Family Fights 3 Years To Get Refund From North Texas Nursing Home After Parents Pass Away
CARROLLTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - When a loved one dies, tying up their affairs can be heart-wrenching and exhausting.
But one North Texas family says they've been fighting a nursing home since before their parents passed away.
After years of frustration, they turned to The Ones For Justice.
Stanley and Florence Arden were always by each other's side.
Later in life, they lived at the same nursing home, Remarkable Healthcare in Carrollton. After 63 years of marriage, the couple died two days apart.
"[Dad] passed, saw it was OK, go and got mom and said, 'Okay, let's go,'" said Steve Arden, the couple's eldest son. "I believe that, I really do."
Stanley and Florence Arden passed away three years ago.
But instead of moving forward, their children found themselves stuck.
"When they keep throwing this back, it opens the memories and the scars of what happened in the past, losing your parents all over again," said Steve Arden.
The Arden family paid Remarkable more than $6,600, which was a downpayment for both Stanley and Florence in case Medicaid did not cover their care. But it did.
Since then, the Ardens have been fighting to get that money back.
"It's like when you talk to them, it's a carrot. 'We're gonna get back with you, we owe you the money, here's a bill that says we owe you,' then it goes dormant for three months," said their younger son, Craig Arden.
The Ardens said they've even tried forgetting about the mishap. But just when they think they've moved on, they receive invoices that prove Remarkable, in fact, owes them money.
"When somebody throws something in your face like that, you kind of get angry," said Steve Arden.
More than the money, Steve and Craig Arden want closure. Now they're waging a battle they know would make their mother proud.
"Mom would get into their wheelchair and roll into their business office and say, 'Where's my money?'" said Craig Arden.
"My mom would be all over it," said Steve Arden. "She'd be banging on their door, she'd be raising all kinds of heck."
Just days after The Ones for Justice contacted Remarkable, the company agreed to issue the Ardens their refund of $5,979.50.
When asked about the hold up, CEO Jon McPike pointed to a delayed insurance payment and the fact that Remarkable had filed for bankruptcy. But without a doubt, he acknowledged that money belongs to the Ardens.
