Can a nursing home send unpaid bills to the POA after death of the individual?
How can I get creditors to stop harassing me with bills from a nursing home from my deceased parents? The nursing had full control of their income and the POA never received any income from the parents?
I guess anybody can send anything to anybody but if you never agreed to be responsible i don't see a problem. my hubby just received a bill from an ER visit stating that it was overdue and failure to pay would result in the balance being turned over to collections. The balance in question was stated to be $0
About POA ending at death and therefore ending any debt obligations- I would guess that if anything was signed by a POA at admittance- "the devil is in the details" as the saying goes. What was the wording? "I Jane Doe, POA for Granny, agree to assume...", or "I Jane Doe, acting as POA for Granny..." or even just straight "I Jane Doe, agree to assume...".
Sounds like splitting hairs but unfortunately it's this type of thing that gets well meaning people on the hook.
I may be wrong, but since the POA ceases when the person being cared for is diseased, that the POA could no longer be held responsible because they would no longer be the POA. This would be a matter for the executor of the estate to deal with.
Did you fill out or sign anything when your parent was admitted? Often a facility will present paperwork that states a POA or another relative agrees to pay any outstanding debt. I know I had to sign one or they wouldn't have taken my mother - it was a totally private pay facility. And frankly, at that point I would have sign paperwork to donate a kidney - I was desperate.
If you did sign something they should have given you a copy - dig it up and read the fine print.
Write them a letter. Explain (in writing) that this person is deceased. There is no estate. The Nursing home had full control of the assets of the deceased...if they have any hope of recovering any payment it will be from the nursing home.
Put this is writing! You need to begin a paper trail.
Finally....tell them, further contact concerning this bill must be mailed to the nursing home's financial administration office.
7 Answers
Helpful Newest
First Oldest
First
my hubby just received a bill from an ER visit stating that it was overdue and failure to pay would result in the balance being turned over to collections.
The balance in question was stated to be $0
ADVERTISEMENT
"I Jane Doe, POA for Granny, agree to assume...", or "I Jane Doe, acting as POA for Granny..." or even just straight "I Jane Doe, agree to assume...".
Sounds like splitting hairs but unfortunately it's this type of thing that gets well meaning people on the hook.
If you did sign something they should have given you a copy - dig it up and read the fine print.
Put this is writing! You need to begin a paper trail.
Finally....tell them, further contact concerning this bill must be mailed to the nursing home's financial administration office.