You Can Be Responsible For Your Parent's Unpaid Nursing Home Bills

According to an article published in the The Mercury,  the State of Pennsylvania has recently declared that children of people in nursing homes can be stuck paying the bills if their parent is unable to do so.

The article stated that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld decisions by an earlier court ruling that stated that adult children can be sued by the state of Pennsylvania for the balance due on a parent's nursing home bill.  This interpretation of the law is based on "filial support" laws in the state. 

]The original court case surrounding this decision came from a dispute in which a woman who was in a nursing home for rehabilitation was dismissed and moved to Greece with her family.  She left about $100,000 in unpaid nursing home bills and which were transferred to her son. Her son was trying to get the bill disputed, but it was overruled by the state court.

As quoted from the article, "For an excellent summary of the implications of the Pittas’ decision, consider watching Penn State Dickinson School of Law Professor Katherine Pearson’s four-minute video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD-vLRK3vmc&feature=youtube. Professor Pearson is an authority on PA filial support laws."    

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania.  He takes claims for elderly people who have been abused or neglected in nursing homes or hospitals.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please call his firm at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.