FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Rocky Hill, CT) - A Rocky Hill woman who worked as a personal care assistant to her mother was arrested today and charged with billing Medicaid for personal care services while she was working elsewhere.
Deborah V. Swain, age 52, was arrested by Inspectors from the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney. She was charged with one count each of Health Insurance Fraud and Larceny in the First Degree By Defrauding a Public Community.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Swain was hired in December of 2020 to provide personal care services for her mother. At the same time, Swain was employed as a licensed practical nurse for a short-term rehabilitation and skilled nursing care facility. A total of 188.5 hours for personal care services were submitted and paid to the accused while she was working elsewhere at the rehabilitation facility. The false claims, which occurred from January 17, 2021 to November 7, 2021, totaled $3,063.12.
Swain was employed under the Personal Care Assistance Waiver (PCA) program, which is a federal and state funded Medicaid program administered by the Department of Social Services that provides funds to allow people with disabilities to hire assistants for daily care, thus enabling the individuals to remain at home instead of being placed in a health care facility.
Swain was released on a $20,000.00 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court, G.A. No. 14, on December 6, 2022. The charges are merely accusations and she is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Health Insurance Fraud is an unclassified felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison. Larceny in the First Degree by Defrauding a Public Community is a class B felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The case will be prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The Unit is grateful for the assistance it received in this investigation from the state’s Department of Social Services’ Office of Quality Assurance and the Rocky Hill Police Department.