Mark Ellis Jr., a very much alive Marine veteran from Michigan, has had his VA benefits restored months after the agency cut them because it believed he was dead.
Earlier this week, My Fox Detroit reported on Ellis’ story. The former F-18 mechanic from Dearborn, who was honorably discharged from the Marines in 2011, went to the news station after he was having a difficult time getting his VA benefits restored.
The trouble started when his wife Meghan received a letter from the agency in November informing her that benefits for a Mark S. Ellis would come to an end since he was dead.
But that was news to the living and breathing Ellis who had actually visited a VA hospital the day before the letter came in the mail. Ellis is rated 60 percent disabled and receives GI Bill and other benefits.
Ellis, who now works as a truck driver, said that his benefits were reinstated for a short time after he contacted the VA to let it know that he was still completely live. But they were cut off again, he told My Fox Detroit.
Ellis also said that the U.S. Department of Treasury had intervened.
“They closed my bank account and I did not have access to it,” Ellis said. “And they listed my wife as a widow on the bank account.”
“All the money was sent back to the VA,” he explained.
Ellis said that the mix up had hurt his credit just as he and Meghan were considering buying a house. He also said he was unable to file his taxes.
Ellis went to the media after getting nowhere on his own.
But by Friday, the problem had been resolved. My Fox Detroit reported that after its story brought the error to light, the VA said it would restore Ellis’ benefits within the next 10 days. He will also receive back benefits.
The Daily Caller reached out to Meghan Ellis to find out how the VA made the error.
“They can’t tell us why,” she said, adding that the VA claimed that Ellis’ social security number could have been entered in its system incorrectly.