Pre Hippa Response

[Anonymous]

I've been following the pre-Hippa process for a paid medical collection that I want to have removed from my CR and got the following response from TU:

"Re: Verification Documents not Available" 

The letter goes on to say "if you need to obtain documentation or written verification concerning your accounts, then please contact your creditors directly."

I'm not sure as to next steps, please advise.

Thanks 

[fused]

Welcome to the forums!

Did you opt-out with the CRAs and your creditors?

Is the address on you credit reports, your current address?

Are you sure the collection is still on your TU report?

Is it also marked as "verified"?

Has the CA sent you anything?

[Anonymous]

Yes I opted out with CRAs and creditors. 

Address is current.

The collection shows up as paid on TU- I paid the CA before discovering this forum in October 2008.

It does not say whether it's verified or not. There's nothing saying "verified"

The CA has not sent anything and I have not see any inquiry  on my credit either.

[fused]

When did TU receive your pre-HIPAA dispute letter? I want you to keep a hard copy of your most current TU report that shows this med collection is not marked as disputed and verified. This will be another ace up your sleeve in the event you have to file a complaint against TU with the FTC for their refusal to properly investigate and delete this paid med collection.

[Anonymous]

TU received it on 3/31. I have an electronic copy of my TU report from 3/28 (in a pdf file but will print it for my records) The letter from TU is dated 4/02.  Do I need to get a more recent copy of my report from TU? 

Thanks for the quick responses! 

[fused]

These are next steps for your situation.

Since TU “verified" your paid collection but the CA did not provide an accurate and complete validation, send this letter to the CA.

ALTERNATIVE MED DV LETTER TO THE CA

After you receive the green card for the Alt Med DV letter to the CA, mail this follow-up dispute letter along with a copy of the green card from the ALT DV letter to the CRA(s) CMRRR.

FOLLOW-UP DISPUTE LETTER (2) TO THE CRA'S

[Anonymous]

Should I include a copy of the letter that TU sent me with the letter to the CA?

[fused]

No! That will not help your cause. You have a lot working in your favor though.

1.) the med collection is paid

2.) it really appears TU did not properly investigate your dispute. they chose not to delete your collection even though they didn't verify anything. this is a clear violation of the FCRA and FACTA. If HIPAA doesn't get rid of this collection, we can have the FTC jump all over TU.

3.) the CA didn't validate, yet they're still reporting the paid collection. this also violates the FDCPA, not just HIPAA.

We have lots of options here.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, I'll follow your recommended actions and let the forum know what happens.

[Anonymous]

OK, I sent the Alt Med DV letter to the CA on Monday. Today (Wednesday) I got an alert that my EQ score had jumped - nearly 80 points. When I checked my credit reports the medical collection had been removed by all CRAs (EQ, TU and EX). Since I've already sent the Alt Med DV letter to the CA, should I stop pursuing this process? What will happen when the CA gets the Alt Med DV letter? I would think at the most they would verify the colleciton with the OC.

Fused, thanks for your dedication to this forum. Your help is invaluable! The pre-Hipaa process works!