Certified mail coming from someone I do not know, can I just leave/ignore it at the PO?

[Workinprogress]

I received emaIL notification FROM MY USPS acct of a piece of Certified Mail coming to me from "Value Options Inc" near the Albany NY distribution center. These people appear to be connected to Health Care.

I do not have any connection to this firm, NY or recent healthcare. I am expecting no correspondence from them or any healthcare agency.

I will not be home to sign for it and our carrier will send it to the local Post Office (PO).

Going to the PO to pick it up requires time off work and a fair amount of inconvenience.

I am considering just letting it go back to where it came from.

Any downsides in your mind?

[sailaway]

If this is a billing issue, I would rather clear it up than just ignore it.and have it go to collections where it can be even harder to clear things up.

[insidemoves]

If this is a billing issue, I would rather clear it up than just ignore it.and have it go to collections where it can be even harder to clear things up.

Agree here. Best to “avoid avoiding” and nip in the bud, to avoid: late fees, collections fees, etc, etc.

Even if it’s a mistake (someone shares your name + DoB?), better to clear up early

[adamthesmythe]

Depends on whether it is addressed to me. If addressed to me I would open it. If it turns out to be for someone with the same name (which has happened to me, by the way) then it gets returned to the post office.

[celia]

You don't have to go to the Post Office. (They deliver to your home, don't they?) They will leave you a slip to sign and you can have it left with a neighbor. I think they make 3 delivery attempts.

Or you can go to the PO on Saturday.

[bobn60014]

Even though you may not have had any recent dealings with the sender, with all the mergers in the healthcare field it's entirely possible years ago you may have been a former user of one of their units. Do a search to find the corporate history.

[Thesaints]

Maybe the OP is being served…

[Watty]

If this is a billing issue, I would rather clear it up than just ignore it.and have it go to collections where it can be even harder to clear things up.

+1

It could also be something you would want to know about like a notification about something like a recalled drug, medical device, or if there was a problem with some medical provider like they had a fake medical license.

If you have any estranged relatives it could also be something about them or if you are male someone could have named you as a parent on a birth certificate and you have limited time to dispute it.

[123]

I have received certified mail notifications for mail from my landlord's property management company the same day that I get a copy of the material (annual rent change) through regular mail. After the first time I just ignore the certified mail notifications.

If they want to get in touch with you they can resend the material via regular mail or send someone to your home to hand it to you. So if there is a knock on your door in the middle of the night you can know why.

[privateer79]

The intent of certified mail I think is to prove that they attempted to give/tell you something if it gets to court.

the sender spend ~8-10$ for this service, so its unlikely junk mail.

(maybe its a debt/billing issue, maybe its a lost refund owed to you, maybe its some other legal matter)

it would seem unwise to ignore it.

[Pete12]

Could be related to a health care fraud where someone has received medical treatment using the OPs insurance. If so, I would want to know so it can be cleared up before any unpaid bills go to collections.

[skepticalobserver]

I Googled Value Options, Inc. It is now called Beacon Health Options (https://www.emblemhealth.com/news/value ... th-options). Apparently, they handle insurance for “behavioral health and substance.”

Service of process for civil litigation us often done by Certified Mail, so be careful.

Why not call them on Monday?

[Stinky]

it would seem unwise to ignore it.

+1

[Workinprogress]

Wow! That is a lot of responses.
It looks like the majority say to go get it, so I will.

Our rural route carrier will not ever attempt a second delivery and has been know to leave a note in the mailbox for a parcel rather than leave it.

I had not thought of Saturday, that is a no brainer.

I am convinced this is a waste of my time, but it makes sense to at least make sure it is not the first flake of a snowball.

I will report back in a week with the findings.

[Stinky]

I will report back in a week with the findings.

Boglehead Nation eagerly awaits your update.

Best to you.

[TimeRunner]

This thread reminds me of this one that had many in suspense: viewtopic.php?t=295877

[Pete12]

This thread reminds me of this one that had many in suspense: viewtopic.php?t=295877

I wonder what happened with the safe? Would love to know….

[crefwatch]

You can't make bad things go away by ignoring them. Most children eventually learn that.

[GoldStar]

I don't understand why folks usually jump to a negative conclusion (lawsuit, medical bill dispute, etc.)

This could be a notification that a long lost, perhaps even unknown, relative died and left you millions!

[sailaway]

I don't understand why folks usually jump to a negative conclusion (lawsuit, medical bill dispute, etc.)

This could be a notification that a long lost, perhaps even unknown, relative died and left you millions!

Why would that come from a mental health organization?

[GoldStar]

I don't understand why folks usually jump to a negative conclusion (lawsuit, medical bill dispute, etc.)

This could be a notification that a long lost, perhaps even unknown, relative died and left you millions!

Why would that come from a mental health organization?

I missed where the OP said it was coming from a "mental health organization". All I saw was "appear to be connected to Health Care" and some large law firms connected with health care also settle estates. And "appearances" can be decieving.

Mental Health Org certified mail? That is interesting.

[newbh933]

I don't understand why folks usually jump to a negative conclusion (lawsuit, medical bill dispute, etc.)

This could be a notification that a long lost, perhaps even unknown, relative died and left you millions!

Why would that come from a mental health organization?

Crazy rich uncle?

[Bagels]

I don't understand why folks usually jump to a negative conclusion (lawsuit, medical bill dispute, etc.)

This could be a notification that a long lost, perhaps even unknown, relative died and left you millions!

I like the way you think!

[Stinky]

Why would that come from a mental health organization?

Crazy rich uncle?

That’s the best guess in the thread (so far).

[Epsilon Delta]

Why would that come from a mental health organization?

Crazy rich uncle?

Read carefully, there may be odd conditions on any bequest.

[Nestegg_User]

Crazy rich uncle?

Read carefully, there may be odd conditions on any bequest.

the old "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal labotomy"

AFA mail, it sounds like either somehow someone might have gotten access to your medical info/insurance, possible transcription error (needs to be cleared up), or possible mis-identification of patient and thus improper billing.

In all cases, you need to identify and correct immediately.

[andypanda]

"Carelon Behavioral Health, formerly known as Beacon Health Options, is a behavioral health company based in Boston, Massachusetts.

On Jun. 6, 2019, Anthem, Inc. (now Elevance Health) announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Beacon Health Options.[1] The acquisition was completed on Mar. 2, 2020.[2] Prior to the acquisition, Beacon Health was the largest privately held company of its kind in the United States. The company is the product of a 2014 merger between Beacon Health Strategies, LLC and ValueOptions, Inc.[3] The company rebranded as Carelon Behavioral Health in 2023.[4]"

[Workinprogress]

I am back with the promised report. I wish I could report something beyond the mundane but alas...

The carrier left the notice yesterday, indicating it would be available today at the PO. When I checked the USPS Informed Delivery website, I saw a picture of the letter and it was addressed to my spouse from Carelon.

When I asked her about it, she said she had been an EAP provider for them when they were operating under a different name many many years prior.

She picked it up on the way to her office. It was a notification about a recent Medicare rule change and LMHC providers—basically junk mail for her.

The really odd part of this is that her practice and our home address have absolutely no correlation, so it should never have come here. Almost everything about her life is connected to her business address, so I assumed it was addressed to me when coming here.

Thank you for all of the interesting comments. Now, we can get back to more exciting topics.

[clip651]

Thank you for posting how it turned out! Glad to hear it was nothing to worry about in the end.

[Stinky]

I am back with the promised report. I wish I could report something beyond the mundane but alas...

Mundane is good.

Thanks for the update.

[Longdog]

I was rooting for the crazy rich uncle theory. Kinda disappointed.

[snic]

I was rooting for the crazy rich uncle theory. Kinda disappointed.

There's always next time!

The few times I've gotten certified mail from mystery senders, it's turned out to be some neighbor wanting to get a zoning variance to remodel their house. Seems they're required to send certified mail to all their neighbors telling them when the variance is going to be discussed at the zoning board meeting.

[Jack FFR1846]

I was rooting for the crazy rich uncle theory. Kinda disappointed.

There's always next time!

The few times I've gotten certified mail from mystery senders, it's turned out to be some neighbor wanting to get a zoning variance to remodel their house. Seems they're required to send certified mail to all their neighbors telling them when the variance is going to be discussed at the zoning board meeting.

I used to get these. My neighbor's house was expanded from a "lake house" built at the turn of the century, across the street from the spring fed lake. As such, their house was closer than the 10 foot set back now in town codes. When they wanted to change kitchen cabinets, since the cabinets were within 10 feet of the border, variance and notice to all abutters. I sold them half an acre so they could do stuff without this hassle.