EVERGREEN PARK, Ill. (WLS) — There is an important warning if you have a loved one in a nursing home. The facility could have funds in an account for your loved one, but could you have trouble getting that money?
A grieving granddaughter turned to the ABC7 I-Team about a big battle over thousands of dollars in her late grandmother’s nursing home account.
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The consumer, JaTonya Harris, said she’s been dealing with “missing nursing home money.” The granddaughter said several thousand dollars were not given to her from her grandmother’s nursing home fund.
She said she wasn’t getting answers on the case, until the I-Team got involved.
“She was 26 days away from 104,” Harris said.
When Harris’ grandmother passed away in September of 2024, Harris said she should have been grieving her death. Instead, Harris was in a heated financial battle with her grandmother’s nursing home, Avantara of Evergreen Park.
I haven’t had the ample opportunity to mourn a wonderful person, a woman who impacted my life, and who I love still to this day dearly
JaTonya Harris, contacted I-Team
“In 2022, my grandmother’s social worker contacted me and told me that because of this COVID money, she had a nice chunk of change sitting there,” Harris said.
Harris, who was the power of attorney and is the only designated family member on the account, said that “chunk of change” in the nursing home account was supposed to go towards her grandmother’s funeral, but then there was a surprise.
Harris said she received this check to her home, from Avantara of Evergreen Park, for only $840. She was expecting thousands more.
“For them to say, ‘What money? She got $840 and 94 cents,” Harris said. “I said, ‘That’s a lie.'”
Harris said Avantara Evergreen Park told her that $840 was all that was left, and that Harris had signed a letter to have the funds moved. Harris said she never signed anything to release the funds.
“Somebody took the money, because we don’t know where it went,” Harris said.
She reported her claims to the Illinois Attorney’s General’s office’s Healthcare Bureau and the Evergreen Park Police Department. Harris called the I-Team when she said she wasn’t hearing back from those agencies or the nursing home.
In December, the AG told ABC7, “we have received the complaint, and it is currently being processed.”
Evergreen Park Police said, “our detective division has spoken to the complainant, and they are actively investigating this incident at this time.”
“We reached out to Jason Knowles, from channel 7 news, and when you told me that you sent the email to them, one of my phones rang,” Harris said. “A detective called, a sergeant called from the Evergreen Park Police Department, apologizing that nothing had moved.”
Then, Harris said weeks after inquiries from ABC7 and police, she ended up getting a check from the nursing home for $5,504.
An Administrator of Avantara Evergreen Park said, “Avantara denies the full extent of the allegations, Avantara has offered Dr. Harris reimbursement of $5,504.06 on several different occasions which amounts to the maximum reimbursement that Avantara could possibly be legally obligated to pay in this matter.”
Harris contends she was not offered the money at any other times.
Avantara added that it also fully cooperated with a separate Illinois Department of Health investigation and that it’s “surveyor told Avantara that the amount possibly owed was significantly less than the $5,504.06.”
But Harris said an IDPH investigator also called her. She said that investigator never told her that the amount owed was less than $5,504.
The I-Team also obtained the IDPH report, which said, “the facility failed to ensure one resident’s (R3) money was managed from her monthly portion paid to the facility. The facility collected a balance of $5,504.06 from” the resident’s account, “and did not present an itemized record of services for the amount taken.”
“I haven’t had the ample opportunity to mourn a wonderful person, a woman who impacted my life, and who I love still to this day dearly,” Harris said.
Harris accepted the money, but said, “It’s not over. Yeah, it’s not over by a long shot.”
Harris also said the detective assigned to her case is helping to obtain more financial records from the nursing home, along with that initial document releasing the funds.
If you have a loved one in a nursing home, you should regularly request financial statements. Also, designate one family member as the main point of contact for financial matters.
Mike Bonamarte a managing partner at Levin & Perconti law firm, says you should always request a monthly accounting of your funds from any nursing home. Also, don’t forge to ask for interest accrued and watch for any abnormalities or requests to withdraw funds from your account.
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