A St. Louis area home care company has agreed to pay more than half a million dollars to settle false claims allegations, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Easter District of Missouri.
 
As part of the agreement, Deer Valley Home Health Services LLC (DVHH) has agreed to repay $534,475 that the United States and the state of Missouri allege was falsely billed to Medicaid from Oct. 1, 2022, to May 31, 2023, a news release notes.
 
DVHH submitted the claims on behalf of a person who began as a contractor and later became an employee. “DVHH should have known that the person was falsely inflating his educational credentials and was claiming that more than 24 hours of service was provided in a single day,” the government states.
 
The employee/contractor claimed to have provided applied behavior analysis therapy including assessments and treatment plans for individuals with behavioral or developmental conditions. The government alleges he was not qualified to perform those services.
 
The employee left the company around May of 2023. DVHH disclosed issues related to his conduct in July of 2023 and cooperated with the investigation. DVHH denies knowing that the employee was submitting false claims.
 
See the full release at https://www.justice.gov.