Family sues after Social Security declared woman dead

A Glen Burnie woman’s family is suing the Social Security Administration one year after the agency’s mistake cost her money and benefits. The federal government is currently focused on whether dead people are still receiving Social Security benefits. But this story was about a living person trying to convince the federal agency that she isn’t dead — a mistake 11 News Investigates learned the agency has made thousands of times per year. Joyce Evans spoke with 11 News Investigates in March 2024, three months after SSA mistakenly declared her dead, cutting her off from the Internal Revenue Service, Medicare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, her credit cards and her retirement checks. She faced foreclosure months later. But she never got the chance. The 89-year-old died in July 2024 from heart-related issues.