Woman declared dead by city gets medical benefits reinstated

Cohen says convincing people that she is very much alive has been a greater challenge than she could have imagined – she has made calls and waited in lines.

“I couldn’t believe it”, Cohen, a widow, told the newspaper.

A New York woman said she was cut off from Medicaid benefits because she was mistakenly declared dead, according to the Associated Press.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, though, appears to have stepped in to help Cohen get her medical benefits restored – along with her living status. “At first I thought it was a joke or something” that her medical benefits had been terminated”.

Her Medicaid and benefits are back online and she will even be reimbursed for the days she was considered dead.

After calling Medicaid, Cohen was told the matter was due to a computer error and that it could take a few weeks to fix.

Cohen told WCBS-TV that the clerk told her she could go to a third office, Social Security, and apply for a state ID to prove she is actually alive.

In the meantime, Cohen says she can’t pay for doctors’ visits and medication for her cancer treatment.

“If I can’t get medicine, I don’t know what I’m going to do”, says Cohen.

Cohen says she’s been trying to sort out the mistake and…

Gillibrand’s office got the error straightened out after seeing a news report about Cohen.

“I said it must be wrong”, Cohen said.