A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

VA Seeks Federal Funds for Prosecuting Abuse of Medicaid Patients

State Attorney General Mark Herring (D-VA)
official photo
State Attorney General Mark Herring (D-VA)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia's attorney general is calling on federal officials to let the states use federal funds to target more cases of abuse and neglect committed against Medicaid beneficiaries.

Attorney General Mark Herring was among more than three dozen attorneys general who requested the policy change in a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.

Herring's office says Medicaid Fraud Control Units are currently only allowed to investigate and prosecute abuse and neglect cases that happen in connection with Medicaid-funded services, like nursing homes.

Herring and the other attorneys general want to be able to use federal funds to prosecute abuse and neglect of Medicaid patients in non-institutional settings, like home health care.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.