Former Provider of Home Health Care Services Indicted for Medicaid Fraud

NORFOLK, VA—Janice W. Holland, 41, of Suffolk, Virginia, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of health care fraud, 31 counts of making false statements relating to health care matters, one count of alteration of records, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli made the announcement after the indictment was unsealed following Holland’s arrest. If convicted, Holland faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for health care fraud, five years on each count for making false statements, 20 years for alteration of records, and two years on each count of aggravated identity theft.

According to the indictment, 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. Holland filed approximately 1,100 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 $700,000 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 is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.