NEW YORK, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- A very much alive New York man said his Medicaid benefits were cut off, and credit cards and bank accounts were canceled after a hospital declared him dead.

The Bronx-Lebanon Hospital in March 2009 put Juan Antonio Arias' full name, social security number and date of birth on a death certificate, but the 57-year-old father of two said he is most certainly not dead.


He said he was unaware of the hospital's mistake until 2010 when his Medicaid benefits were cut off and his credit cards and bank accounts were shut down. The taxes he paid that year were also sent back, the New York Post reported Saturday.

Arias has sued three times to have himself declared legally living again, though the first two suits were dismissed due to attorney errors, the Post said.

He sued for a third time last month and his lawyer said he only had to show proof of his identity to win.