SOUTH WEBER (AP) — Despite what the Department of Veterans Affairs says, Merle Voss insists he is still alive.
"I'm laughing about it now," said Voss, who works at Hill Air Force Base. "But I work for the government, and I know how the government works, so it's still kind of scary."
Voss has been trying to clear up the mistake since he received a letter from the Veterans Administration on April 1. It was addressed to his estate and said his survivors would qualify for funeral benefits.
A second letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs' debt management center said money sent to Voss after his death should be returned.
Voss, 53, said he has been running into a bureaucratic maze but may be making progress. Voss sent a round of letters and e-mails last week — including pleas of "I AM NOT DEAD" in tall letters — to anyone he thought could help.
The list included U.S. Sens. Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch and The Standard-Examiner newspaper.
Jana Lee Green, public affairs officer for the Veterans Benefits Administration in Salt Lake City, said she has called Voss to assure him that the VA is trying to correct the mistake and restore his benefits.
Green said the mistake probably started when someone with a similar name died and his identity got mixed up with Voss'.
"It doesn't happen that often, but it does happen," she said. "Once in a while humans make mistakes."
Voss said he had been contacted and was told he should officially be alive again by the end of the month.
"We send it through for immediate action, so it goes in quickly," Green said.