Sorry he's dead....we want our money back
Disabled Veteran Mistakenly Declared Dead
By Associated Press
March 9, 2005, 9:11 PM EST
MANAHAWKIN, N.J. -- A disabled veteran who went to his mailbox expecting his monthly disability check instead found a letter from the federal government telling him he was dead. For David Baruk, 33, it was quite a shock.
"I had just spent a month in the hospital. And now I was dead. It just brought tears to my eyes," Baruk told the Asbury Park Press for Wednesday's newspapers.
Baruk, a U.S. Army veteran, received a medical discharge in 1991 after treatment for a knee injury led to a series of complications.
Eventually deemed 100 percent disabled, he gets a check for $839 each month. But instead of a check, last month he got a letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Feb. 9 letter was addressed to the "Representative of the Estate of David S. Baruk."
"We are sorry to learn of the death of David S. Baruk and wish to express our sympathy," it read. "Any checks received after the date of death or any monies that were electronically deposited in a bank account after the date of death should be returned."