I need help/Should I pay????? WHAT DATE ARE THEY GOING BY????

[Anonymous]

Good afternoon everyone. I've been working on improving my credit scores since March of this year. My scores are increasing but I have 1 account that I can't get around. In 2011, I had an emergency and I ended up going to Cedars Sinai. I called them to work out a payment plan because I was pregnant and on bedrest but they said they couldnt accept $50 a month as a payment plan. I moved on and totally forgot about the account. The account is now with SEQUOIA FINANCIAL SVCS and has increase to $4200. I wanted to workout a PFD agreement with them.

My dilemma is this. On my credit reports, the account is showing that it was first reported in 2013 but both credit reports stated that the acoount will be able to remove in May of 2018. I went to the hospital in 2011 but it wasn't reported until 2013. What date are they going by? If it was reported in 2013, how come it can be removed in 2018? Should I just try a pay for delete letter with Cedars Sinai or SEQUOIA FINANCIAL SVCS or wait until May of 2018 and have it removed? I want to be in the low 700s by December of this year. 

[medicgrrl]

2013 is the date the collection agency acquired the account. You state that you went to the hospital in 2011, therefore the 2018 date listed for removal is correct.

[Anonymous]

So do you think I should just leave it alone? I tried negotiating with the hospital but they refused to delete information. I mean May of 2018 is juts around the corner

[Anonymous]

I would leave it alone.  IF they try to re-age the account those are the easiest to dispute.  Just check what the statute of Limitations are for your state on them being able to collect on the debt.  As long as it's 6 years or less there's nothing else that can happen with this account but for it to go away in May.  

[RobertEG]

The creditor (medical provide) or debt collector is not responsible for determining when their reported derogs are excluded from your credit report.

That responsibility rests solely on the credit reporting agency (CRA).

FCRA 605(a) sets forth the required dates and periods for exclusion, and places the burden on the CRAs to monitor the type of derog, and then exclude from credit reports they issue no later than the statutory date set under section 605(a).

In a nutshell, the creditor reports monthly delinquencies, and the CRA must exclude no later than 7 years from the date of the monthly delinquency.

Any reported charge-off or collection requires reporting of the date of first delinquency (DOFD), and that CRA then excludes no later than 7 years plus 180 days from the reported DOFD.  The date of reporting of a collection is immaterial to its exclusion date;  exclusion is based ONLY on the DOFD.  And, once again, the debt collector does not report exclusion, it is done only by the CRA.

Sequoia is apparently a debt collector, which requires exclusion of their reported collection no later than 7 years plus 180 days from the DOFD.

If the debt was due in 2011 and remains unpaid, the DOFD is likely in 2011 or early 2012, with the exclusion date being sometime in 2018 to early 2019.

[Anonymous]

Thank you so much for this information. I feel so much better now and I plan on getting all of the education I can on this site.

[bourgogne]

I just paid off over $20k of med bills for a friend and her family, cedars / sequoia and they were total pros to deal with.  used a guy named mike and a few others.  pif/pfd, went like a charm