JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Today, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that the U.S. Office of the Inspector General (OIG) awarded Missouri’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit with the Inspector General’s Award for Excellence in Fighting Fraud, Waste and Abuse as a result of the Unit’s performance in 2023. The Unit had especially high case outcomes for its size of 19 total staff, who were responsible for obtaining 52 indictments, 23 convictions, and the recovery of over $10 million in restitution orders and settlements.
“I am extremely proud of the critical work our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit puts in every day to hold wrongdoers accountable,” said Attorney General Bailey. “Missourians should rest assured that our office is working around the clock to obtain justice for victims and to protect the integrity of their taxpayer dollars. I am proud of the success the Unit has had for Missouri, and I am excited to see what they will achieve moving forward.”
Missouri’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit was recognized as a model organization both within OIG and across the wider Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and Medicaid program integrity community.
The Unit collaborated with both federal and local partners in a multi-year investigation of a Missouri-based residential treatment facility for foster care children, resulting in a civil settlement of more than $1.8 million and an agreement by the provider to implement a compliance and ethics program.
The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Missouri Attorney General’s Office investigates allegations of fraud committed by Medicaid providers and will prosecute allegations of abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation in Medicaid funded facilities. The Unit is comprised of prosecutors, investigators, and support staff. It receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $2,950,428 for Federal fiscal year 2023. The remaining 25%, totaling $986,135 for FY 2023, is funded by the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.