NBC 7 investigation finds nearly 1,000 veterans wrongly declared dead each year

Each year, more than 150,000 American veterans pass away. When they do, the Department of Veterans Affairs stops sending them the benefits they earned during their service. 

The problem is that a sizable number of these veterans are still alive.

NBC 7 Investigates met one of them in March. Sky Lowe had been unsuccessfully trying to get the VA to reinstate his benefits so he wouldn’t be evicted from his San Diego apartment.

“I’m actively trying my best to pay my bills and do everything I can,” Lowe told NBC 7 Investigates. “And it’s like, something as simple as a mistake, and not being able to fix it possibly? No one can answer me!”

Lowe reached out to NBC 7 Investigates after fruitlessly talking to the VA for five months. Two days after we reached out to the VA on his behalf, they corrected his status and deposited thousands of dollars of back pay into his account. 

Our team filed a Freedom of Information Act request to find how often this happens and found it's surprisingly common. Since 2020, 4,923 veterans have had their benefits restored after being mistakenly declared dead. That’s roughly 950 per year.

!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}();

This data only counts veterans whose benefits the VA restored, not the total number the VA lists as dead who claim they’re alive. NBC 7 Investigates asked the VA for that data point, along with information about what state those veterans reside in. The VA would not disclose that information. 

Democratic Rep. Mike Levin represents parts of San Diego County, including Carlsbad and Encinitas. He was shocked when we showed him the numbers.

“It is entirely unacceptable that even one veteran would have their benefits cut on the mistaken notion that they had deceased, when in fact they are alive and well and contributing positively to our community,” Levin told NBC 7 Investigates. “It’s just outrageous.”

---

No explanation provided by the VA

NBC 7

NBC 7

Since March, NBC 7 Investigates has been asking the VA about Lowe’s case. We also asked how it happened to thousands of other veterans and what the VA was doing to prevent it from happening in the future.

A spokesperson would only confirm they made a mistake with Lowe, but wouldn’t say exactly what went wrong. Our questions about the problem at large also went unanswered. 

“I’m troubled that Secretary Collins, in his three or four months as VA secretary, really does not seem to be communicating with a lot of people, it’s not just you,” Rep. Levin said.

---

Local help for veterans in need

NBC 7

NBC 7

Ron Stark is the President of the San Diego Veterans Coalition. It’s a group that works to connect veterans with the help they need by linking them to hundreds of local nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies.

Stark was aghast at the situation facing hundreds of veterans each year.

“It just got in my guts,” Stark said. “This could happen to anyone.”

Eighty percent of service members leave the military without retiring, meaning their VA benefits are often the only checks they’ll get in return for their service.

“It’s a big deal!” Stark said. “This is a horrible story. And I will go on record and say this is horrible.”

Stark also expressed disappointment in the lack of an explanation from the VA.

“It’s a tough message. It’s like, you should respond,” Stark said. “I’m not a shill for the VA. If they need to take it on the chin, I’m there with everybody else. But I don’t get a lot of satisfaction from bashing on the VA either.”

Stark urged veterans facing issues with their benefits to not only contact the VA, but to reach out to any number of local advocates through the San Diego Veterans Coalition or other groups.

“There’s a Courage to Call, which is a county-wide program that’s staffed by veterans and their families, funded by the County of San Diego,” Stark said. “They can actually bring along local resources that can come alongside until it’s remedied.”

Stark also said veterans can get their own accredited Veteran Service Officer. They can help veterans gather evidence, file claims, request reviews, and communicate directly with the VA on the veteran’s behalf. You can search for a VSO here.

“We say it casually that in a firefight it’s better to have bullets and not need them, than to need bullets and not have them,” Stark said. “Having those people in my corner is so important.”

In the meantime, Stark told NBC 7 Investigates he will bring our investigation to local government representatives and veteran advocates.

“To those that it happens to, I am deeply sorry,” Stark said.

Rep. Levin also pledged to dig deeper into why hundreds of veterans are wrongly declared dead each year, and to seek a solution. Levin sits on the House Appropriations Committee, which oversees how federal funds are spent and allocates budget and funding for federal agencies, including the VA.

“You certainly have my commitment that I’ll work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get to the bottom of what’s happening here.”