Feds want $32M back from NJ

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey should repay the federal government $32 million after an audit found documents were missing in some of the state's submissions for reimbursement, according to a report released Monday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The findings, first reported by The Record, raise concerns about questionable claims for care provided to homebound elderly and low-income residents from August 2008 through December 2011.

Irregularities found in the audit included cases where there were no records that a registered nurse had properly supervised care, cases where doctor certifications or nursing assessments were missing and at least one case in which a patient didn't receive any care.

During the audit period, Medicaid paid $781 million for home care services in New Jersey. Half the funding came from the federal government, while the other half came from the state.

In a letter included in the report, state officials challenged some findings, saying the sample size of claims used for the audit should have been larger than 100 claims out of 18 million..

The U.S. found similar problems in New Jersey four years ago, when it called for the state to repay $145 million. The state has not handed over those funds.

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