Woman declared dead by mistake, benefits stopped

NEW YORK (AP) — A Brooklyn woman says her Medicaid benefits have been discontinued because she was mistakenly declared dead.

Selma Cohen, 87, tells WCBS-TV she received a letter from the city’s Bureau of Fraud Investigation that declared her dead.

A call to Medicaid determined that it was a computer error. But Cohen was told she’d have to go to the Social Security office to apply for a state ID to prove she is alive, a process she said could take weeks.

In the meantime, Cohen says she can’t pay for doctors’ visits and medication for her cancer treatment. Until she’s reinstated, Cohen says she wants to be reimbursed for the Medicaid premium she paid.