Kevin Baltzley didn't quite know what to make of it when he got the news in his mailbox: a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs saying, "We have been notified of the death of Kevin Baltzley."
"I was like, 'Wow, I'm dead," said the very-much-alive Baltzley.
The disabled veteran received two letters from the VA claiming he had died. The only issue, no one told Baltzley.
"At first I thought, 'No, this is a hidden camera,' then, 'No, it's Department of Veteran Affairs,'" said Baltzley. "They're very serious. They don't play. Then the next day another came, and this one was from Philadelphia."
What may seem like a minor mix-up isn't as easy to fix as it might seem because this has affected a lot of areas of Baltzley's life.
"The VA also sent that letter to other government agencies, thereby causing my Social Security to disappear. I'm a disabled vet. And just numerous headaches and heartaches throughout the process," he said.
And this isn't his only issue with the VA. Baltzley received another letter, which had a lot more information on the outside envelope, readable to anyone who saw it. The second letter showed Baltzley's name, address and Social Security number.
Local 10's sister station in Jacksonville contacted the VA about Baltzley's problems, and it said it's "definitely concerned" about the situation. They also said "considering time constraints we were in, we would like an opportunity to research what has occurred."
Baltzley hopes that will happen soon.
"I've called, written the St. Petersburg administration, all the way up to the secretary of Veterans Affairs, all to no avail," Baltzley said.