Senate Health Committee Chair Says Criminal Penalties Should Be Sought
TRENTON – Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee Chairwoman Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, issued the following statement today regarding the Medicaid Inspector General’s report on rampant fraud and abuse at Garden Adult Medical Day Care in Newark, which billed the State for more than $1.8 million in services that were never performed:
“The report issued by the Office of Medicaid Inspector General today reveals rampant fraud and neglect on the part of Garden Adult Medical Day Care, and a system-wide breakdown in the oversight for such facilities at the Department of Health and Senior Services. We need to do much better for State residents in need of Medicaid assistance.
“I urge Attorney General Paula Dow to seek the highest criminal penalties possible for those unscrupulous individuals at Garden Adult Medical Day Care who perpetrated such an egregious fraud on the taxpayers of the State of New Jersey. At the same time, we need to make sure we proceed with any criminal investigations in such a way as not to penalize the good centers that faithfully discharge their duties to their patients.
“Finally, I look forward to working with the Commissioner of Health and my fellow lawmakers to adopt any legislative remedies deemed necessary to avoid a repeat of this unfortunate incident at Garden Adult Medical Day Care. At a time when budget shortfalls jeopardize the legitimate provision of care for people who need it, we have to be vigilant against fraud and abuse which enriches the guilty at the expense of Medicaid recipients with nowhere else to turn.”