Louisiana Asks 100% Living Man to Produce His Death Certificate

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I get that government agencies make mistakes just like everyone else.  That being said, it's pretty hard to understand the lack of common sense that brought us to Richard "Rooster" Shaffer's unique situation.  This totally alive Baton Rouge, Louisiana resident has been asked to produce a document that he couldn't possibly have: His official death certificate.

According to a report from WBRZ, the strangest thing about the odd request from the Louisiana Department of Revenue is how hard it is to get this obvious oversight corrected.  Shaffer received a letter last week that explained the agency had been reviewing his tax forms and needed additional documentation - namely his death certificate.

Somehow, the request for a form showing that Shaffer was officially dead being sent to the aforementioned deceased person didn't raise a single red flag at the Louisiana Department of Revenue.  After several attempts to contact anyone with the department failed due to a "high volume of calls", Rooster finally received word that officials had become aware of his "still living" status.

A statement from the Department said that this was an isolated incident and that they had corrected the mistake.  No comment was given as to the cause of this grave mistake.