NY Veteran Had to Fight Wars, Then Killed by Clerical Error

‘Deceased’ veteran fights to stay alive
Bronx Times
By Robert Wirsing
August 8, 2015

“This is a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing,” Deravin said. “They’re getting this wrong on the people who are still alive.”

An Afghanistan and Iraq War veteran who was mistakenly declared deceased is fighting to keep his benefits.

When veteran Eric Deravin discovered his benefits were cancelled after an error declared him deceased, it seemed as if the former serviceman was fighting a losing battle until he reached out to a local elected official for assistance.

Eric Deravin III, an Allerton resident who served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, shares the same name as his late father, Eric Deravin, Jr., a retired 36-year Army command sergeant major who worked at the New York City Department of Corrections at Rikers Island for over 20 years.

When Deravin’s father passed away on May 10, he informed the VA and the New York City Employee Retirement System of his father’s death.

Both organizations asked for his father’s information which Deravin provided and about a week later he received notices stating he and his father were dead.

Deravin explained his medical benefits were returned to him this past July 24 and he received a check from NYCERS on July 30.

However, he is still waiting to receive his New York tax refund, his VA check, Army pension check and having his store credit reinstated, adding he will have to wait until the end of this month to see if everything is back in place.
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