Consumer complaint received 2017-09-06
Company: Persolve, LLC - Legal - Series 2
State: NJ
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Medical debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt is not yours

Complaint:
I have been a XXXX XXXX XXXX since XX/XX/XXXX.
On XX/XX/XXXX I had an emergency and was near XXXX XXXX in XXXX New Jersey. I informed the ER I was a 100 % VA Patient and XXXX XXXX XXXX and my Primary Care Doctor at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX that VA pays for outside emergency care. 

VA did pay for XXXX 's care however, I did not know that XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX had charged {$800.00} in addition, and in XX/XX/XXXX I saw on my credit report an account for ARS. I called ARS in XX/XX/XXXX and told them I was a VA patient, they told me to contact VA. I did so by contacting ( which took a few months to get a hold off ) XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX who told me to have ARS contact them and in the meantime dispute it on my credit report, which I did. 

Each time I would call in and tell ARS this over many times. I disputed this, ARS still claims I must have the VA call them. Even though I am not responsible for this and without their doubt, VA pays for that health care as they told me VA calls them. However, the person I called on XX/XX/XXXX told me spefically they are not able to call VA, which I asked why, especially after I have disputed this and their account comes off my credit and then is reported over time.
The answer was again " We are not able '' So as I told her, perhaps it would be better for us as veterans to have ARS contact VA for their payment, and for their company to get paid instead of putting false information on our credit reports. 

I asked for the debt in the mail as well as the policy for not being able to ask the VA for the payment. She transferred my to her supervisor, without any rings, it went to voicemail. 

I do n't understand ARS, if they require payment, why not ask the source instead of having a Veteran like myself do the work and now complain? I will ave to  again ask my local VA to seriously take that concern as well. This has impacted my credit and life many times, because I do n't understand the obvious nature of just asking the correct information for their payment. 

I also believe, perhaps they are not understandig it even may be against the law to report this on my credit report, they refuse to work with me, if I have to hire an attorney is that not also an indication of ARS breaking the law for whatever reason, they will get paid by VA, but impacting my credit like this I do n't understand why I must mediate between Veterans Affairs and ARS.
How this affects veterans is also obvious, although we can use outside resources like this in an emergency, I do n't know why after years of not having bills paid which again, even though VA paid XXXX, how am I supposed to know there is an additional bill, how was VA supposed to know, who was the person from the start that did not place that information on what insurance I had since I showed my VA ID Card and VA paid XXXX? 

Why not ask that instead of affecting me? The only control I have is to complain, dispute, and ask them to take it off and contact VA.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation