Personal Care Services Under Scrutiny

On November 15, 2012, the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (OIG) issued a report titled "Personal Care Services: Trends, Vulnerabilities, and Recommendations for Improvement," which included a response from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The report follows up on numerous OIG audits since 2006 of Personal Care Services (PCS) provided under state Medicaid programs, documenting numerous instances of improper payments and outright fraud. The OIG's report details the myriad ways in which PCS are vulnerable to fraud and abuse, and urges CMS to promulgate additional regulations to curb PCS fraud and compensate for the lack of comprehensive and effective regulation of PCS at the state level.