Vet bills - "luxury" goods/services?

[Ekop785]

I have had no credit card usage in over 90 days (some cards, more than a year). My cat is having an issue. If I use my CareCredit for a vet bill do I then have to wait 90 more days to file?

Would a vet bill be considered a 'luxury' service since I know the trustee legally considers them 'property' (my cat begs to differ, however )?

[justbroke]

I don't believe that it's a luxury to seek medical care for a pet. Whether or not CareCredit would complain that you charged it is too fact specific. Would you be making payments before filing? When are you going to file? If you're filing shortly, then this is certainly an "eve of bankruptcy" purchase with the knowledge that you're not going to pay the bill.

There's no clear answer on this since it is debtor and fact specific. It's really up to CareCredit, not the Trustee, to care about the purchase of the medical services from the veterinarian.

When are you expecting to file?

[Ekop785]

I am aiming to file by next month (pro se), so the vet charge would definitely be on "eve". I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world if I had to pay it back - I just don't want my case thrown out due to making a charge so close to filing.

[justbroke]

It may come down to the total expenditure. If it's thousands I would expect some complaint. I couldn't guess whether it's $1,000, $2,000 or $4,000+ that will trigger Care Credit (Synchrony Bank) complaining about the discharge of that debt. The case wouldn't be thrown out, but Synchrony could certainly seek that the Care Credit debt is changed to non-dischargeable and you'd be responsible for that debt until it's paid.

You're in Florida so check to see if there's a Pro Bono clinic in your court. I know that the Middle District has them in Orlando and Tampa (and maybe Jacksonville). I don't know about the status of Pro Bono clinics in Miami (Southern District) or Tallahassee (Northern District). You may also consider a couple of "free" consults and see what they say when you pose that question.

[despritfreya]

What is the worst thing that could happen? You have to pay the bill.

If it comes down to it, you agree to pay the credit card as per the contract terms, or you settle for a lump sum payment for something less. Take care of your beloved family member.

Des.

[Ekop785]

Absolutely - I would forego food for myself before I would compromise my pets care. I just read so much about the 90 day eve being the Kiss of Death and not to charge stuff during that time, I got worried, especially since pets are considered property (which is absurd). I think any person or creature getting care from a doctor should not be deemed 'property'. But I digress....

It will be around 1K, not the end of the world (a mass in her ear that needs removal).

[justbroke]

There's no judge that would not agree with you and I that they are not per se property, but the current laws treat all animals, domesticated or not, as such. When we're able to claim our furry friends on our tax returns as dependents, that's when the law would have started to treat them more than mere property. Until that happens, it is what it is.

The 90 days are not the kiss of death. It is simply a presumption. A creditor, or the United States Trustee, has to take an action on that presumption. People are told not to charge things within the 90 days because that means that those charges are presumed to have been made during a period of insolvency. When I first filed, I thought that I could keep a couple of cards. I charged on my gasoline credit card days before filing and for nearly 2 weeks before they shut it off. I had no clue. Nothing came of it. The charges were discharged.

It's always best to attempt to make payments on any debt. That looks better in the long run that you made an effort to repay your creditors. Since this is a relatively small amount, take care of your furry friend. The worse case, as Des wrote, is that you are required to pay that creditor back in full (usually under the normal terms of the credit agreement with monthly payments). I'm not sure that I would hesitate to charge $1,000 on Care Credit on the eve of bankruptcy for the care and health of my furry friend.

[Barbisi]

Ekop 785,
Good luck on your kitty's ear surgery -I hope it's not cancerous, just benign!
We had to spend around 1k of our emergency fund for our terminally ill eighteen and a half year old former feral and our sassy little Ragdoll/Persian's elbow sprain in the last month. The feral joined her human Mama in heaven while the pudgy princess is back to being perky again!
I agree with your sentiment of putting your beloved pet before fear of the creditors and BK court - they are not property ,they are our family members -in fact my Turkish Angora is my little baby, although he's almost 5!

[Ekop785]

Thank you, Barbisi, and I am very sorry to hear about your feral, but as you said - she is with her Mama now. I am glad your Ragdoll is doing well! Yes, they are our babies and I do wish we could claim them as dependents! Heck, I would be happy to just be able to write of cat litter costs, lol! I have 3 black cats and 1 semi-feral tabby.

I will let you know how her surgery goes and thank you for everyone's support here! BK is one of life's top stressors and this site is wonderful!

[Barbisi]

Thank you, Barbisi, and I am very sorry to hear about your feral, but as you said - she is with her Mama now. I am glad your Ragdoll is doing well! Yes, they are our babies and I do wish we could claim them as dependents! Heck, I would be happy to just be able to write of cat litter costs, lol! I have 3 black cats and 1 semi-feral tabby.

I will let you know how her surgery goes and thank you for everyone's support here! BK is one of life's top stressors and this site is wonderful!

You're doing better than us, Ekop 785 -you still have four furbabies, we're down to three with the loss of our old feral (who started out as my "sister" but became my "daughter" when my mother died in 2016.)
Our TA is black and our Alpha Wegie - Hog is a tuxedo .Our little Ragdoll mix is taupe/ seal point and all three, Thank God, are still under 5 years old.
Yes, I would gladly claim them all as dependents were it only allowed.

[Ekop785]

Barbisi, clearly you love and care for your furbabies and you are doing a wonderful job. Don't beat yourself up, stuff happens despite being a wonderful pet parent. Give your little angels hugs for me :-)