Dawn Amos, 67, died as a result of suffering chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a collection of lung diseases.
It left her with difficulty breathing, unable to walk for long periods of time, dress herself or do daily tasks independently.
She received attendance allowance from the Department of Work and Pensions to help with the cost of her personal care.
Heartbroken husband Mick Amos, 64, of Masefield Road, Braintree, discovered a letter sent from the department two days after his wife’s death.
It notified Mrs Amos that her allowance was being withdrawn based on ‘treatment, medication, symptoms and test results’.
It had been sent on the day, November 27, Mr Amos had taken the decision to turn off Dawn’s life support machine.