Can nursing home collect after death and three years later?

[dalspot]

My mother was in Nursing Home A for rehab from Nov 2, 2004 to Jan 14, 2005. At that point she was moved to Nursing Home B. My mother passed away March 13, 2006. She had no "estate" at the time of death as her home had to be sold earlier to pay nursing home costs.

Just last week, Nursing Home A called my sister and told her that my mother had "a balance on her account".

Can they collect,
#1 21 months after her death, and
#2 34 months after she left the facility?

This is the first we have heard of the "balance". We have had no communication from Nursing Home A since 2005.

Thanks for your advice.

[Everest Judgment Recovery]

Did you ever sign any paperwork stating that you were prepared to take responsibility for the bills? When my mother went into a nursing home, I signed paperwork to admit her but I wasn't made responsible for her bills. Each month her SSI was sent to the nursing home as payment.
After her death I received a bill from the nursing home. I wrote to them stating that she had no estate, no funds, no assets and that any outstanding balances were not my responsibility.
It really all boils down to what you may have signed where you placed your mother in the nursing homes.
Good Luck to you....

[nadalinv]

If the debt/obligation was in your mother's name only and not yours, then no, you have no responsibility to pay that debt. They will try to tell you that you do, but you do not.