How Do I Collect Payment for Family Home Health-Care Services?
The home health-care industry offers patients the chance to recuperate at home instead of in a hospital or nursing home. For a fee, home health-care workers come into the patient's home to provide care. If a worker has not been paid for their services, steps can be taken to collect what is owed.
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Instructions
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Demand payment. Talk to the patient or the person in charge of paying about the lack of payment. Let the family know that you'll take your services elsewhere if you don't receive payment by a certain date. Put your demand for payment in writing in case you need to take legal action.
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Refuse service. If you're working for the patient and they're not paying, stop working for free. You can make money elsewhere.
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Write a civil complaint. If the family still hasn't paid, you may want to hire a lawyer. Draw up a complaint stating that you have provided home health-care services and were not paid for those services. State the amount of money owed to you. You also should fill out a summons that tells the defendant that you have filed a lawsuit against him.
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File the complaint in the court serving your jurisdiction. You should include any other documents pertinent to your case, such as the letter demanding payment.
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Serve the complaint and the summons to the person responsible for paying. That person is the defendant. Go to the county's sheriff's department where the defendant lives, and pay to have the sheriff serve him.
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Allow time for an answer. The defendant should answer your complaint if he feels that your allegations are false. You'll likely end up in court. If the judge issues a monetary judgment, you'll be authorized to collect payment from the defendant. If the defendant doesn't answer and simply ignores the complaint, you'll be issued a default judgment and receive authorization to collect payment.
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Tips & Warnings
Filing a lawsuit may prompt the defendant to settle out of court.
References
- Photo Credit judge image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
