OIG is VA’s crime dog

#Middlebury #Veterans #OIG

Despite COVID and all the restrictions from it, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General has been busy. Here are a few of the scams they’ve uncovered and pursued:

Two men in New Jersey pleaded guilty to paying and soliciting kickbacks and bribery. They roped in telemedicine doctors who faked orders for items such as braces and prescriptions. The thieves then billed Medicare, the Department of Veterans Affairs, TRICARE and other programs while hiding behind fake company owners. The tab to the government when they were caught was approximately $50 million.

In Chicago, two VA prosthetics clerks took cash from vendors after sending business to them for medical equipment. Bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy – this case had it all. The thieves used government purchase cards to place those orders and rented the equipment instead of buying it as the VA doctors had ordered. One of those companies was paid almost $1.4 million.

In Florida, two men were nabbed for much the same thing – soliciting and paying for bribes, then getting kickbacks for ordering medical equipment such as braces that weren’t actually medically necessary. Again, this involved telemedicine. And again, this involved compounded medication prescriptions. The hit to TRICARE, ChampVA and Medicare came to $25 million.

But a final case at a rooming house tugs at the heartstrings. The thief grabbed Social Security and VA benefits that belonged to the mentally ill, disabled, veterans and elderly for their care and housing. There were 35 counts to the indictment, which included wire fraud, document tampering, making false statements, mail fraud and first-degree theft. The thief managed to get herself named as Representative Payee and spent the money on herself instead of on her tenants.

As always, a big thumbs-up to the OIG.

© 2021 King Features Synd., Inc.