Former New York Nursing Home Agrees to Pay $7.16 Million Settlement for False Medicaid Claims

The owners, operator and landlord of the now-shuttered Saratoga Center for Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Care have agreed to pay back $7.16 million in false Medicaid claims in a settlement reached with the U.S. Department of Justice and the state attorney general’s office.

As part of the settlement, announced by Attorney General Letitia James and U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York Carla Freedman on Monday, the owners, operators and landlord have admitted to wrongdoing, which included running an unlicensed operation and neglecting its residents. The settlement names owners Alan “Ari” Schwartz and Jeffrey Vegh, operator Jack Jaffa and landlord Leon Melohn. As part of the agreement, Schwartz, Vegh and Jaffa are prohibited from participating in Medicaid and Medicare for at least 10 years.

“We trust nursing homes to protect New Yorkers during their most vulnerable days, but the owners, unlicensed operator, and landlord of Saratoga Center repeatedly violated the law for their own benefit,” James said in a statement. “Instead of providing the quality care and compassion that residents deserved, the owners of Saratoga Center deceived regulators and left residents to suffer deplorable conditions and neglect. I am grateful to U.S. Attorney Freedman and team for their partnership in holding Saratoga Center accountable for putting New Yorkers in harm’s way. My office will continue to ensure nursing home residents are protected, and I encourage anyone who has witnessed alarming conditions, resident neglect, or abuse at a nursing home to contact my office.”

Read the source article at timesunion.com