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Update from Washington State on the Washington State False Claims Act

Virginia Qui Tam Law.com -- The first blog dedicated to the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act and to Qui Tam Litigation in Virginia

 

 

 

 

 

Washington State False Claims Act

Things seemed remarkably silent on the state legislative front this year — until yesterday, that is, when fellow qui tam/FCA lawyer in Jeff Sprung was kind of enough to send me an update from Seattle (or rather from Spokane).

Jeff has been fighting the good fight out in Washington State for at least the past three years, but it seems like the legislation might have legs this year.  The State Senate passed a Medicaid-only FCA bill out of committee this week, and the State House committee appears to be poised to do so soon.

Sources in WA also indicate that the legislators are interested in a Medicaid only FCA law — and only in a Medicaid only law.

Regular readers have heard this before — I am not sure why a state would want to pass a Medicaid- only statute.  Washington state of all places should understand the need for a full false claims act — after all, in 2009, they settled a foreign exchange case for pocket change because they didn’t have a state false claims act….

But I’ll leave it to the legislators in WA to explain to the school teachers, police officers, fire fighters, and other public servants whose pension funds were defrauded why they have no recourse….

At any rate, all taxpayers of the great State of Washington owe Jeff for his hard work on this project over the past couple of years — and Jeff my hat is off to you.  Keep up the good work.

 

K&G Law Group is a boutique-style law firm based in Nothern Virginia and practicing nationwide