Colville Tribe agrees to pay U.S. back $245,860 in fraudulent claims

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with the Confederated Tribes of Colville Reservation for the tribes to pay back $245,860 in fraudulent Medicaid claims.

Between January and August 2010, the tribes contracted with an independent provider of youth counseling services. The tribe then used those same invoices to bill the Washington State Medicaid Program for reimbursement. The FBI began investigating claims that the contractor was falsely billing the tribes for counseling that was either not provided or necessary, according to a news release.

The investigation, which involved several other government agencies, discovered that the tribe submitted reimbursement claims based on the false sessions with fraudulent invoices. While the tribes acknowledged no wrongdoing, the tribal organization eventually agreed to a settlement that provides both the services to it members and oversight of the program.

“This settlement shows both our commitment to protect taxpayer dollars and the Colville Tribes’ commitment to providing quality and responsible health and health education services for its’ members,” Michael Ormsby, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, said in a news release.