DAYTON, Ohio -- Annamary Bierley thought it odd when Medicare refused to pay for her visit to the doctor in January. Then she found out why: The Social Security Administration thought she was dead.
Bierley, a retired art professor and painter, found out last week that the agency listed her as having died last Halloween."I've made a lot of art since Oct. 31," she said. "I renovated my kitchen. I taught four courses winter quarter. I think I'm alive."
Bierley's supposed demise came to light in February, when Renee Sawyer, who handles the billings for Bierley's doctor, phoned Medicare to find out why it refused to pay a bill.
"I eventually called the patient and informed her of her demise," said Sawyer. "It took me a while to decide how to call a patient and tell her she's dead. It's kind of tough news to take."
Bierley immediately went to the Social Security office in Springfield.
"They looked at the (records) and said, 'Yes, you're dead,' " she said. "So I had to show them my driver's license and sign an affidavit saying I'm alive."
Bierley said the mix-up may stem from a 1999 auto accident after which she received Social Security benefits for an injury. She received checks after her eligibility ended. When she returned them uncashed, a clerk may have interpreted that as evidence of her death.