“I had just started a new job at the local credit union when a member of the HR department informed me that my wages would be getting garnished. She had limited information, just that it was for a medical bill and would be approximately one-third of every paycheck.
I had recently divorced and was adjusting to being a single mother of several children and losing a large chunk of my income would be detrimental. I suspected that the bill sent to collections was for medical care I had received over a decade ago. But my ex-husband had told me that the debt was paid off in 2021 (after having had over $5,000 garnished from his paychecks).
I called the collections agency, and felt panicked as they informed me that the remaining balance was over $17,000. I knew that it would be difficult, but I was hopeful that the collections agency would agree to a reasonable payment plan. Unfortunately, the collectors seemed intent on getting a large down payment, which I couldn’t afford.
With the payment plan no longer an option, I was curious about stopping the collections efforts entirely. I called the CLEAR legal hotline and completed a quick screening. Shortly after, I was in touch with Karen, a Northwest Justice Project (NJP) attorney who was eager to help.
Karen was compassionate and attentive as I gave her all the backstory. She advised me to apply for charity care, a type of grant funding that the hospital should have offered to me during my brief stay in 2011. I applied through the hospital and we contacted the collections agency to pause the garnishment until the hospital decided. Just a few months later, the hospital approved my application. I was overjoyed. We informed the collection agency of the news and I felt a huge weight off my shoulders.
The next step was to request a reimbursement of the funds that the collections agency had garnished from my ex-husband’s paychecks and from mine over the past decade. Waiting for their response was stressful, but I trusted Karen and felt confident that we could reach a good outcome.
In June 2023, Karen called me with great news: the check from the collection agency had arrived! They had reimbursed all but $200 of the total funds garnished over the years. I was once again overjoyed. I signed a court order vacating the default judgment from the collection agency and dismissing the case. I was no longer in debt.
Working with NJP was a great experience. Everyone who I spoke with had good intentions and never made me feel like the situation was my fault. Karen always made time to answer my questions. Honestly, I was not expecting this good of an outcome, and I’m so happy that this type of help exists for anyone facing similar challenges.”