seven years. Her efforts to convince the government that she is alive have so far been fruitless.

She’s asking the government to open the grave of the person they declared dead, so she can prove it is not her.

In the U.S., it is easier to fix these clerical errors, however, it still would probably be a good idea to get yourself an attorney.

Reference: Fox News (Sep. 27, 2017) “Spanish woman wants to open up grave to prove she’s alive.”

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Mr. Amoruso concentrates his practice on Elder Law, Comprehensive Estate Planning, Asset Preservation, Estate Administration and Guardianship.