Settle Debt With CKMS

Legal Expert
Sarah Edwards, BS

Sarah Harris is a professional researcher and writer specializing in legal content. An Emerson College alumna, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the prestigious Boston institution.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: Central Kentucky Management Services (CKMS) provides medical debt collection services within the University of Kentucky system. If you’ve received notice about a debt lawsuit, your best option is to use SoloSuit to file an Answer with the court. Then, start the process of negotiating a settlement to resolve your debt quickly.

Medical debt can be complex, as it involves you, your healthcare provider, and your insurance company. Left unpaid, it can also involve calls from organizations like CKMS. If you’ve received phone calls from Central Kentucky Management Services (CKMS), don’t ignore them. Instead, use the following guide to resolve your debt.

What is CKMS?

Central Kentucky Management Services (CKMS) in Lexington, KY, is an organization that focuses on collecting medical debt for the University of Kentucky and its related corporations, including the hospital system. If you’ve been contacted by someone representing CKMS, it’s likely about unpaid medical debt.

Is CKMS legitimate?

At first glance, CKMS might seem suspicious. It is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau, and its Google Business Profile doesn’t link to a website but to a third-party marketing page.

However, CKMS is a legitimate corporation affiliated with the University of Kentucky, and prior financial reports from CKMS can be found on the school’s website.

CKMS has a smaller record of consumer complaints than most debt collectors, with only one complaint listed with the Better Business Bureau as of October 2023, along with a complaint listed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). One complaint alleges that CKMS declined to validate a debt, which is why it’s important to understand your rights when dealing with anyone who is pursuing you for debt.

Should you need to contact CKMS, you may reach it by phone at 859-276-1561 or by mail at 2317 Alumni Park Plaza #200, Lexington, KY 40517.

Don’t be intimidated by debt collectors like CKMS

Did you know that you have rights that protect you from aggressive debt collection practices? The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) prohibits debt collectors from practices such as:

Failing to identify themselves as a debt collector.
Contacting you prior to 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
Calling you several times per day.
Telling your friends, family members, or coworkers about your debt.
Using offensive, vulgar, or intimidating language.
Threatening to arrest you for not paying your debt.
Contacting you after receiving a Cease and Desist Letter.
Refusing to validate your debt.

If a representative from CKMS violates any of these terms, you can report them to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) using the FTC website or by calling 877-382-4357. Or, you can report them to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau through the CFPB’s website or by calling 855-411-2372.

Resolve your debt with CKMS in 4 steps

Your debt isn’t going away on its own. In fact, if you ignore it long enough, you could find yourself facing a debt collection lawsuit. When this happens, you need to act fast. Here’s how to resolve your debt with CKMS.

You can also check out this short video to learn how to respond to a debt collection lawsuit.

1. Respond to a lawsuit as soon as possible

When you’re facing a lawsuit, time is not on your side. In some jurisdictions, you have as little as two weeks to respond to the lawsuit. Failing to do so can result in a default judgment against you, which shatters any chances of negotiating a settlement agreement.

To respond to a lawsuit, you’ll need to file an Answer with the court. If you’re not sure where to begin, SoloSuit can guide you through the process of drafting an Answer, and we can even file it for you.

Start using SoloSuit to quickly draft an Answer and file it with the court.

2. Verify that the debt is yours

Filing an Answer can often buy you time to verify that the debt is actually yours. This can be especially important when handling medical debt since you may need to determine where your insurance provider’s responsibility stops and yours begins.

Request that CKMS send you a Debt Validation Letter. This letter will provide you with proof of:

The exact source of your debt (e.g., which medical facility).
The date you incurred the debt.
Proof that you are responsible for the debt.
Your payment history (if applicable).
The age of the debt.

Don’t proceed further until you determine that the debt is legitimately yours.

3. Negotiate a lower settlement

Remember: Debt collectors and creditors are usually eager to settle your debt to avoid a legal battle, so remain committed to negotiating a settlement that works for you.

SoloSettle makes it easy to agree on a settlement and resolve debt out of court. Through SoloSettle, you might start by offering to pay 60% of your original debt. CKMS may reject this offer, but it may present a counteroffer, which you can accept or reject. All negotiations stay within the SoloSettle app, and you never have to speak to a debt collector directly.

Let’s look at an example.

Example: Carlos had been in the hospital following a routine operation. His insurance provider covered the bill, though only up to a certain percentage. Carlos didn’t fully understand where his responsibility began until a representative from CKMS contacted him to notify him about his debt. Things soon escalated into a full-blown lawsuit. Thankfully, Carlos acted fast, using SoloSuit to file an Answer with the court, which bought him the time he needed to verify that the debt was his. From there, Carlos used SoloSettle to offer to pay 60% of his remaining medical bills. CKMS declined but agreed to a settlement of 65% of the original amount. Carlos accepted, and he is now working to repay the debt and move on with life.

Start your own journey by using SoloSettle to negotiate a lower settlement.

4. Document your settlement agreement

Once you and CKMS reach a settlement number, SoloSettle helps you obtain a written settlement agreement that includes the settlement amount and the date of the agreement. Likewise, save any written correspondence (including email) with CKMS to further document the settlement process.

Settle with SoloSettle

Make an Offer

Start rebuilding your credit

Negotiating a settlement might not be great for your credit score. Then again, neither is unresolved debt. For most people, the wisest bet is to settle your debt for less than what you owe and then work toward rebuilding your credit.

What is SoloSuit?

SoloSuit can help you respond to debt collectors at any stage of the debt collections process.

Our software can help you draft legal documents to respond to debt collectors when they come knocking. These documents, including a Debt Validation Letter, Debt Answer, and more, can help you stand up for your rights and get collectors off your back.

SoloSuit's Answer service is a step-by-step web-app that asks you all the necessary questions to complete your Answer. Upon completion, we'll have an attorney review your document and we'll file it for you.

>>Read the FastCompany article: Debt Lawsuits Are Complicated: This Website Makes Them Simpler To Navigate

>>Read the NPR story on SoloSuit. (We can help you in all 50 states.)

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