Introduction
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Ramona Rakestraw, 59, had her SSI benefits cut off after the government questioned her legal residency status.
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The Dallas native, who is battling cancer and kidney disease, insists she was born at Parkland Hospital and never left the United States
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Rakestraw has appealed to the Social Security Administration, but it’s unclear how long the review process will take.
dallas – A Dallas woman who has been receiving Supplemental Security Income for years because of a serious medical condition says her benefits were stopped after the federal government questioned her legal status.
Although the woman insists she has never lived outside of Dallas County.
Lifelong U.S. residents stripped of benefits
what we know
Ramona Rakestraw, 59, said she relied on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) as her only source of income while battling kidney disease and cancer. She told Fox 4 her payments stopped in October after she was told her immigration status was under review.
Rakstraw said she was born in Parkland Hospital in Dallas in 1966 and had never lived outside Dallas County or traveled abroad.
At age 28, Rakestraw underwent dialysis for the first time for kidney disease.
She later received a transplant, but about 30 years later she was back on dialysis and in 2024 she was diagnosed with cancer.
Losing SSI Benefits Due to “Citizenship Dispute”
She said that during her illness, she received SSI benefits and was enrolled in Medicare Part B. She said her SSI payments and Medicare Part B were both paused for some time last year.
Her Medicare coverage was later restored, but her SSI payments were not.
what are they talking about
When asked about her reaction whenever immigration issues are brought to her attention, Rakstraw told Fox 4, “They told me my immigration status was being questioned, so I said, ‘I’m not an immigrant.'”
Rakstraw said she took her ID and birth certificate to the local Social Security office to try to resolve the issue.
“That’s my income, all my income,” she said.
Claims Rakestraw “doesn’t legally exist”
Dig deeper
Later she received a letter from the Social Security Administration, which stated:
“We cannot pay you benefits because you are not legally in the United States”
Apply for Social Security Income
The Social Security Administration allows beneficiaries to appeal denials or suspensions of benefits. Individuals have 60 days to appeal and must update their status to prove citizenship. The case will then be reviewed by someone other than the person who made the initial decision.
what’s next
Rakstraw said she has appealed and completed the required paperwork.
“I’m appealing.” Asked what would happen if her appeal was denied, she said: “I don’t know. I’ll just have to take it one day at a time.”
source
The information in this article comes from an interview with FOX 4’s Shaun Rabb.
