NEW CITY – Medicaid costs make up just over half of Rockland County’s mandated budget expenses. As a result of the latest investigations the county has saved close to $7 million in expenses by fighting fraud.
County Executive Edwin Day said last year, the county spent $66 million on Medicaid, providing benefits to 107,000 people. At the same time, the county is seeking to root out fraud.
The county Social Services’ Special Investigations Unit has identified several cases of people receiving benefits when they did not meet income eligibility guidelines saving the county $3.5 million.
The county has also used a system of front end detection strategy to save another $3.4 million in costs.
“Our investigators look for indicators that have been approved by the state as red flags, including expenses that exceed reported income, applicants who have worked off the books or people who are self-employed but don’t have records to substantiate reported information,” Day said.
When fraud is found, the county refers the cases to the county district attorney’s office.
