Provider of Home Health Care Services Sentenced for Medicaid Fraud

NORFOLK, VA—Janice W. Holland, 42, of Suffolk, Virginia, was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for health care fraud and alteration of records and a mandatory consecutive sentence of 24 months in prison for aggravated identity theft, for a total sentence of 75 months. She was also ordered to pay restitution to the Virginia Medicaid program in the amount of $630,339.30.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli made the announcement after sentencing by Senior United States District Judge Robert G. Doumar.

Holland pled guilty on September 18, 2012. According to court documents, Holland owned and operated A Caring Hand Home Health Care Services Inc., a business located in Suffolk that was authorized to provide respite care to Medicaid recipients. Respite care is designed to provide temporary, substitute care for a Medicaid recipient that is normally provided by the family or another unpaid primary caregiver of the recipient. These services are provided on a short-term basis because of the emergency absence or need for routine or periodic relief of the primary caregiver. Between January 2008 and October 2011, Holland filed approximately 939 false and fraudulent claims with the Virginia Medicaid program, representing that respite care had been provided by her company to 30 Medicaid recipients, when, in fact, no such care had been provided. She filed these claims using, without authority, the recipients’ names, dates of birth,and Medicaid identification numbers. As a result, Holland obtained health care benefit payments in the approximate amount of $630,339.30, to which she was not entitled. She also altered and falsified her office records to conceal and cover up her false billings.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Office of the Virginia Attorney General, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Alan M. Salsbury and Special Assistant United States Attorney David W. Tooker prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.