The two-year study found the state could be overspending by more than $250 million annually, according to the news service. State lawmakers want to get the problem under control before an additional 400,000 people are expected to join the health care program, which costs billions annually to operate.
Most improper payments to care providers, which were about 20 percent of all Medicaid claims, were processed because caseworkers enrolled people who were ineligible or who did not submit the proper paperwork, according to the study.
Ashley Colvin, chief legislative analyst for the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission and the author of the study, said Virginia had too few caseworkers to handle an influx of enrollees, which led to the errors. The study recommended using a computer-based enrollment system and better internal auditing processes, Statehouse News Online reports.
