HENRY COUNTY NURSE ARRESTED FOR TENNCARE FRAUD

NASHVILLE – A Henry County nurse has been arrested and charged with TennCare fraud. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) today announced the arrest of 57-year-old Joan Collins of Paris, Tennessee.

Collins was indicted by the Henry County Grand Jury for defrauding the State of Tennessee of TennCare benefits. The two count indictment charges that she committed a felony theft of services by intentionally not reporting access to insurance through her employer to obtain medical services paid for by TennCare. In this case, access to insurance would have rendered her ineligible for TennCare. The value of the medical benefits unlawfully obtained is more than $1,000 but less than $10,000. In addition, Collins faces a felony TennCare fraud charge for concealing the fact that while employed as a registered nurse she had been offered health insurance through her employer.

“TennCare fraud crosses all social, economic and professional lines,” Inspector General Deborah Faulkner said. “The common link is that people committing TennCare fraud are taking something they’re not entitled to, and they’re taking it from all the taxpayers of Tennessee.”

The theft charge against Collins is a Class D felony, punishable by up to four years in prison and the TennCare fraud charge is a Class E felony, punishable by up to two years in prison. Her bond was set at $10,000. Henry County District Attorney Gus Radford is prosecuting.

Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or log on to www.tennessee.gov/tenncare and follow the prompts that read “Report Fraud Now.”