Sen. Klobuchar helps man who IRS falsely claimed 'dead' for 29 years

It’s only been three weeks since Fox 9 brought you the story of Adam Ronning, the Minnesota man who the IRS falsely declared dead for 29 years.

Tuesday, thanks to Senator Amy Klobuchar, Ronning received the news he’s waited decades to hear – the issue has been rectified.

“This was an absurd situation. This constituent was declared dead by the government when he wasn’t. It doesn’t get much worse than that,” the Senator wrote to Fox 9 in a statement shortly after her office delivered the news.

The false declaration was initially made when Ronning was four, although as an adult, he never once stopped paying his taxes. And since 2009, because of the false declaration, Ronning either only got half of his return or none at all.

“It's insulting, it's shocking, it's frustrating,” Ronning said of the decades of back and forth with the IRS and Social Security Administration. “I’d call and they were like, ‘let’s just give him the hold monster,’” he said.

Fortunately, Senator Amy Klobuchar managed to reverse the false declaration and by the government’s standards, Ronning has officially been "resurrected.”

“I think that's probably better than winning the lottery...to be living and be normal is much better than being on this list of dead people,” Ronning said.

The father of two, with another child on the way, said Uncle Sam owes him approximately $20,000 in back tax returns. 

“That money will definitely have somewhere to go, you got to support the family, and there's going to be more diapers, making sure our cars keep working; just keep on keeping on,” he said.

The welcome relief now allows Ronning to fully focus on his family and carry on like the rest of us.

“I'll be fighting off the bill monster,” he smiled.

“I’m glad we could help him, and we will continue to work to make sure he gets the tax refunds he deserves,” Klobuchar wrote.

According to a representative with her office, cases like Ronning’s where the IRS wrongfully declares a person dead are rare in form.