Mother Passed And Suddenly There's A Lien On Her Estate From Hennepin County For $159k For Pca Services Back In 2015 (location: Minneapolis, Mn)

My mother passed in December and I'm getting her house ready to sell. The estate is in probate (in her will I'm listed as her personal representative but because she owned a house the estate has to go through probate).

This week I got a letter from Estate Recovery Services (part of Dept of Human Services) requesting that I list my mother's assets and then send them a check for all of it other than funeral expenses. I was like, What?? Finally I got through to someone on the phone and was told that my mom received in-home care in 2015. Apparently even though she wasn't on Medical Assistance she qualified under something called "alternative care" because she was elderly. Those services (in this case a PCA) are provided by a third-party, which bills the county; the county pays them and then collects the money from the estate after the person passes.

All that seems fine, but Hennepin County is claiming they're owed $159,000. Which is insane for the amount of care she actually got. It was 2-3 hours a day, 3X a week for maybe a year. The PCA was there to help with chores while she recovered from hip replacement surgery. She hated this guy and accused him of stealing from her before she fired him.

I told the person on the phone that there's no way that should cost $159K and asked for an itemized bill. I'm waiting for that. But what can I do in the meantime? She also had legit liens on the house for a roof paid for by the county and she was in the senior citizen tax deferral program. Between those two and this new (I would say fraudulent) lien, any money from the house is completely gone.

I know my mom didn't realize her estate would have to pay back the money for the so-called PCA. So really I'm posting this for two reasons: 1) looking for advice on how to fight this overcharge, and 2) to warn others: if you or your parent(s) get home health services, make sure you know if it's something you'll need to pay back.

TIA for any advice!

Location: Minneapolis, MN