Virginia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit Recieves National Award; more than $650 million dollars recovered in FY 2007.
Posted by Zachary Kitts at 5/13/2008 3:13 PM and is filed under Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act,John Brownlee for Attorney General,Qui Tam practice in Virginia 
Yesterday, the Virginia Office of the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) received the "Office of the Inspector General's State Fraud Award." To view the press release, click here.
On a related note, the Virginia Office of the Attorney General announced recently its plans to continue cutting its reliance on General Fund revenues. In the 2008 Executive Budget Document, the OAG confirmed that by utilizing the monies recovered via the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the OAG could continue to slash its budget.
Think about this—the false claims against Virginia Medicaid that the MFCU prosecuted to the tune of $650 million last year are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to overall fraud on the Commonwealth. The Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act could produce similar returns if it was used in other areas the same way it is used to fight fraudulent Medicare claims.
If a new Attorney General were to pursue all false claims with the same dedication as Virginia's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, it would change the Commonwealth's Budget altogether.
For those of you who are new to this blog, you may not be aware that a large chunk of the recoveries in 2007 were due to the efforts of John Brownlee, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. With Mr. Brownlee contemplating a run for Attorney General of Virginia in 2009, the time is just right for a new type of Virginia Attorney General to emerge, and John Brownlee is just the man for the job.
Zachary Kitts
Cook & Kitts, PLLC
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