Sex assault victims billed for rape kits will be reimbursed

NEW YORK (AP) — New York's attorney general says dozens of sexual assault survivors were improperly billed for their rape exams by a New York City hospital.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Tuesday that under an agreement with his office, the Brooklyn Hospital Center will reimburse patients who paid out of pocket for a rape kit.

Schneiderman says the hospital will inform rape survivors that under New York state law the rape kits can be billed to the state's Office of Victim Services.

Schneiderman said he has also sent letters to 10 other hospitals throughout the state seeking information on how they bill sexual assault survivors.

%INLINE%Brooklyn Hospital said in a statement that it regrets "the inadvertent breakdown in our billing processes related to sexual assault victims."

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Statement from Brooklyn Hospital

Statement from Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman