A Connecticut woman has been arrested and charged with submitting false claims to the Connecticut Medicaid Health Insurance Program, according to the state Department of Criminal Justice.
Erica Damato, 48, of Enfield, was arrested on Sept. 9, by Inspectors from the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney, and charged with one count of first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community, and one count of Health Insurance Fraud, authorities said.
Authorities said Damato was enrolled as a provider in the Connecticut Medical Assistants Program as a personal care assistant, a program that is Medicaid-funded and “provides recipients who have permanent, severe, and/or chronic disabilities, funds to hire PCAs to physically assist them with daily self-care.”
The intent is to allow recipients to “reside in their homes and remain in the community” and is “an alternative to entering a facility and allows greater independence in a community setting,” authorities said.
Further, an investigation by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit found that between April 2023 and October 2024, Damato allegedly submitted billings for “PCA services she claimed she had provided after the date of death of the recipient,” authorities said. The alleged fraudulent money received totaled $107,198.41.
“The submissions of the claims to the Department of Social Services contained false, incomplete, deceptive, or misleading information which constitutes the crime of Health Insurance Fraud,” authorities allege.
Damato is scheduled to appear at Superior Court in Hartford on Sept. 18.
The case was investigated by and will be prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The unit received assistance from the Connecticut Department of Social Services – Office of Quality Assurance and the Newington Police Department, authorities said.
Authorities also noted that the Connecticut Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives “75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $2,362,872.00 for the fiscal year of October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $778,620.00 for the same fiscal year, is funded by the State of Connecticut.”
To report suspected fraud, abuse, or neglect in the public healthcare system, contact the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at the Office of the Chief’s State’s Attorney at (860) 258-5986.
