AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Terry Crabtree still can’t believe she opened her mailbox and discovered a letter demanding payment for her ex-husband’s medical bills.

“He is not alive, he’s dead,” she exclaimed.

The letter was issued by the Colorado Medical Assistance Estate Recovery Program but didn’t say how much was owed. Crabtree said her home is in her daughter’s name.

“They’re going to take the trailer and all of the furnishings,” she said.

Crabtree thought she may be targeted by a scam. The Problem Solvers checked it out and found the letter to be authentic.

According to Medicaid Estate Recovery guidelines, “under certain conditions, money remaining in a trust after a Medicaid enrollee has passed away may be used to reimburse Medicaid. States may not recover from the estate of a deceased Medicaid enrollee who is survived by a spouse, child under age 21, or blind or disabled child of any age.”

For more information, visit the Medicaid.gov website.

The guidelines also say states are required to establish procedures for waiving estate recovery in situations where that process would cause undue hardship.

The Problem Solvers spoke with officials who say they are contacting Crabtree and personally looking into her case.