Lawmakers plan to take action following federal fraud investigation
Findings laid out in a more than 60-page federal search warrant have the attention of Minnesota lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
The FBI has raided at least two autism service centers this week, both are accused of Medicaid fraud in the millions of dollars — Smart Therapy Center in Minneapolis and Star Autism Center in St. Cloud.
Both are part of the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention program, also known as EIDBI. It’s funded by the state and federal government through Medicaid and helps centers provide education and support people with autism and their families.
Court documents say since the EIDBI program started in 2017, it’s seen an “exponential growth in Medicaid billing.” It shows nearly $1.3 million paid out that year, but this year through the end of November, that surged to nearly $230 million.
Investigators wrote in the search warrant that many companies that received that funding “have been submitting fraudulent claims for EIBDI services that …