Press Releases
12/05/2024
Attorney General Tong Announces $361,520 False Claims Settlement with Home Care VNA
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong and Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut today announced that Home Care VNA LLC and its current and former owners, Shakira Lubega and Constant Ogutt have entered into a civil settlement agreement with the federal and state governments in which they will pay $361,520 to resolve allegations that they were paid for home health care services that violated Medicaid regulations relating to plans of care.Home Care VNA is a home health agency with offices located at 330 Main Street in Hartford. Lubega is the current owner of Home Care VNA and Ogutt is a former, part owner. Lubega and Ogutt are married.
The Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies expressly require, as a condition of payment for home health care services, that each patient has a plan of care, the plan of care is signed by a licensed practitioner, the plan of care is signed within 21 days after the episode of care begins, and a new or modified plan of care is reviewed, revised, and signed every 60 days.
The United States and the State of Connecticut contend that Home Care VNA, Lubega, and Ogutt submitted or caused to be submitted claims for reimbursement to Connecticut Medicaid for home health care services for patients who had unsigned plans of care or had no plans of care at all.
To resolve the governments’ False Claims Act allegations, Home Care VNA, Lubega, and Ogutt have agreed to pay $361,520, which covers the time-period from August 1, 2018, through March 26, 2020.
“Approved care plans ensure that patients receive, and Medicaid covers, appropriate and necessary care. As a licensed Medicaid provider, Home Care VNA was required to know and follow these basic rules. We will continue to act in coordination with our federal and state partners to protect our public healthcare investments,” said Attorney General Tong.
In 2022, Home Care VNA, Lubega, and Ogutt paid $630,000 to resolve Medicaid fraud allegations in Massachusetts.
Anyone with knowledge of suspected fraud or abuse in the public healthcare system is asked to contact the Attorney General’s Government Fraud Section at 860-808-5040 or by email at ag.fraud@ct.gov; the Connecticut Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at 860-258-5986 or by email at conndcj@ct.gov; or the Connecticut Department of Social Services fraud reporting hotline at 1-800-842-2155, online at www.ct.gov/dss/reportingfraud, or by email to providerfraud.dss@ct.gov.
Assistant Attorney General Joshua L. Jackson, Forensic Fraud Examiners Thomas Martin and Lisa Bailey, and Deputy Associate Attorney General Gregory O’Connell, Chief of the Government Fraud Section assisted the Attorney General in this matter.
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Media Contact:
Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov
Consumer Inquiries:
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attorney.general@ct.gov