A 94-year-old retired teacher from the Los Angeles Unified School District, Gloria Wilson, has had her pension payments reinstated after being wrongly declared deceased. The issue arose when officials from the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) mistakenly stopped her pension payments, believing she had passed away.
Wilson’s family became aware of the situation when they noticed the payments had ceased. Concerned for her financial security, they reached out for assistance. Melva Williams, Wilson’s daughter, contacted the local news outlet 7 On Your Side, explaining their struggle to prove her mother was alive.
After submitting the required documentation, including a letter signed by both Wilson and her primary care physician, the family faced additional hurdles. “Mother signed where she was supposed to, the doctor signed where she was supposed to, but it [was] something that one of their names needed to be printed,” Williams recounted. This miscommunication delayed the reinstatement of the pension.
Williams received further clarity from CalSTRS, revealing that the issue affected other retirees as well. “The way he put it was anyone of the retirees that had moved out of state and did not have a California prefix… was running into trouble because of the new computer system that they had set up in October,” she said.
In response to inquiries, Thomas Lawrence, a spokesperson for CalSTRS, stated that the suspension of payments was not due to a system error. He emphasized the importance of verifying benefit payments regularly for security reasons and to combat fraud. “If a member does ever have a payment delayed, we work as quickly as possible to reissue the payment,” Lawrence added.
CalSTRS later confirmed that the situation with Wilson had been resolved and her pension payments would resume shortly. The family expressed relief but also aims to raise awareness among other retirees, particularly those who have relocated outside California, about the potential for similar issues.
With the payments restored, Wilson’s family hopes their experience will encourage others to verify their pension accounts to avoid unnecessary interruptions. The story highlights the importance of communication and diligence in resolving administrative errors that can significantly impact retirees’ lives.
