An Illinois woman is fighting for her son after the government listed the child as deceased and blocked the mother from claiming the boy as a dependent on her taxes. Eboney McDaniel said the Social Security Administration and the IRS are blaming each other for the error while she is trying to find a solution.
Despite her continuing effort, McDaniel said the federal government is failing to recognize her son Jaxen.
The problem started in 2018 when McDaniel went to file for death benefits for her son after the boy’s father died, ABC 7 reported. McDaniel said her son was somehow recorded as deceased instead of his father.
The devastated mother said her son and his father don’t have the same birthday and they don’t share a first or middle name.
“They only share the same last name,” McDaniel told ABC 7.
After being ignored by the Social Security Administration for several months, McDaniel said she later received a letter from them.
“Jaxen Dyson is not dead, his records have been corrected since 6/29/2019,” the letter stated.
Still, there was a problem when the mother tried to claim Jaxen as a dependent on her taxes in 2022.
“As I file him on my taxes, his social security number is rejected. And it’s rejected because it’s coming up as a death in the system,” McDaniel said.
Especially because her son has autism, McDaniel said she urgently needs the refund money from her taxes. She also fears for her son’s future if the problem isn’t fixed.
The anxious mother wonders if her son will be able to get a job, government identification or a passport.
Although Social Security said the error is fixed, the IRS told McDaniel that Jaxen’s Social Security Number still comes up as deceased.
McDaniel plans to keep on fighting until she finds a solution.
“I am his voice. I am in his person who speaks for him, so, I’m going to keep fighting,” she said.
