INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indianapolis man said he thought he was going to die after a clerical error put his life-saving surgery in jeopardy.

Karl Taylor was shot seven times during a May 23, 2006 robbery, and suffered damage to his intestines, as well as bullet fragments lodged in his back and pelvis, Call 6's Rafael Sanchez reported.

Due to the constant pain and low energy, his doctors received approval in July from taxpayer-supported Medicaid to perform surgery.

But on Oct. 1, Taylor said that he received a call from his doctor saying that his coverage had been denied.

A Marion County caseworker later told him that since he was receiving a disability check for $674 a month, he made too much money and was not eligible for the coverage, Taylor said.

"I just figured that's it, they are going to let me die," he said.

When Sanchez called the Family and Social Services Administration about Taylor's case officials reviewed the files and determined that the coverage termination was prompted by a clerical error.

Officials said the system is overwhelmed.

"We have caseworkers that have caseloads from 300 to 600 individuals and, in some cases, it impossible to get a hold of them when something like this happens to make a correction," said agency spokesman Marcus Barlow. "This is a perfect example of an imperfect system."

The state is currently in the process of reviewing the system, and is expected to make recommendations for possible changes later this month.

As for Taylor, his surgery has been rescheduled for next week. His family said they are relieved that the father of three will soon be able to start living his life free from constant pain.

"I thought I lost him once when he got shot," said Taylor's wife, Janetta Taylor. "I definitely did not want to go through that again."