Medicaid fraud is when a person obtains, attempts to obtain or helps another obtain assistance benefits to which the person is not entitled by giving false statements, false representations or by withholding information. For example:
- If you provide false information to the PCA assessor to obtain PCA services you don't need, that is fraud.
- If you sign a time sheet that states a PCA worked 30 hours when he/she only worked 20 hours, that is fraud.
You or your PCA could be held legally responsible for Medicaid fraud. In Minnesota the "theft of public funds" is a felony, no matter the dollar amount. Possible penalties and consequences include:
- Affected immigration status
- Affected applications for other jobs
- Disqualification from working in a Medicaid/Medicare-funded job for five years
- Disqualification from Section VIII housing
- Jail time
- Repayment of money
Recipients/responsible parties verify PCA hours and request payment by signing PCA time sheets.
- Recipients/responsible parties must sign PCA time sheets
- Do not sign blank time cards
- Only sign timecards for time that PCAs have worked
- PCAs cannot be paid when they are traveling to and from your house or if they are "on call" by phone or pager
