Mistaken Identity In Florida

     From First Coast News:

Johnnie Hills, 58, believes he is the victim of mistaken identity. He said proving that to Social Security Administration, however, has been difficult.

"The system is you're guilty until proven innocent and I didn't even do anything," he said.
On July 29, Hills received a letter at his North Jacksonville home from Social Security Administration. The document stated his monthly disability check of $1,600 was being suspended "because he is in prison for the conviction of a crime."

"I was like, 'it can't be me,'" Hill said. "It must be somebody else."

Hills said he made two trips to the local Social Security office to correct what he calls an obvious mistake. He said he found no empathy and no help. 

Hills, who is a former school board employee, was advised to check with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for a criminal or prison record. He said there was none.

"The officer told me I wasn't in the system and there was nothing he could do," Hill said. ...

"My bills have gotten behind," Hills said. "They're not going to help me with that. I didn't know who to talk to." ...

     I had one of these cases. My client was approved for Social Security disability benefits but she wasn't paid. The explanation we got was that the client was in prison in New Mexico. My client, who was a free woman in North Carolina, gave a response which I understand New Mexico residents are all too familiar with, "I've never been in Mexico in my life!"  I called the New Mexico prison authorities. They told me that they not only had no prisoner by the same name as my client but that their database didn't show that they had ever had a prisoner by that name. They also didn't have the Social Security number in their database. I gave Social Security the name and telephone number of the New Mexico prison employee I had talked with but they insisted that they couldn't call him. In any case, my client's benefits were soon paid.