Am I legally responsible for my brother's bill?

The fact that you were authorized to act for your brother in his advance directive does not make you personally responsible for his debts. About the only way you would See also:
How do I gain access to my parent's medical records without a durable power of attorney?

See all 566 questions about Legal & Finances be responsible is if you signed on as your brother's personal guarantor when he entered the nursing home. From what you’ve explained, that doesn’t sound as if it fits your situation, but you would still be wise to get a copy of the nursing home contract and check out whether you expressly took on this obligation.

The truth is that people and institutions owed money will often look to any possible pocket for payment. But the fact that they ask—and even make those veiled threats about your account being SERIOUSLY PAST DUE doesn’t mean you are legally responsible to pay them. If the nursing home appears to be hectoring you needlessly, there are a number of routes you can take to attempt to resolve the situation.

* Contact the facility administrator. Put your specific complaint in writing to the facility administrator and ask for a written response—giving him or her a fair chance to address your concerns.
* Contact an ombudsman. Every nursing facility is assigned an ombudsman—a person outside the facility and not associated with the company who is responsible for investigating complaints, reporting allegations of abuse, and helping residents and family members solve problems through mediation.
* Contact an advocacy organization. A number of local organizations can offer you a seasoned and impartial assessment of whether your particular complaint needs action, along with specific help on how to get it. Consult the National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform for local contacts.
* Contact the state regulatory agency. If communicating with the nursing facility and the local Ombudsman Office does not resolve the problem, consider filing a complaint with state licensing authorities.

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