"Navy vet must offer proof of life after VA wrongly declares him dead"

2015-05-14T11:24:42-04:00

This news story was originally featured on wral.com:

PARKTON, N.C. — Navy veteran Jeremy Walsh served in Iraq, retired after 20 years in the military and now lives in Parkton with his wife – except that the Department of Veterans Affairs believes he is dead.

Shay Walsh received a letter from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service last month seeking more than $1,600 in VA benefits improperly paid out after her husband's death.

"They're sorry to hear that my husband has passed away, and I needed to send back their money for March and April," Shay Walsh said, summarizing the letter.

"As a sailor or any retired military, we don't have that kind of money sitting around," a very-much-alive Jeremy Walsh said Monday.

He quickly got on the phone with a DFAS office in Kentucky and tried to work things out.

"Hey, I'm alive," he said he told the agency.

"We need notarization," was the response.

Jeremy Walsh got a notarized letter stating that he's alive, but not before two bank accounts were frozen, putting his family's finances in turmoil.

"I had to go into Navy Federal (Credit Union), which I've had for 20 years and I love, and say, 'Hey, I'm alive,'" he said.

Again, the response was, "We need notarization."

"Really?" he said incredulously on Monday. "What better proof do you need if I'm standing 3 feet from you?"

The VA didn't immediately respond to a request from WRAL News for comment.

Jeremy Walsh said he wants to let other veterans know that something similar could happen to them. In fact, he said, it's happened recently to at least two other veterans in North Carolina.

"What mechanisms are in place to keep this from happening again?" he asked.

http://www.wral.com/navy-vet-must-offer-proof-of-life-after-va-wrongly-declares-him-dead/14638316/#aFytqHQrYgl5Oixf.99

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2015 11:31 AM

2015-05-14T11:31:56-04:00

Bureaucracy at its absolute worst.

Response by CPT Pedro Meza made May 14 at 2015 12:20 PM

2015-05-14T12:20:49-04:00

This is not the first time it has happened and it will not be the last time. The only solution is to go public and shame the people that made the mistake so that heir bosses deal with them. Another solution is to visit your local Veteran's Office with and demand to see the supervisors. Making a big issue at the VA office that the walking dead is here scares people into action. Plus its fun to say that since you are dead you are there to eat their brains, since they do not use them, just have the news media other wise you end up locked up.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made May 14 at 2015 12:53 PM

2015-05-14T12:53:25-04:00

There's a chapter in Catch-22 (J. Heller) dedicated to the Flight Surgeon who was wrongfully declared dead.

https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/rp-book-club-catch-22-joseph-heller

What I'm wondering is how they can declare him dead without a Death Cert, and without paying out his VGLI. Alright, if you're going to freeze the Vet payments, fine, pay the VGLI. You can't have it both ways.

RP Book Club: Catch-22 - Joseph Heller | RallyPoint

This week's submission is the "cult classic" Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. The term Catch-22 is now common vernacular, but where did it come from? Well, this book for starters. Using his own experiences from WWII, Mr. Heller creates a satire of the Korean Era, set in WWII... Check it out.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2015 1:24 PM

2015-05-14T13:24:22-04:00

"Really?" he said incredulously on Monday. "What better proof do you need if I'm standing 3 feet from you?"

LMAO, this cracked me up. He served 20 years and still thinks that something that makes since will have any impact.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2015 1:58 PM

2015-05-14T13:58:36-04:00

Is it bad that one of the reasons I'm considering reenlistment is to avoid the VA's complete ineptitude for a little bit longer? I mean it takes A LOT of effort to fail as marvelously and as often as they do anymore. I almost admire their dedication to this cause; it's truly impressive.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2015 4:09 PM

2015-05-14T16:09:36-04:00

You know, it's really not hard to convince someone you are, in fact, not dead. Dead people can't punch you in the face.

Not that I'd recommend this course of action....just saying it does work to convince someone you're not dead.

Response by PO1 John Miller made May 15 at 2015 12:34 AM

2015-05-15T00:34:22-04:00

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made May 15 at 2015 12:43 AM

2015-05-15T00:43:59-04:00

So, a couple of quick statements... Is this the VA's answer to reducing work load for them, by starting to declare us dead? The other comment to this it seems to be a set up joke from Monty Python and the search for the holy grail... "I'm not dead yet!"

Response by LTC Gavin Heater made May 16 at 2015 9:14 AM

2015-05-16T09:14:06-04:00

This situation is a scary portent of things to come unless we establish better controls on our bureaucratic systems.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 17 at 2015 8:54 PM

2015-05-17T20:54:12-04:00

Even after a notorized letter, he could be a zombie - so there probably more testing that needs to be done.

Response by SSG Scott Burk made May 17 at 2015 10:00 PM

2015-05-17T22:00:29-04:00

At this point in time, NOTHING the "Gooberment" does surprises me. It seems that that things went from bad to worse in January 2009. This is what happens when the Gooberment gets to big.

Response by LTC Donald Cole made May 18 at 2015 8:35 AM

2015-05-18T08:35:59-04:00

One would think such stupidity from the administrators would be from an absence of wisdom, therefore a passive activity. The Veterans Administration however, carries stupidity to exponential levels. The administrators have to apply a lot of energy and resources to be this stupid and incompetent! One can reason therefore that stupidity in the VA system is an active process, requiring much energy and many resources by the administrators. ( In other words they have to work at it!)
As a rule, the clinical people are top-notch, caring, and responsible people who are hindered by these administrators whose primary goal is the active pursuit of stupidity.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made May 19 at 2015 2:05 AM

2015-05-19T02:05:20-04:00

ZOMBIES!!!!!!!

Response by MAJ Alvin B. made Nov 22 at 2015 7:58 PM

2015-11-22T19:58:37-05:00

Flippant comment alert- if you walk in and attempt to slap some sense into the VA, I suppose they would have to declar you alive to press charges?!

The mental process or lack there of is astonishing.

Then again, perhaps Zombies do exist!