FedStigate

The Louisiana State Medicaid Fraud Control Unit was kept busy between fiscal years 2009 and 2011.

A Health and Human Services Department Office of Inspector General review of the fraud control group found they had recovered $95 million, obtained 192 convictions and 86 civil judgments or settlements and received 1,043 referrals for other cases.

The IG report also said that the unit did not properly report its income in fiscal year 2010 and 2011. However it was a paperwork problem, and the unit had no problem with control of its finances, investigators said.

The Older Americans Act of 1965 provides funds for the elderly and their caregivers to assist the individuals in staying in their homes as long as possible before moving to an assisted living facility. But the funding formula used could be improved by taking into account differences between the states and their elderly populations, said the Government Accountability Office.

The Interior Department estimates the government pours billions of dollars annually into geospatial studies designed to gather information about specific locations for everything from defense to natural disaster relief.

But the programs run by various government agencies often overlap, said the Government Accountability Office, leading to possible waste and redundant studies.

The Veterans Affairs center in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. needs to make some improvements to better serve the nation's veterans, investigators found in a report by the department's Office of Inspector General.

The center needs to ensure all mental health patients receive a follow-up no more than seven days after being discharged, and it needs to notify colorectal cancer patients of test results in a timely manner, the watchdog office said.

Investigators found that the medical center's nursing staff and management of medication were both acceptable.