Wife unable to receive survivor's pension without death certificate after husband's disappearance

The wife of a man with dementia who disappeared a year ago says she can't get Canada Pension Plan survivor benefits without proof he's dead, which would cost her thousands of dollars in legal fees.

Brenda Moberg, whose 81-year-old husband, Earl, was last seen on Dec. 12, 2023, said she is losing hundreds of dollars per month because she doesn't have a death certificate.

Moberg, 74, believed search parties would find her husband alive after he went missing in Winnipeg's River East area, but as months passed, she started to lose hope.

In summer, she contacted Employment and Social Development Canada, the federal department that administers the Canada Pension Plan, to make the department aware of his disappearance. 

The department then suspended Earl's CPP until she could prove his death to receive the smaller survivor's pension. 

"They didn't want me to be receiving all this money and then not being able to pay it back when the death certificate is finally settled, or presumption of death. They didn't want me owing money, but if they owe me money, then they'll only pay me back [up to] 12 months," Moberg said.

Moberg said she is entitled to 60 per cent of her husband's CPP, which amounts to approximately $700 per month.

"The thing that gets me is I think I should be getting this money, you know what I mean? He's been missing for a whole year. The chances of him being alive are very non-existent."

The federal department told her to submit a freedom of information request to Winnipeg police to get records proving Earl is considered a missing person.

A co-ordinator handling her request on behalf of the Winnipeg Police Service said in order to get the records, Moberg had to provide proof of a power of attorney, a letter from the federal department requesting the police report, and a death certificate — but if she had a death certificate, she wouldn't need the report.

Her freedom of information request was denied. 

"Unfortunately without a death certificate, or documentation presuming such, we are unable to provide any information regarding your husband," the co-ordinator said in an email to Brenda that was shared with CBC.

A Winnipeg Police Service public information officer said they can't comment on the case due to privacy concerns.

Moberg contacted the federal government department about the issue again, and an agent told her to send over any communication she's had regarding her freedom of information request, which she did — but because she still didn't have paperwork presuming his death, nothing more could be done, she said.