(WWJ) – A woman from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula could be facing prison time after allegedly committing Medicaid fraud.
Nicole Stouffer of Rock, Mich., in the Western U.P., has been charged with nine counts of Medicaid fraud – all four-year felonies.
Stouffer, 42, is accused of hiring a family member to help care for her at home, but instead took that money for herself.
Stouffer was approved by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to receive home help services in July 2021. Under the program, Stouffer was allowed to pick her own provider for these services, and she selected a family member, according to Nessel’s office.
Logs purportedly verifying the home help work and the dates worked from November 2021 through August 2022 were submitted to DHHS.
Around $8,000.00 was paid for the home help services, according to a complaint filed this week.
But in November 2022, the family member allegedly providing Stouffer’s home help services made a complaint to the AG’s office.
The alleged home help provider “denied having agreed to serve as home help provider and further denied providing any of the services resulting in payment,” according to Nessel’s office.
"Programs like the Home Help Program are funded to provide critical assistance to permit people to live at home, where they are most comfortable, rather than move them into an expensive, long-term care facility," Nessel said, per a press release. “Exploiting this program is particularly troubling, and we take it very seriously.”
Stouffer was arraigned Tuesday in the 94th District Court and given a $50,000 cash or surety bond. Her next court date is scheduled for July 6.
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