AGREEMENT PRESS RELEASE
St. Margaret’s Center Pays $1.3 Million Under the False Claims Act
Published by the United States Department of Justice | View article on www.justice.gov
ALBANY, NEW YORK – First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III announced today that the Center for Disability Services Holding Corporation, d/b/a St. Margaret’s Center (SMC), a skilled nursing facility located in Albany, New York, has agreed to pay $1,300,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by billing for care that was worthless and falsely attesting that it had implemented a compliance program that promoted quality care.
ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS
Attorney General James Secures $1.3 Million From Albany Pediatric Nursing Home for Years of Resident Neglect
Penalty Amount: $1,300,000
Filed under: State Enforcement Agencies
NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today secured $1.3 million from the Center for Disability Services Holding Corporation d/b/a St. Margaret’s Center (St. Margaret’s), a not-for-profit pediatric skilled nursing facility in Albany, after an investigation revealed years of resident neglect and repeated failures to comply with federal and state nursing home laws. St. Margaret’s provides skilled nursing and rehabilitation services to chronically ill and disabled children and other residents insured by Medicaid. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York (NDNY) revealed that from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2023, St. Margaret’s fraudulently certified it was meeting state and federal nursing home standards while failing to provide adequate care to the children and other residents living there. The facility was consistently understaffed and neglected its young residents, jeopardizing their health and safety. Under a settlement with OAG and NDNY, St. Margaret’s will pay $1.3 million to Medicaid and be monitored by the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) for five years.