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Jacksonville woman 'alive and well' despite being declared dead for months

The Social Security Administration declared Carmen Rivera dead and as a result many of her personal accounts were frozen.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Carmen Rivera was in for a surprise when she visited her Jacksonville bank earlier this month.  She was told the Social Security Administration declared her dead.

"I am not dead. I am well and alive," she told First Coast News.

She laughed about it, but she says a serious mistake is causing her anxiety.

Rivera said the SSA declared her dead and froze her account, which had a ripple effect on other parts of her life.

Rivera is a single mother with a disabled son and collects Social Security for the two of them each month.

However, those benefits were suspended last September. She says the SSA told her they made a 'typo.'  "They caused suffering, pain, sleepless nights. I cried. I never expected this that I had to experience," Rivera said.

First Coast News has reached out to the agency and has not yet received a response.

Rivera says her account was finally restored, but she's not getting her full benefits. Her bank account was also re-opened but she just learned her license was suspended.

She has not received an apology and is looking to hire a lawyer. "It is going to leave me in a stretch and I don't know what to do and this why I am seeking some help," she said.

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