ME's Office Saves Man from Paying Back Thousands

By Dave Jordan, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A man worried he would have to pay back thousands to his late wife's pension fund received relief Wednesday.

Harley King needed his wife's death certificate by July 22 or he would have not only lost his wife's pension benefits but he would also have to pay back money he'd already received.

King was hoping to receive the document in the mail, but instead he got a personal visit from the Medical Examiner's office.

Cherokee Ballard, with the State Medical Examiner's office, personally dropped off all the documents King needed to resolve the pension fund problem.

As King sifted though the envelope, he said he finally learned what killed his wife.

"I never knew she had a heart problem," King said.

It was that information that pension officials wanted to know. Delores King's last death certificate didn't list a cause. Without those details, Delores' pension board decided to go ahead and send King her retirement benefits. But last week he received a letter from the board, demanding an update death certificate or no further benefits would be issued.

The ME's office said King's wife's case was delayed because it was buried in the backlog.

"This was an extenuating circumstance. He was in danger of losing those benefits. We wanted to pull that case and see where it stood and we got the attention it needed," Ballard said.

King said receiving those documents was a huge relief.

The ME's office is backlogged by at least 300 cases. Ballard said the ME's office is willing to help anyone who is in a similar situation to King's.

The ME's office recently hired some temporary workers to help them with the massive backlog.

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• ME's Office Delay Could Cost Man Thousands