Bankruptcy Services
In 2005, the U.S. Congress passed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention Act that requires some new procedures for consumers filing for bankruptcy protection. This includes completion of a credit counseling session prior to filing as well as an education class prior to the case receiving a discharge. These sessions are designed to provide individuals the resources and knowledge to regain financial control and avoid financial crises in the future.
As an approved provider of these services for West Virginia only, CCCS will guide you through this process with compassion and sound advice.
CCCS Pre-Filing Bankruptcy Counseling: FIRST STEP
By law, you must complete pre-filing bankruptcy counseling within 180 days before you file bankruptcy. As part of this 60-90 minute session, a CCCS counselor will evaluate your personal financial situation, discuss alternatives to bankruptcy, and help you create a personal budget plan that meets your resources and needs.
This counseling is offered by:
• Telephone: call 800-281-5969 to schedule appointment. Once scheduled our counselor will call you for the appointment. You may wish to complete an online counseling form to expedite the process. Upon submission of the form you will be sent an email advising you to call our office to schedule a phone session. Because we will have the majority of your information, the amount of time you will be on the phone with the counselor will generally be reduced. If you are filing jointly with your spouse, you will both be required to be on the line for the counseling session.
• In Person: call 800-281-5969 or any of our local offices to schedule your face to face counseling session. If you are filing jointly with your spouse, you will both be required to be in attendance at the counseling session.
• Internet: You can now fill out our online counseling form and have your information reviewed by a certified counselor. In most cases you will be contacted by email by a certified counselor no later than the following business day of submission of your online form to let you know it was received and that arrangements for the fee will need to be made. Your counselor will contact you by email with any questions they may have pertaining to the information that you submitted or if they need any further information regarding your situation, so that they can complete the counseling session. The more information you provide to us, the less questions the counselor may have, so please fill out all requested fields in the online form. If we do not get a response from you regarding any questions that the counselor may have, the counselor will try and contact you by phone during the time you state is best for you on the online form. Once all questions are answered and counselor completes their review, you session will be considered complete. Once your counseling session has been completed, your certificate will be issued to you within one business day. Click here to begin the online counseling.
You will need to provide our office with a copy of your photo ID, verification of your income, and a money order for the appropriate fee. We currently charge up to $50 per person for our pre-filing counseling session (money order or debit card only. NO CASH OR CHECK). However you will want to call our office before sending any fee because we generally charge a lesser fee if we have a grant or other resources to help cover the cost of the session. In limited circumstances, based on your household income and size, your fee may be waived entirely. Upon completion of the counseling session and receipt of the any verifications that we need, your certificate will be issued to you.
CCCS Pre-Discharge Bankruptcy Education: SECOND STEP
By law, before your bankruptcy case can be discharged—which means debts are considered satisfied—you must complete pre-discharge bankruptcy education. The course lasts about two hours and covers a variety of topics including:
• Setting realistic financial goals
• Information on your credit report
• Obtaining or re-establishing credit
• Managing budgets
• And more
This course must be completed within 45 days of your scheduled meeting of creditors. If it is not completed you may get your case dismissed. A dismissal means that you will have to start all over and will have to pay additional fees to your attorney and the courts. You want to avoid this by calling our office as soon as you receive your bankruptcy case number.
There are three ways to complete this course:
· Internet: call 800-281-5969 to schedule and get your unique id and password issued to you. Needed forms will be emailed to you with your id and password. Already registered? Click Here
· Telephone: call 800-281-5969 to schedule a telephone course and have course materials mailed to you along with access code for conference call
· In Person: call 800-281-5969 or any of our local offices to schedule your in-person course.
Bankruptcy Case Number will be required in order for you to be scheduled. This can be found on your Notice of Filing issued to you by the court. Verification of your case number will also need to be provided to our office so don’t lose it.
Required forms and payment of the appropriate fee will need to be received by our office before certificate is issued and released. We currently charge up to $50 per person for our pre-filing counseling session (money order or debit card only. NO CASH OR CHECK). However you will want to call our office before sending any fee because we generally charge a lesser fee if we have a grant or other resources to help cover the cost of the session. In limited circumstances, based on your household income and size, your fee may be waived entirely.
All certificates for Pre-Filing Counseling and for Pre-Discharge Bankruptcy Education are given to you, the debtor. Our only responsibility is to provide you with the required certificate. Not your attorney. However, if you provide us with your attorneys email address we may email the certificate to your attorney. If you file on your own, the court house will not accept emailed or faxed certificates. You will be required to take it to them directly.
CCCS has been “Approved to issue certificates in compliance with the Bankruptcy Code.
Approval does not endorse the quality of an Agency’s Services.”
