A man who is accused of abusing the Tennessee Medicaid system is now in custody, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI).
“An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Medicaid Fraud Control Division into fraudulent TennCare time sheets has resulted in the arrest of a TennCare recipient in Bethel Springs,” the TBI said.
The investigation began in July, when TennCare’s Office of Program Integrity tipped TBI off to a potential case of fraud.
“TBI agents began an investigation into fraudulent time sheets submitted for in-home care services for a TennCare recipient,” according to the state law enforcement agency. “During the investigation, it was determined the TennCare recipient, James Ray Britt, was responsible for submitting the time sheets. Between May and June 2021, Britt is believed to have fraudulently approved time sheets for his caregiver who was incarcerated at the time, resulting in improper payments.”
A warrant was issued for Britt’s arrest, and he was taken into custody a day later.
He was booked into the McNairy County Jail and charged with TennCare Fraud and Violation of the Tennessee Medicaid False Claims Act. His bond is $10,000.
TBI says the investigation is ongoing.
In August, one of Tennessee’s Most Wanted was taken into custody on similar charges, as reported by The Tennessee Star.
Lindsey Horner, considered the “most wanted” person for TennCare fraud, was arrested Friday, according to a press release by the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration (F&A).
The Tennessee Office of Inspector General (OIG), in a joint effort with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, announced that the 39-year-old Big Sandy, Tennessee, [woman] was charged with TennCare fraud and theft of services. The TennCare fraud charge is a class D felony, and the theft of services charge is a class C felony, the press release notes.
“This arrest is significant, because Ms. Horner was classified as one of our ‘most wanted’ because we weren’t able to locate her for more than a year,” Inspector General Chad Holman said at the time. “Everyone at the OIG is grateful for our partners in local law enforcement agencies who assist us in locating people who are being sought for TennCare fraud.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Is billing for two office visits and a lab test when only one office visit actually happened fraud? Apparently not. One Health care provider improperly billed Tenn Care over 7 million dollars and was given a pass. No fines, no legal action, It would appear that they were allowed to repay the amount over an extended period of time (years) rather than remit the amount within 90 days as required by law. The rules only apply to those who choose to follow them. By force or by choice.