(WHDH) — Dianne Anderson cherishes her memories of her dad.
“He would take me fishing and the boys fishing,” Dianne remembered. “You had to go fishing”
She spent the past few years taking care of him, but when his health started failing late last year, Dianne needed help.
“He had respiratory problems and was in and out of the hospital,” Dianne told 7News. “He needed more skilled nursing.”
The Anderson’s decided that a nursing home was the best option, but the specialized care was expensive.
“It ran between $10,000 and $12,000 a month for the nursing home,” Dianne said. “You paid by the month and it was paid ahead – you paid in advance.”
Dianne’s father spent about three months at the nursing home but in February, he passed away.
While grieving and planning the funeral, Dianne said she received a letter from the nursing home, “stating that the state of Massachusetts mandates they refund any overpayment within 30 days,” Dianne said.
The Anderson’s pre-paid for the entire month of February, but since her father was only there for nine days, she was owed a refund of about $8,000.
After waiting about a six weeks, Dianne called the nursing home.
“I spoke with the gentleman who wrote the letter,” said Dianne.
She said he told her that they were having trouble with their new computer system but that she would have her check “within a couple of weeks,” Dianne said.
A couple of weeks turned into four months, and despite countless phone calls to the nursing home, Dianne still didn’t have her refund.
“Why can’t they write a check?” Dianne continued. “I overpaid them, they have my money, they should give it back.”
That’s when she called Solve It 7 and we went to our legal expert.
“You’ve got to get it paid right away. You have 30 days to pay it back,” Bob Harnais, the President of the New England Bar, told 7News.
We called the nursing home and the administrator apologized for the refund delay, blaming the new computer system.
She said Dianne’s check would be ready for her to pick up in an hour.
“I was shocked. I was stunned” exclaimed Diane.
She was relieved to have more than $8,000 back.
“I’ve been calling and they haven’t been able to do anything about it,” Dainne exclaimed. “You’re the man, and you call them, and the check’s ready.”
(Copyright (c) 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
