Is Your Employer Guilty of South Carolina Medicaid Fraud?

Is Your South Carolina Employer or other Medical Provider Guilty of Medicaid Fraud?

South Carolina Medicaid fraud is illegal. South Carolina Medicaid is a government-funded health insurance program for low-income families, elderly, disabled and others in need.

When clinics, hospitals, nurses, doctors, pharmacists or other South Carolina health care professionals cheat Medicaid through false documentation, overbilling, billing for services not provided, kickbacks for referrals or other means, valuable tax dollars are wasted and health care costs increase for everyone.

The government awards whistleblowers with large cash sums for information leading to successful government recovery. Between 1987 and 2013, the federal government recovered $38.9 billion in stolen funds under the federal False Claims Act. Of this amount, $27.2 billion, or 70%, was made possible by whistleblowers, health care professionals and others who reported their inside knowledge of fraud.

Since 2008, the South Carolina Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) has recovered over $62 million and helped win over 90 criminal convictions in health care fraud and abuse cases. In 2015 alone, the South Carolina MFCU recovered nearly $2.7 million in stolen Medicaid funds through civil and criminal actions.

If you have information regarding South Carolina Medicaid Fraud, you could be eligible for a large cash award. Contact the Medicaid Fraud Hotline or fill out the online report form. Timing is everything. You must be the first to report the knowledge to secure your role as whistleblower and be eligible for a cash award. Statutes of limitations may limit your time to file a claim. Call today for a free, immediate and confidential case evaluation.

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Reporting South Carolina Medicaid Fraud

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What Laws Apply to Reporting South Carolina Medicaid Fraud?

The federal False Claims Act (FCA), 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729 - 3733, allows whistleblowers with knowledge of South Carolina Medicaid Fraud to file a “qui-tam” lawsuit on behalf of the federal government. Whistleblowers whose information leads to a successful settlement or verdict are entitled to between 10% and 30% any money recovered. Whistleblowers may also sue for damages in cases of employer retaliation in response to their actions in putting a stop to FCA violations.

Several actions by health care providers can violate the federal FCA, including:

• Submitting false or fraudulent claims for payment or approval
• Making or using false records or statements that result in false claims
• Conspiring to violate the federal FCA
• Off-label marketing of pharmaceuticals
• Paying kickbacks to health care providers in exchange for patient referrals
• Double billing, upcoding or unbundling fees
• Billing for services never provided or for low quality products or services
• Improperly avoiding or decreasing an obligation to pay a debt to the government

Individuals who violate the federal FCA are liable to the United States government for a civil penalty of between $10,781.40 and $21,562.80 per false claim, plus three times the amount of damages sustained by the government and the costs of any civil action brought to recover any such penalty or damages.

South Carolina health care programs depend on YOU to help recover stolen dollars lost to South Carolina Medicaid fraud. When bookkeepers, physicians, EMT’s, nurses, pharmacists and others with inside information report knowledge of fraud, government resources are enhanced and costs of health care are kept in check. Federal law provides whistleblowers with powerful protections and impressive cash incentives to report fraudulent activity. Call today for a free, immediate and confidential case evaluation.

Does South Carolina Law Protect Those Reporting Medicaid Fraud?

Under the federal False Claims Act (FCA), 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729 - 3733, it is illegal for employers to discharge, demote, suspend, threaten, harass or in any other manner discriminate against an employee because of lawful acts done to further an FCA action or stop a violation of the FCA.

Under the federal FCA, whistleblowers who suffer workplace retaliation are entitled to remedies including:

• Job reinstatement with the same seniority status
• Twice the amount of back pay
• Interest on the back pay
• Special damages compensation
• Litigation costs and attorneys' fees

If you have been fired, demoted, harassed or discriminated against for voicing a concern about South Carolina Medicaid Fraud to a manager, supervisor or outside source, you may be eligible to file a claim for damages. Contact the Medicaid Fraud Hotline now to learn your options in a free, confidential and no-obligation consultation.

What Cash Awards Are Available for Reporting South Carolina Medicaid Fraud?

Individuals who are the first to report knowledge of South Carolina Medicaid fraud become eligible for a cash award under the federal False Claims Act (FCA), 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729 – 3733. Because cases of Medicaid fraud can involve millions to billions of dollars, whistleblower cash awards often range in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.

When the government elects to intervene in a whistleblower action, the whistleblower is entitled to between 10% and 25% of the total government recovery from that action. When the government opts not to intervene, the whistleblower may proceed with private counsel and is eligible to collect between 25% and 30% of the total government recovery from that action.

In both scenarios, the whistleblower is also eligible to receive and amount for reasonable costs and attorney fees if the action is settled or the government prevails in the action.

The decision to report South Carolina Medicaid fraud is an important one. You must be the first to report an incident of fraud to be eligible for the whistleblower cash award. In addition, statutes of limitations apply to reporting fraud or filing anti-retaliation actions.

Working together, we can reclaim funds stolen through fraud, waste and abuse in the South Carolina Medicaid program. To report suspected fraud of the South Carolina Medicaid Program, call the Medicaid Fraud Hotline now.

What is the Statute of Limitations on Reporting South Carolina Medicaid Fraud?

Under the federal False Claims Act (FCA), 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729 - 3733, a whistleblower lawsuit must be brought within 6 years after the date on which the violation is committed, or within 3 years after the date when facts material to the right of action are known or reasonably should have been known, and no longer than 10 years after the date on which the violation is committed.

A civil action under the anti-retaliation provisions of the federal FCA must be brought within 3 years of the date the retaliation occurred.

A number of state and federal statutes of limitations may also apply depending on your specific case. If you feel you have knowledge of South Carolina Medicaid fraud, don’t hesitate to contact the Medicaid Fraud Hotline.

If you have information regarding South Carolina Medicaid Fraud, contact the Medicaid Fraud Hotline or fill out the online report form. Remember, you must be FIRST to report the knowledge to secure your role as whistleblower and be eligible for a cash award. Statutes of limitations may apply, so call today.

Over $1 Million in Cash Awards for Tips Leading to Government Recovery