Mississippi Woman Charged with TennCare Fraud

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A Mississippi woman is charged with TennCare fraud after reporting that she lived in Tennessee in order to obtain TennCare healthcare insurance benefits.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG), with assistance from the U.S. Marshall’s Gulf States Task Force and Shelby County Sheriff’s Officers, today announced the arrest of Veronica Joiner, 30, of Southaven, Mississippi.

A Shelby County Grand Jury charged Joiner with two counts of TennCare fraud and one count of theft of property over $10,000. The indictment says she filed documents to receive TennCare benefits for herself and her children, certifying they lived in Memphis, Tennessee when in fact they were residents of Mississippi.

“We will prosecute anyone we find who misrepresents their income, address or employment to gain TennCare benefits,” Inspector General Manny Tyndall said.  “Tennesseans have made it clear to us they want to see people prosecuted, especially for lying about their residency in order to receive TennCare benefits.”

TennCare fraud is a Class E felony carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison per charge.  Theft of services over $10,000 is a Class C felony punishable by up to six years in prison.  District Attorney General Amy Weirich is prosecuting.

The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to more than $3 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of more than $163.6 million for TennCare, according to latest figures. To date, 2,623 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.

Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or visit the website and follow prompts that read “Report TennCare Fraud.”