Best way to address 5+ year old medical collection

Anonymous · ‎03-26-2018

I have a medical collection over 5 years old (beyond SOL) with H & R Accounts Inc. The DoFD is 12/15/2012. They opened the account on 9/1/2013 and they claim I owe $395.00.

I've explored the "HIPPA Process". I have no particular interest in paying this in full without verifying the validity of the debt as this is for an ER visit in which I walked out and refused any service. I can't imagine what the bill is for as I never made it further than the waiting room.

Can I still send a DV to the CA after it's been open this long? Does anyone have any sample DV I could use as a template?

Anonymous · ‎03-26-2018

I have nine medical collections that are now 4 years old. They vary in amounts from $75 to $1,881 and are currently reported by Americollect Inc., First Federal Credit Control, and Trans National Credit Corp across all three bureaus. One is reported in duplicate by the OC (physician) directly on TU.

These are from when I was uninsured and broke my leg in 2014. I fully acknowledge the validity of this debt, however I dispute the accuracy of the amounts claimed. I was never provided an itemized bill or bill of any kind for that matter. The amounts just don't add up to the services rendered (I've spoken to friends who are themselves physicians).

Can I request a DV on these accounts considering their age?

They're still within SOL by a full year. Would a DV trigger any kind of legal recourse from the CA? The highest individual collection account is $1,881 and the lowest is $75. The other 8 range from $276-$710. What's the chances they'd take me to court over these amounts?

What's the best way to go about this? Should I ignore them and deal with the credit consequences for another year until the SOL expires and hope they don't bring a suit against me in that time? Should I try to settle with them and request a PIF/As Agreed status and agreement to not revalidate in the future so I can dispute for removal?

P.S. I don't know if this has any bearing on the situation, but I had Lexington Lawfirm working for me for the past 3 years. I just recently learned they were sending letters in my name with my address and basically forging my signature to send disputes. I immediately fired them and bought a printer and mailing supplies instead. Please advise on the best course of action to follow.

Anonymous · ‎03-26-2018

I have two medical collections that are 2 years old from March 2016. They are both reported by Commonwealth Financial Systems on EX and EQ, but the other is reported only by the OC on TU. The OC claims one collection for $713. Commonwealth claims $713 and $785 on EX and EQ.

These are from an ER visit in which I had insurance and an ER copay of $500. I do not dispute the validity of the debt, however, for this reason, I definitely dispute the accuracy of the amount(s) claimed, especially by Commonwealth.

This is the only medical collection I have that I believe is worth following the "HIPPA Process" with. I still have the same insurance policy with the same insurer and can see my EOB clearly states a $500 copay. I would be willing to submit payment in full for $500 to the OC for the amount I should actually owe, but they are unwilling to accept payment, stating that the debt has already been charged off and reassigned.

One thing I definitely don't want to do is to pay any of these and be stuck with them on my report for 5 more years. I'm ready and willing to resolve this matter as long as the outcome is favorable for my credit profile. Please advise.

RobertEG · ‎03-26-2018

The best way to assure deletion is to get the debt paid via insurance.

Under the new big-3 CRA policy statement set forth in their National Consumer Assistance Plan, they will remove any collection if paid via insurance. That avoids any issue of pay for deletion or good-will requests, or any involvement of the debt collector.

RobertEG · ‎03-26-2018

You must file a DV request within 30-days after dunning notice for it to be timely.

Otherwise, it can be ignored.

When did they send dunning notice?

Additionally, even if timely, a DV imposes a cease collection bar, but does not impose any period for or requirment to send validation.

Provided they cease further collection activities after receipt of a timely DV request, they have no requirement to send validation.

Thus, a timely DV does not assure that you will receive verification of the debt within any set period.

Anonymous · ‎03-26-2018

@RobertEGwrote:
You must file a DV request within 30-days after dunning notice for it to be timely.
Otherwise, it can be ignored.
When did they send dunning notice?
I never received one. It's just on my credit. They didn't even report it until 9 months after the fact.

Additionally, even if timely, a DV imposes a cease collection bar, but does not impose any period for or requirment to send validation.
Provided they cease further collection activities after receipt of a timely DV request, they have no requirement to send validation.
Thus, a timely DV does not assure that you will receive verification of the debt within any set period.

Anonymous · ‎03-26-2018

@RobertEGwrote:
The best way to assure deletion is to get the debt paid via insurance.
Under the new big-3 CRA policy statement set forth in their National Consumer Assistance Plan, they will remove any collection if paid via insurance. That avoids any issue of pay for deletion or good-will requests, or any involvement of the debt collector.

My insurance covered their portion. This is my patient-responsibility portion, the ER copay of $500. What now?

gdale6 · ‎03-26-2018

Thread is now closed to further comments. OP please do not make multi threads on the same subject as what was done here its not inline with our TOS and it can lead to confusion by the members. Please ask your medical questions in your current open thread here http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Rebuilding-Your-Credit/12-Medicals-Please-help/td-p/5201998 Thanks for your understanding on this.