Richard West, a Vietnam Veteran who receives Medicaid Benefits, testified at a House Oversight Committee last week, explaining his experience with Maxim Healthcare Services over 7 years ago.

Richard West requires a ventilator and oxygen to breath and uses a wheelchair to get around, requiring in home heathcare. There was no way he could afford this without Medicaid, unfortunately, and so back in 2004, when his Medicaid was cut-off for exceeding his benefit limit, his health was literally put at risk.

After a little research, West discovered that his in-home healthcare provider, Maxim Healthcare Services, had fraudulently billed Medicaid for over 700 hours of in-home nursing care, which netted the company more than $20,000.

Armed with this knowledge, he notified Medicaid, who did not care. Nor did his social worker. Left with no other options and desperately needing health care that he could not afford, West contacted an attorney who filed a Whistleblower Lawsuit, which is allowed as part of the False Claims Act.

Of course, he did not see immediate results, but it did force the government to take action against Maxim Healthcare, where they had simply ignored him before.

Recently, over 7 years later, Maxim Healthcare agreed to a $150 Million Settlement, which was the result of West’s case. However, the company is still in business and used a Deferred Prosecution Agreement to escape any real charges. However, a number of people who used to be involved with the company have been found guilty of fraud, including former executives.

Even though it is business as usual for Maxim Healthcare Services, after paying a relatively small fine and reaching an agreement with the federal government to avoid being charged with a crime, West will receive almost $15 million of the settlement. So, at least West should not have to rely on a system that only was willing to help this retired veteran receive the health benefits he was entitled to after a lawsuit made the Medicaid Fraud Public.