Deceased FIL's medical bills

[Michigan120503]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Michigan

My father-in-law died 4/6. What do we do with the medical, hospital and nursing home bills that are being sent for his final expenses and services? My husband is the next of kin (only child), never signed any forms for any of the services or medical offices, etc. so I know we (he) are not liable for them ourselves. There is no probate. FIL has a couple small bank accounts with maybe $1000 total between them, which we don't even have access to yet as did not name any Payable Upon Death beneficiaries.

What do we do about these bills that are now being forwarded to us either via mail forwarding thru the USPS (we filled out the forms at the post office to have his mail forwarded to our address) or directly to my husband's name/address as he was listed as emergency contact for the final hospitalization/nursing home stay. Ignore them? Send them a letter stating the patient is deceased....and what...don't send the bills to me?

 

[Zigner]

The assets of his estate will need to go towards the debts.

 

[LdiJ]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Michigan

My father-in-law died 4/6. What do we do with the medical, hospital and nursing home bills that are being sent for his final expenses and services? My husband is the next of kin (only child), never signed any forms for any of the services or medical offices, etc. so I know we (he) are not liable for them ourselves. There is no probate. FIL has a couple small bank accounts with maybe $1000 total between them, which we don't even have access to yet as did not name any Payable Upon Death beneficiaries.

What do we do about these bills that are now being forwarded to us either via mail forwarding thru the USPS (we filled out the forms at the post office to have his mail forwarded to our address) or directly to my husband's name/address as he was listed as emergency contact for the final hospitalization/nursing home stay. Ignore them? Send them a letter stating the patient is deceased....and what...don't send the bills to me?

So, your father in law had no assets of any kind other than the small bank accounts with less than 1000.00 in them? Your husband will receive no inheritance at all from his father, from any source? In that case, the 1000.00 will have to go towards whatever bills it can cover, and your husband can safely let the others know that dad died with no assets.

 

[Silverplum]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Michigan

My father-in-law died 4/6. What do we do with the medical, hospital and nursing home bills that are being sent for his final expenses and services? My husband is the next of kin (only child), never signed any forms for any of the services or medical offices, etc. so I know we (he) are not liable for them ourselves. There is no probate. FIL has a couple small bank accounts with maybe $1000 total between them, which we don't even have access to yet as did not name any Payable Upon Death beneficiaries.

What do we do about these bills that are now being forwarded to us either via mail forwarding thru the USPS (we filled out the forms at the post office to have his mail forwarded to our address) or directly to my husband's name/address as he was listed as emergency contact for the final hospitalization/nursing home stay. Ignore them? Send them a letter stating the patient is deceased....and what...don't send the bills to me?

Did he own a home? If so, the sale of that would go to cover the bills.

Please accept my sympathy for your recent loss.

 

[Michigan120503]

What about the funeral expenses? He had no life insurance either, so that cost is out of our pocket. What takes top priority for being paid by the money in his bank accounts, once we can even access them? We're looking at ~$5K for cremation, memorial service, burial of cremains and headstone/marker.

 

[justalayman]

Unless I'm mistake funeral expenses have priority status as far as paying bills

 

[Michigan120503]

We sent letters of insolvency, along with a copy of the death certificate, to the hospital, nursing home and a doctors' office from which invoices had been sent to my FIL. We sent those Certified Mail, Return Receipt on May 20. They were received and signed for on 5/22, so we know they got them. Yesterday we received another invoice dated 6/1/15 from the nursing home....bill is in my FIL's name and address, but it was mailed directly to our home address to my husband's attention. Had a hand-written note on it to call them regarding the balance due or send payment within 10 days. Now what? Ignore? Send another letter? I don't want to call them since I want proof if any contact with them is made...i.e. copy of letter, etc. Maybe the accounting person didn't receive the letter of insolvency from whoever signed for it though? I don't want to keep receiving these bills when they are not our responsibility to pay, and they have been notified the estate is insolvent. As it is we had to pay a portion of the cremation/service expenses out of our own pocket already.

 

[FlyingRon]

Given the short time frame between the receipt of the information on insolvency and the new bill, I'd be inclined to ignore it. If they send you another one, you might remind them that they have that information. After that I'd trash them.