Bankruptcy

What stage are you at with your bankruptcy?

Consumer Credit Counseling Service, Inc. (CCCS) is an approved counseling and education agency for the U.S. Trustee program to issue certificates for both bankruptcy pre-filing counseling and pre-discharge debtor education. We are approved to issue certificates in compliance with the bankruptcy code. Approval does not endorse or assure the quality of an agency’s services.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) is a non-profit agency that provides financial counseling and education services. The credit counselors employed by CCCS have been trained and certified by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), and complete continuing education on a yearly basis.

  • CCCS will provide a budget analysis that will examine your financial situation and we will provide you options for resolving your debt. Counselors will provide information about bankruptcy, including its process, the possible credit consequences, and your alternatives to filing for bankruptcy. The financial counseling session we will provide you has no effect on your credit report or credit score.
  • Clients with limited English proficiency will need to notify CCCS of the need for a translator, which will be provided free of charge.
  • The cost for a Pre-Filing Bankruptcy Counseling Session is $50 for an appointment in person or over the phone. This service is also offered over the internet and costs $50 because a phone call follow-up with a counselor is required after completing the online portion. These fees apply to both those who are filing alone and to those filing jointly. This fee is used to cover the cost of the class, and no additional fee is charged for the creation of your certificate. If you pay online, PayPal may choose to charge a fee for their service on top of CCCS fees.
  • CCCS waives fees for those whose household meets the low-income guidelines as established by the Department of Health and Human Services (income at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty guidelines for household size).
  • You will only receive a certificate of counseling if you complete the pre-filing counseling session. Upon completion of the counseling, CCCS has the obligation to promptly provide a certificate of counseling. If you have not received your certificate via email within 3 business days of completion, please contact our office at 316-265-2000.
  • If requested, CCCS may also provide your attorney and/or bankruptcy judge/trustee with copies of the certificate, as well as any other required information gathered during the counseling session. In the absence of such a request, you, and not CCCS, are responsible for providing a copy of the certificate of completion to your attorney and/or the court. Bankruptcy certificates are valid for 180 days from the date the counseling is completed.
  • Filing for bankruptcy may result in a lowered credit score. Bankruptcy will not improve your credit score and will appear on your credit report for up to 10 years. Please contact an attorney for more legal ramifications of filing Bankruptcy. CCCS employees are not attorneys.
  • CCCS may also offer you a Debt Management Plan (DMP) as an alternative to bankruptcy, where you have the right to negotiate an alternative payment schedule with regard to each unsecured consumer debt under terms set forth in 11 U.S.C 502(k). CCCS has no responsibility for any past, present, or future credit rating you receive; in a few certain circumstances, a DMP may affect your credit rating negatively. Your credit score might lower as a result of closing the accounts that are added to the plan, as a result of not paying the full amount owed on your accounts, or as a result of a late or missed payment once your DMP is in effect.
  • Employees of CCCS are not allowed to accept or make payments in exchange for referrals. However, a significant portion of funding for this agency comes from voluntary contributions from creditors who participate in DMPs under fair share agreements, due to their interest in having consumer debts repaid. As a non-profit agency, CCCS also receives funding through grants and donations, from agencies such as United Way of the Plains and the Office of the State Bank Commissioner of Kansas.
  • CCCS might disclose client information to the United States Trustee (EOUST) in connection with the United States Trustee's oversight of the agency, or during the investigation of complaints, during on-site visits, or during quality of service reviews.
  • The EOUST has reviewed only the agency's counseling and instructional services in regard to bankruptcy and has not reviewed or approved any other services that this agency provides.

 

Pre-Filing Counseling

Before a person can file bankruptcy they must go through pre-filing counseling session with an approved agency. This requirement was brought forth in the 2005 Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act. The purpose of the counseling is to have a certified counselor help you take an in depth look at your financial situation and develop options and solutions for your future. Our counselors will give you a full analysis of your financial state and help you develop an action plan and goals for your future. Many things in life take us by surprise and turn our lives upside down, at CCCS we want to help you make the best choice and help you move forward no matter which route in life you take.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) is a non-profit agency that provides financial counseling and education services. CCCS is organized and operates in accordance with Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. CCCS receives funding in the form of grants from banks and other financial institutions that support financial counseling and education. We do not pay or receive fees or other compensation for referrals of debtors to our agency.

The credit counselors employed by CCCS have been trained and certified by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), and complete continuing education on a yearly basis.

  • Clients with limited English proficiency will need to notify CCCS of the need for a translator, which will be provided free of charge. 
  • To help cover the cost of providing the Pre-Discharge education, this agency charges a fee of $40 for in person, phone, or on-line education. These fees apply to both those who are filing alone and to those filing jointly. This fee is used to cover the cost of the class, and no additional fee is charged for the creation of your certificate. If you pay online, PayPal may choose to charge a fee for their service on top of CCCS fees.
  • CCCS waives fees for those whose household meets the low-income guidelines as established by the Department of Health and Human Services (income at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty guidelines for household size). 
  • You will only receive a certificate of debtor education if the you complete the Bankruptcy Pre-Discharge (Bankruptcy Education) course. Upon your completion of the course, CCCS has the obligation to promptly provide a certificate of course completion to you. If you have not received your certificate via email within 3 business days of completion, please contact our office at 316-265-2000.
  • If requested, CCCS may also provide your attorney and /or bankruptcy judge/trustee with copies of the certificate, as well as any other required information related to the Pre-Discharge course. In the absence of such a request, you, and not CCCS, are responsible for providing a copy of the certificate of completion to your attorney and/or the court.
  • Filing for bankruptcy may result in a lowered credit score. Bankruptcy will not improve your credit score and will appear on your credit report for up to 10 years. Please contact an attorney for more legal ramifications of filing Bankruptcy. CCCS employees are not attorneys.
  • Employees of CCCS are not allowed to accept or make payments in exchange for referrals. However, a significant portion of funding for this agency comes from voluntary contributions from creditors who participate in DMPs under fair share agreements, due to their interest in having consumer debts repaid. As a non-profit agency, CCCS also receives funding through grants and donations, from agencies such as United Way of the Plains and the Office of the State Bank Commissioner of Kansas. 
  • CCCS might disclose client information to the United States Trustee (EOUST) in connection with the United States Trustee’s oversight of the agency, or during the investigation of complaints, during on-site visits, or during quality of service reviews. 
  • The EOUST has reviewed only the agency’s counseling and instructional services in regard to bankruptcy and has not reviewed or approved any other services that this agency provides. 

Pre-Discharge Education

If you have already filed your bankruptcy and have a case number then you are ready for the pre-discharge debtor education course. This course is a mandatory minimum two hour class and must be completed before your bankruptcy can be discharged. The education course was put into place to help give those filing some new financial tools and advice to help them start over financially. The course will help you focus on establishing new goals, building a new spending plan and learning how to restore and rebuild your credit.

**Approved to issue certificates evidencing completion of credit counseling or a personal financial management instructional course in compliance with the Bankruptcy Code. Approval does not endorse or assure the quality of an Agency’s or Provider’s services.