August 2, 2017
Reno, NV – Today, Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt announced that Norma Dickenson, 60, of Reno, was sentenced in a Medicaid fraud case involving the failure to maintain required documentation. The fraud occurred between December 2015 and April 2016.
Second Judicial District Court Judge Patrick Flanagan sentenced Dickenson to one count of intentional failure to maintain adequate records, a gross misdemeanor. As a part of the sentence, Dickenson was ordered to serve a term of 364 days incarceration and to pay restitution of $2,703. Dickenson’s sentence was suspended, and she was placed on probation for a period of three years.
“Ensuring that Medicaid recipients are receiving the home health care they are approved for is important,” Laxalt said. “These convictions ensure that persons committing fraud are excluded from the Medicaid system and ensures Medicaid recipients are receiving the services they need.”
The investigation began after the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) received information that Dickenson was not providing home health services to a Medicaid recipient. The investigation revealed that services allegedly provided by Dickenson to the Medicaid recipient did not match what Dickenson had listed on timesheets. The services were not reflected accurately on the documentation used as the basis for claims to Medicaid.
The MFCU investigates and prosecutes financial fraud by those providing healthcare services or goods to Medicaid patients. The MFCU also investigates and prosecutes instances of elder abuse or neglect. Persons convicted of Medicaid fraud may also be administratively excluded from future Medicaid and Medicare participation. Anyone wishing to report suspicions regarding any of these concerns may contact the MFCU at 702-486-3420 or 775-684-1100.
Senior Deputy Attorney General Andrew Schulke prosecuted this case.
DICKENSON, NORMA
(Photo courtesy of the
Washoe County Sheriff’s Department)
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