Diane27

Ok, I just off the phone with EQ, and the lady said this account is not reporting on my file. I had just pulled my free annual report 3 days ago and it was definitely on there. I asked her to send me a copy of my report to show it's not reporting. I guess (I hope) the TL just happened to be removed in the 2 days in between when I looked at my report and when I called. However, my ScoreWatch has not notified me that my FICO score has increased from this collection being removed (if it really has been). This, of course, is what I'm most anxious for. I don't know how long the lag between a change in your report and a change in your FICO score usually is.

Update: It's been over 30 days since CA submitted their request to EQ to delete this account in its entirety from my reports. EQ has not deleted. What do I send to EQ now? Is there a form letter for this occasion? I have letters from both OC and CA stating the account should not be reported. Thanks so much for all the continued help!!

GREAT NEWS!! It turns out other letters were coming from OC and CA, but the unexplained check reached me a few days earlier. So, the result of all this is... THANKS TO WHYCHAT'S METHOD, the OC did request the CA to fully delete the account after I sent OC a copy of my follow-up dispute to EQ with the cover letter. I received a letter from OC stating so, and a letter from CA stating they've officially requested deletion from all CRA's as well. (EQ hasn't deleted yet, but I'm hoping any day now...) BONUS!!!! The OC took it upon themselves to file a petition on my behalf to my insurance who initially denied payment. I should have followed up on this part myself, but I just paid the $400 out of pocket when it said I was denied. Even though the date of service was 2/2008 and I paid the bill 2/2009, their petition to re-file in 5/2010 worked, and therefore, OC sent me a $400 refund check!! The increase I should gain in my FICO score will be priceless, but the very unexpected $400 in my pocket is nice too! Thanks WhyChat and CreditBoard!

Yes and yes. Initially heard nothing from CA, and EQ verified. Much later, CA forwarded me a patient ledger with my medical data submitted from OC to CA that was dated as received by CA a year after I paid the bill in full to OC. And the patient ledger reflects my payment, and that a zero balance is due. So, I sent letter to OC with insert "B". No response from OC, except a voice mail from I didn't return. Then I sent OC a copy of the follow-up dispute (to EQ) with the cover letter, and they sent me the check. Can't fathom why they would do this, except if I cash the check then I owe OC/CA again, so no HIPAA violation??

Ok, sent follow-up dispute to EQ and a copy + cover letter to OC. I got a response back from EQ: VERIFIED! The next day I got a check in the mail from the OC refunding the full amount I paid on this account. (I paid OC over a year ago.) It merely says, handwritten, "Account overpaid". What does that mean?!? Did OC misinterpret the HIPAA letters? Why would they refund me this money they were paid so long ago (and rightly owed)? What should I do?

^Bump^ Is it okay to call back the OC and explain what I'm requesting? (I sent the HIPAA letter with insert B.) Or should I not have any verbal contact with the OC similar to a CA? I can't tell if the OC is confused by the HIPAA letter, or is going to argue the legality of the situation with me. (OC has furnished my private medical data to CA. CA forwarded me a time/date stamped copy of my patient ledger--showing $0 balance--sent to them almost a year after I paid the OC directly.)

Crap, the OC called me to discuss the HIPAA letter I sent. (with insert B.) I know we never, never communicate with CA, but what about OC? I had paid the OC a year ago, never had contact with CA. CA is reporting this as "paid". I've completed all steps of the HIPAA process, and it has led me to sending the HIPAA letter with insert B to the OC. I didn't hear anything for a month from them, and now someone has called me to "discuss" the letter I sent. Do I call them back? Or just proceed with sending the follow-up letter to CRA and sending a copy with the cover letter to OC?

Never mind to the question about colored font/paper. (I won't do that, just as I didn't do it when the follow-up letters were sent to CRA's before.) My questions are: Do I send the "Letter To CRA After HIPAA Letter" CMRR? Do I sign it?

Ok, letter to the OC got the collection deleted from EX, (thought that was the hard one?) but EQ is still reporting it. Since I got the green card back, I'm planning to send out the "Letter To CRA After HIPAA Letter" and then a copy of the same letter with the cover letter to the OC's HIPAA Compliance Dept. My question is: Do I need to do special font/paper for the CRA letter (like the first letters we send to CRA's?) Also, don't do CMRR to CRA's, correct?

Thanks cinnamngrl, and yes it was a car accident. I'm so happy I actually received a settlement from it, even though there's barely anything left after the bills.... I was really surprised they did delete it from my reports before they received the check. On the one hand, it shows good faith and that they might be an honest CA. (What's that? ) On the other hand, maybe they just did it to trick me into sending money, and then re-report it afterwards. I'm nervous because there's not technically a PFD letter. But if somehow this shows up on my credit reports in the future, I can show the CRA's this letter? Is there anything I need the CA to send me after they receive my payment? Like a receipt or letter that the account is closed?

Here's the story on my last medical bill with a CA. I'm actually not using the HIPAA process (though it's worked GREAT for me on other medical accounts!), but rather a PFD of sorts. Please read below to understand: I have one unpaid medical collection with a CA reporting to EX and TU for about 2 years. I have the original bill from OC and know it's mine. I never took care of it or had any contact with CA because there was a pending lawsuit regarding the accident the bill is from. I have now received a settlement for the car accident this medical bill is from. I let the attorneys know there is an outstanding bill of $2500 that I wanted taken care of (so it didn't come out of my share). The attorneys have already been in communication with the CA to negotiate the bill down, and have reached a written agreement on the settlement amount. Unfortunately, the attorneys and paralegal I am working with know nothing about credit repair. (They are just trying to handle the settlement award we received properly.) I told the paralegal exactly what to put in a PFD letter to the CA, but she just communicating it all on the phone to them! She told the CA that once it is deleted from my credit reports, then she will send the check. The shocking thing is, the TL has been deleted from both bureaus it was reporting to!! CA also faxed a letter to my law firm that states: "The above referenced account was reported to the credit bureau in error. We have requested it to be deleted. If you have any questions feel free to contact me." It has my account number, amount due, OC name, and my name. It's signed by the CA Rep and it's on the CA's letterhead. The weird part is, it's not clear who it's addressed to. The header only has the CA's contact info. I can't tell if it's to me, to one of the CRA's, to the law firm, or what. Do you think this is sufficient and I should send the payment as we promised? The account has been deleted from my reports like they said, I just don't want them to re-report (as PAID) after I pay them. Does this letter sound like I can use it if the TL re-appears on my credit reports? Has anyone had a situation like this before, where the CA deleted the account in exchange for receiving the money, but prior to receiving it?

UPDATE: CA faxed a letter to my law firm that states: "The above referenced account was reported to the credit bureau in error. We have requested it to be deleted. If you have any questions feel free to contact me." It has my account number, amount due, OC name, and my name. It's signed by the CA Rep and it's on the CA's letterhead. The weird part is, it's not clear who it's addressed to. The header only has the CA's contact info. I can't tell if it's to me, to one of the CRA's, to the law firm, or what. Do you think this is sufficient? The account has been deleted from my reports like they said, I just don't want them to re-report after I pay them. Does this letter sound like I can use it if the TL re-appears on my credit reports?

Thank you WhyChat and Rynn for all your advice! Okay, before I had a chance to send the payment to the OC with a a combination of insert "a" and "b" as suggested, I happened to check my credit reports for another reason. And I was astonished to see this collection deleted from both the Bureaus it was reporting to! I wasn't expecting it to really happen, seeing as CA's always lie. So, my question now is: Can I breathe a sigh of relief that this is taken care of? (And go ahead and tell my "pooralegal" to send payment and finish this matter.) OR Should I be concerned that they might re-report it as "Paid" later? Is there a good chance this will happen? I don't have a traditional PFD agreement from them. They said they will send a letter stating the account is settled in full and they won't report to CRA's, but this is after they receive payment of course. Do you think they are tricking me to send them the money and then they'll re-report the collection as Paid after they get my money??

Why Chat, I do have the original bill from the OC. They didn't have my complete insurance info--even though I gave it to them--and by the time I followed up on the $2500 bill they sent me, my insurance company rejected payment since it was over a year old. The original date of sevice was 2/2008 and it was turned over to CA in 8/2008. I have not done any of the HIPAA steps on this bill, because I never have the money to PIF. (I have used your HIPAA process on many other bills sent to collections, and it's working great!!!) I have now received a settlement for the car accident this medical bill is from. I let the attorneys know there is an outstanding bill of $2500 that I wanted taken care of (so it didn't come out of my share). Originally, I wanted to take that money myself and pay the CA using the HIPAA process (insert A) to get it removed from my reports. But since the attorneys had already been in communication with the CA to negotiate the bill down some, I was advised on CB to continue on what they already started. The paralegal I spoke of knows nothing about credit repair but is just handling the settlement award. I've given her word for word what I wanted sent to the CA, but she just said it on the phone to them. She isn't getting paid to do this for me, so there's only so much I can ask of her, I guess. The CA did send a letter agreeing to accept the negotiated down amount as paid in full. However, when asked about the removal from my credit reports, they said they can't send a letter agreeing to that until the money is received. Should I continue on trying to use the lawfirm to achieve deletion by not sending the check until it's deleted from my reports? Should I try to take over the process? And if so, try the HIPAA process or PFD? Have I admitted the debt is mine since the law firm has been in contact with the CA numerous times?? Thank you so much for you help!

Update on this matter: I communicated to my law firm all the language you said to use in written correspondance with the CA. However, they continue to talk to the CA on the phone only. Apparently, the woman that they're talking to sounds very aggreable to our offer. She has told the paralegal that they told all CRA's to delete it from my report. (I checked, of course, and they still show up.) The woman at the CA said they cannot send anything in writing until they receive the money and I have a $0 balance. It is a computer-generated letter. The paralegal has made it clear she's not sending the check until I confirm the TL has been deleted from my reports. Has anyone done it this way: waited for the TL to be removed before sending a dime to the CA? The paralegal has made it very clear that she won't send the check until I am satisfied the TL have all been removed. So, I'm supposed to continually spend money to pull my credit report. Any advice? If I were handling it myself, I would be doing all this correspondence in writing, but the paralegal isn't receptive to my suggestions about doing so.