Jimmy Ho’s family was not only left to mourn his loss, but they still have yet received his death certificate nearly three months after his death.
The family is now getting answers after reaching out to KPRC 2.
Angela Ho Beane said her father, who lived in Brenham, passed away just before his 70th birthday in March.
“My dad was the patriarch, and he passed very suddenly,” Beane said.
In May, she learned her father’s cause of death was ruled as a heart attack. Beane said there was a chance he had COVID-19 at the time of his passing. To obtain FEMA benefits, she said the family had to wait to receive one more test result before obtaining the death certificate. However, they learned there was a hold up with the sample being finalized. This prevented Ho’s family from obtaining his life insurance and other benefits.
“The bills keep coming, and it doesn’t mean, you know, life does not stop just because one person passes,” said Beane.
KPRC 2 reporter Corley Peel spoke with Tami Frazier, who is the Communication and Public Information Manager for Fort Bend County Judge, KP George.
Frazier said there was a change in the vendor that does the testing, because the specific swab test was no longer being offered. The county had to find another vendor. She said the contract with the new vendor has been approved, but they are waiting on the vendor to sign off.
Pathologist, Dr. Erik Handberg said he has not received a final answer on when the contract will be complete. He said there are under a dozen other samples still waiting for their results.
The judge’s office said the Medical Examiner is now in the process of sending letters to Ho’s family’s insurance companies so they can receive his life insurance and other benefits while they wait for the test results to come in.