Productivity in the Time of Covid-19: Organize Your Unreimbursed Medical Expense Receipts
Many of us are finding ourselves with more time at home during Covid-19 Stay-at-Home Orders. So, no better time for a reminder from your friendly Pennsylvania divorce attorney that you have some work to do. If you currently pay or receive child support, spousal support or alimony pendent lite, now is the time to gather your unreimbursed medical expense receipts from 2019. Many support orders provide for each party to pay a portion of unreimbursed medical expenses such as copays for office visits, medications, orthodontics, dental visits, and sometimes even psychological expenses. To know for sure, take a look at your support order and review the allocation of those expenses. For most people, the party receiving support is responsible for the first $250 of unreimbursed expenses per person covered by the support order per year. After that, the remaining expenses are divided by the percentage indicated in your support order. Once you’ve gathered a list of the expenses and the receipts, many counties have a form that should be used to submit expenses directly to the other party. You can generally find this information by checking the domestic relations website for your specific county.
A copy of the Bucks County unreimbursed medical expense form is here.
Each year, the expenses for the prior year are to be submitted to the other party by no later than March 31st. A question remains if the time to submit 2019 expenses will be extended this year as many other judicial timelines have been extended as a result of coronavirus court closings. But, since the answer remains unclear, don’t wait! Requests for reimbursement and documentation of unreimbursed expenses should be sent directly to the person who owes the payment – they do not need to be sent to the court. When submitting expenses to the other party, you should do so by certified mail so that you have proof that you submitted expenses timely. Some counties will require this, others do not. Even if it is not required, it is a good practice to show proof of mailing. In addition to certified mail, you should also send everything by email and regular mail as additional means of communication. If, after you submit the expenses, you don’t receive reimbursement, you can then seek court intervention. If you have any questions, you should contact your attorney to help you navigate the process.
The information contained in this publication should not be construed as legal advice, is not a substitute for legal counsel, and should not be relied on as such. For legal advice or answers to specific questions, please contact one of our attorneys.