#Middlebury #Veterans #Fraud
VETERANS POST
By Freddy Groves
Not all the thefts and fraud the Office of Inspector General (OIG) uncovers run into the millions. But a stolen dollar is a stolen dollar, and the Department of Veterans Affairs OIG will go after it, no matter the size.
Take the perp who stole used precious metals that were supposed to be recycled. This dental tech at a VA facility nabbed the metals and sold them to a third party. He could get 10 years in prison and a possible fine of $250,000 … all for the $17,000 he made passing along stolen metals.
Then there were the 44 doctors, who should have known better, who have to pay back $5.7 million that they netted from a fraudulent self-referral program. The eye and ear clinic broke the law that bars them from referring patients to facilities where they have a vested interest and financial relationship. It’s called the Stark Act, and it keeps physicians from sending their patients to places where they know they’ll get a monetary return, instead of caring more about the patients’ actual health.
Then there was the couple who, for seven years, submitted over 100 fictitious applications claiming that their company was providing services to veterans in need of aid and attendance. Aid and attendance is giving assistance to homebound veterans who need help with everyday basic functions, like eating, bathing and taking medications.
This couple hunted up veterans and surviving spouses and got the needed information, like DD-214s, bank docs and others. Over 70 veterans were approved for funds, and the couple took over $2 million while the veterans themselves got only a portion of that. The couple could get a max of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine … each. As of this writing, their company web information still pushes the aid and attendance angle and describes how they will submit all the documents to the VA.
© 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.
