!['How Am I Going to Survive?': 87-Year-Old Woman Is Battling NYC ‘Bureaucracy’ After Receiving Jaw-Dropping Letter From the City](https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.png?id=18867950&width=980&quality=85)
Image source: WABC-TV
An elderly Brooklyn woman is fighting to get her Medicaid benefits back after she received a letter from the city claiming she was dead.
Selma Cohen, 87, a thyroid cancer survivor and widow, told WABC-TV that she takes 14 different medications daily and has already had to cancel one doctor's appointment because of her Medicaid cancellation. If the city doesn't fix their mistake, she said she could be facing grave consequences.
"How am I going to survive?" Cohen asked WABC. "If I can't get medicine, I don't know what I'll have to do."
Cohen said that after she received the letter from the New York City Fraud Bureau, she has waited in lines and spent time on the phone in order to attempt to prove that she is, in fact, still alive. She's afraid that she will begin to lose other benefits as well if the city thinks she's deceased.
"I'm dealing with a bureaucracy, and they are not that fast to fix anything," the 87-year-old said.
A representative for City Hall told WABC, "We are looking into this case, and if there is any error, we will fix it."
Cohen said she has no idea what she's going to do if the mistake isn't corrected since she cannot afford her medical bills.