Veteran Mistakenly Declared Dead by VA Gets Signed Trump Memoriam Months Into Fight to Regain Pension

A Utah veteran who was mistakenly declared dead by the Department of Veterans Affairs received a certificate signed by former President Donald Trump honoring his memory, despite still being very much alive.

Craig Haskell of Cedar Hills, Utah, is desperately trying to reclaim his pension, but has had no luck.

According to a report from Salt Lake City’s KSL-TV, the former Army paratrooper found out last November, before Trump took office, that the VA had flagged him as a dead man. That abruptly ended the pension payments he relied on to support his family.

“I’m dead, and they sent my wife a death benefit,” Haskell told the outlet. “It’s just ridiculous.”

After months of phone calls, paperwork, and visits to his local VA office,the man told KSL-TV he had been trapped in a bureaucratic nightmare.

But one thing he did receive was an official certificate in the mail honoring his service and sacrifice.

The document was signed by Trump and offered condolences for his “passing.” KSL-TV noted he shares a name with a veteran who had died, which could have explained the mistake:

Despite five months of affidavits, calls and in-person meetings, Haskell says his VA benefits have not been resurrected. That’s even after sending an obituary for another Utah veteran named Craig Haskell. He died on Nov. 22, 2024. Same first and last names. Same alleged death date. Seems like bad data entry could be the cause of our Craig Haskell’s demise.

The very much alive Haskell speculated, “Someone hurrying too fast to do their job.”

After the local media got in touch with the VA on behalf of Haskell, administrators said his pension had been reinstated.

The agency said in a statement, “VA resumed Mr. Haskell’s benefits payments on April 25 and is still assessing any retroactive payments. We regret the error and apologize for the inconvenience.”

Watch above via KSL-TV.