RICHMOND, Va. - Hope In-Home Care, LLC (Hope), a Newport News based provider of Medicaid in-home healthcare services, agreed to settle allegations that it submitted false claims to the Virginia Medicaid Program. Under the terms of the settlement Hope will pay a total of $3,345,065.35 to the United States and Virginia.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Virginia Attorney General’s Office alleged multiple fraudulent schemes by Hope covering almost a three-year period from January 2011 thru September 2013, including: 1) Hope employed and submitted claims for uncertified “personal care aides" who were ineligible to provide services; 2) Hope falsified documents and statements in order to qualify ineligible beneficiaries for services; 3) Hope made false statements in prior authorization requests in order to obtain approval and reimbursement for non-reimbursable “respite services;" 4) Hope engaged in “phantom billing," by billing for services that were not performed; and 5) Hope hired family members of Medicaid beneficiaries as “personal care aides" and submitted ineligible claims for compensation for care provided by those family members. Hope operates facilities in the Newport News - Williamsburg I-64 corridor, Virginia Beach, Warrenton, as well as Gloucester, King William, King and Queen, and Culpeper Counties.
The resolution in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Office of the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, with support from the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services. The matter was investigated by Assistant Attorney General Kimberly Bolton and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McIntosh.
The civil claims settled by this False Claims Act agreement are allegations only; there has been no determination of civil liability. The related criminal case information can be found on the website on PACER by searching for case no. 3:16-cr-110.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
