Nicole Paulino, a Gaithersburg, Maryland resident, has expressed her shock and anguish after being mistakenly declared dead due to a bureaucratic error.
Paulino discovered the error when she attempted to renew her driver’s license through the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). A system notification informed her that she was officially deceased.
“It then appears that I am deceased,” Paulino told NBC4 Washington. “I got a little frightened, I’m not gonna lie, and surprised, because I am alive. I’m here.”
The mistake caused significant disruptions in Paulino’s life. Officials informed her that she could not renew her driver’s license. Shortly after, she received a letter from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) identifying her as a “deceased taxpayer.”
The error also resulted in the cancellation of her health insurance, leaving Paulino and her three children without coverage. Medical bills began piling up, and she was unable to access essential medication for her asthma.
“This really, really messes up my life,” Paulino said tearfully. “It has affected me a lot. It’s affected my health, my mental health.”
The Social Security Administration (SSA) contacted Paulino to explain that the issue stemmed from a typo. A funeral home had mistakenly entered Paulino’s Social Security number while attempting to report another person’s death.
The SSA defended its record-keeping, stating that less than 0.33% of the over three million death reports it receives annually are later corrected—equating to approximately 10,000 errors each year.
“This happens almost on a daily basis,” attorney Joseph McClelland told NBC4 Washington, adding that such mistakes can have devastating consequences on a person’s credit report and overall financial stability.
Following inquiries by NBC4 Washington, Paulino received a letter from the SSA confirming that the error had been corrected and that she was officially recognized as alive once again.
