Madeline-Michelle Carthen was declared dead in the summer of 2007. The only problem? She was still very much alive.
Carthen, 52, learned she died while studying at university. A business technology student at Webster University, Carthen was accepted into an international internship program. But when she applied for financial aid to assist with expenses, the financial aid office told her that her social security number was associated with a deceased person and that she would have to withdraw immediately.
Carthen contacted the social security administration (SSA), who told her she was added to a death master file, “in error”, according to a report by NBC News. What followed was several attempts to have herself removed from the file, including a 2019 federal lawsuit against the administration, but to this day, she cannot revive herself.
She calls the situation a “nightmare”.
“It’s like a haunting,” Carthen told NBC in an on-camera interview.
In an email statement, the SSA told NBC that “less than one-third of one-percent” of the 3 million names listed as dead, are corrected. That’s about 10,000 people incorrectly listed as dead every year.
The SSA urges anyone who believes they were wrongfully listed as dead to visit their local social security office and bring one form of identification, such as a passport, driver’s license, a school report card, or a marriage, divorce, or adoption record. Carthen did just that, and was issued a “death erroneous letter”, to prove to credit bureaus and other agencies that she was wrongfully listed as deceased.
Despite this letter, Carthen said she has encountered numerous problems that have hindered her ability to live a normal life.
Over the past 17 years, Carthen said has been denied a mortgage, let go from jobs, had her car repossessed, and lost her voting rights, all because her social security number – which is crucial for establishing credit and most major transactions in the US – belonged to someone who seemed to no longer exist.
Carthen took a breath of relief when she was issued a new social security number in 2021, but that break was short-lived. Even though she had a new social security number and legally changed her surname from Coburn to Carthen, she still could not distance herself from the death.
“I just want direct answers, and I haven’t been able to get that,” she told NBC.
It turns out, her new social security number is associated with her old one. Although constantly reminded of her own mortality, Carthen persists.
“I don’t care if it takes 20 years,” Carthen said. “I’m going to still do what I got to do to make this situation right, not just for myself but for others.”
The social security administration did not immediately respond to the Guardian’s request for comment.
