Month: August 2023

Blumenthal Visits Home For The Brave

 U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) will join Homes for the Brave to highlight the one-year-anniversary of the PACT Act, historic legislation signed into law by President Biden last year that delivers relief to post-9/11 veterans exposed to burn pits and will correct the nearly 80 percent rejection rate faced by burn pit veterans seeking claims.

The PACT ACT includes provisions championed by Blumenthal to expand benefits, healthcare, and compensation to veteran populations that are not currently able to access services: veterans who responded to the nuclear disaster in Palomares, Spain, those who were deployed to the K2 Air Base, and veterans and families exposed to toxins in the water supply at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

STATE REPRESENTATIVES JENNIFER LEEPER, CRISTIN McCARTHY VAHEY, SARAH KEITT APPLAUD $162K GRANT FOR FAIRFIELD SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST 

State Representatives Jennifer Leeper (D-Fairfield, Southport), Cristin McCarthy Vahey (D-Fairfield, Bridgeport), and Sarah Keitt (D-Fairfield, Trumbull) today applauded the $162,000 grant announced for the Fairfield School District for school mental health specialists. 

The funds will be broken up over three years, with the school district receiving $60,000 in 2024, $60,000 in 2025, and $42,000 in 2026. 

The competitive grant comes from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and is meant to increase the number of mental health workers in schools. 

“As Vice-Chair of the Education Committee, I have heard firsthand from parents and educators how important mental health is to the success of our students,” Rep. Leeper said. “Funding for mental health specialists is critical for every school district to have, and I’m thrilled to see these funds coming to the Fairfield School District.” 

“All too often, students and families facing mental health challenges don’t know where to turn for help in the face of a crisis.” Rep. McCarthy Vahey said. “Thanks to Governor Lamont and our State Department of Education, this funding will help our school leaders support students and families so they know they’re not alone, and have another avenue to work through any issues they’re facing. I am grateful for the diligent work of our teachers and staff as they seek to help our students remain healthy, safe, and strong.” 

“As Vice-Chair of the Children’s Committee, a member of the Public Health Committee, and the mother of a child in the Fairfield Public School system, I truly appreciate this funding to help our children navigate through the challenges they face” Rep. Keitt said. “Having a mental health specialist at school will be an invaluable resource for Fairfield families.” 

Grant awardees must attend a formal training this month and complete compliance documents to receive the ARPA funding. 

Rep. Leeper represents the 132nd District, which includes Fairfield and Southport, Rep. McCarthy Vahey represents the 133rd District, which includes Fairfield and Bridgeport, and Rep. Keitt represents the 134th District, which includes Fairfield and Trumbull. 

STATE REPRESENTATIVES JENNIFER LEEPER, CRISTIN McCARTHY VAHEY, SARAH KEITT APPLAUD $162K GRANT FOR FAIRFIELD SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST 

State Representatives Jennifer Leeper (D-Fairfield, Southport), Cristin McCarthy Vahey (D-Fairfield, Bridgeport), and Sarah Keitt (D-Fairfield, Trumbull) today applauded the $162,000 grant announced for the Fairfield School District for school mental health specialists. 

The funds will be broken up over three years, with the school district receiving $60,000 in 2024, $60,000 in 2025, and $42,000 in 2026. 

The competitive grant comes from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and is meant to increase the number of mental health workers in schools. 

“As Vice-Chair of the Education Committee, I have heard firsthand from parents and educators how important mental health is to the success of our students,” Rep. Leeper said. “Funding for mental health specialists is critical for every school district to have, and I’m thrilled to see these funds coming to the Fairfield School District.” 

“All too often, students and families facing mental health challenges don’t know where to turn for help in the face of a crisis.” Rep. McCarthy Vahey said. “Thanks to Governor Lamont and our State Department of Education, this funding will help our school leaders support students and families so they know they’re not alone, and have another avenue to work through any issues they’re facing. I am grateful for the diligent work of our teachers and staff as they seek to help our students remain healthy, safe, and strong.” 

“As Vice-Chair of the Children’s Committee, a member of the Public Health Committee, and the mother of a child in the Fairfield Public School system, I truly appreciate this funding to help our children navigate through the challenges they face” Rep. Keitt said. “Having a mental health specialist at school will be an invaluable resource for Fairfield families.” 

Grant awardees must attend a formal training this month and complete compliance documents to receive the ARPA funding. 

Rep. Leeper represents the 132nd District, which includes Fairfield and Southport, Rep. McCarthy Vahey represents the 133rd District, which includes Fairfield and Bridgeport, and Rep. Keitt represents the 134th District, which includes Fairfield and Trumbull. 

Bridgeport News: Stabbing

Police UPDATE: Yesterday around 2137hrs, The ECC received multiple calls of a large fight in the area of the 100th block of Harmony Street.  On arrival, officers requested 3 total ambulances for one party stabbed, a laceration, and one juvenile assaulted.  The Responsible party fled the scene in a vehicle in an unknown direction of travel.  Officers found the knife used in the stabbing on the scene.  All victims were transported to a local hospital in stable condition. The Bridgeport police department is investigating this incident actively. 

2023-08-13@9:40pm
Bridgeport News: Stabbing

Report of a stabbing on Harmony Street. A man in his 30’s was stabbed to the upper abdomen according to radio reports.

ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG ANNOUNCES $470,000 SETTLEMENT WITH OPTIMUS HEALTH CARE OVER FALSE CLAIMS AND IMPROPER BILLING ALLEGATIONS

(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General today announced that Optimus Health Care, Inc., a federally-qualified health center (“FQHC”) based in Bridgeport, has entered into a civil settlement agreement with the federal and state governments and has paid a total of $470,093.93 to resolve allegations that it submitted false claims to the Connecticut Medicaid program, and received overpayments from Medicaid for ineligible services.

Optimus Health Care, Inc. (“Optimus”) has 23 locations in southwestern Connecticut. As an FQHC, Optimus receives patient revenues and grants from the federal and state governments.

“Optimus Health Care repeatedly overbilled Connecticut’s Medicaid program, taking in payments they were ineligible to receive. I thank our federal partners at HHS-OIG and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their coordination and assistance in protecting our public healthcare programs and tax dollars,” said Attorney General Tong.

The allegations against Optimus arise out of claims submitted to Connecticut Medicaid for dual-eligible beneficiaries. Dual-eligible beneficiaries are Medicare beneficiaries who are also eligible for Medicaid coverage. Some dual-eligible beneficiaries are eligible for, and receive, full Medicaid coverage in addition to their Medicare coverage. Other dual-eligible beneficiaries are known as Qualified Medicare Beneficiaries (“QMBs”). QMBs qualify for Medicaid to pay their Medicare co-pays, premiums, co-insurance, and deductibles.

The government alleges that Optimus submitted false claims to Connecticut Medicaid for dual-eligible beneficiaries with the incorrect Medicare denial codes. This caused Medicaid to pay claims it would have otherwise denied. The government also alleges that Optimus improperly billed Connecticut Medicaid for group therapy services for QMBs who were not eligible for reimbursement for those services.

To resolve its liability, Optimus paid $470,093.93 to the federal and state governments for conduct occurring between January 2014 and December 2020.

The False Claims Act allegations resolved by the settlement were originally brought in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Connecticut by a relator, or whistleblower, under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. These provisions allow private parties to bring suit on behalf of the government and to share in any recovery. The relator, a former employee of Optimus, will receive $62,787.78 as her share of the recovery. The case resolved by this settlement was captioned U.S. ex rel Migdalia Burgos, and the State of CT v. Optimus Health Care, Inc. (Docket No. 3:19-cv-652).

This matter was investigated by the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Kaczmarek and by Deputy Associate Attorney General Gregory O’Connell of the Attorney General’s Office. Legal Investigator Timothy Edwards also assisted the Attorney General in this matter.

Anyone with knowledge of suspected fraud or abuse in the public healthcare system is asked to contact the Attorney General’s Government Program Fraud Section at 860-808-5040 or by email at ag.fraud@ct.gov; the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at 860-258-5986 or by email at conndcj@ct.gov; or the Department of Social Services fraud reporting hotline at 1-800-842-2155, online at www.ct.gov/dss/reportingfraud, or by email to providerfraud.dss@ct.gov.

Sen. Tony Hwang: CT Construction Industry Stands Ready to Build Transportation Infrastructure, Recruit Future Workers

Sen. Tony Hwang, the Ranking Senator on the Transportation Committee, on Aug. 7 met with Connecticut Construction Industries Association (CCIA) President Don Shubert and Tilcon Connecticut President Carolina Cavalcante to discuss the industry’s challenges, innovations in transportation infrastructure improvements and workforce recruitment efforts. 

“I wanted to hear firsthand from CCIA, which represents various sectors of the construction industry, and Tilcon, a business that has played a key role in building transportation infrastructure around the region,” Sen. Hwang said. “What I heard from these experts is this: The construction industry is not only hiring, but also anxiously looking to recruit and train the next generation of Connecticut workers. Tilcon, a division of CRH, for example, does business in my senate district in Newtown and throughout Connecticut. Tilcon CRH employs 600 workers statewide and is making connections between education and the workforce at technical high schools and union apprenticeship programs throughout Connecticut. I want to help them get the word out about their recruitment goals as well as the current impediments to their growth, both of which will impact job opportunities and business growth in Connecticut.”

Among the challenges: Federal infrastructure funding for Connecticut is not being immediately put toward road and bridge improvement projects. Part of the reason is a major shortage of engineers.

“Infrastructure investments are the highest return on investment for any government spending,” Shubert told Sen. Hwang, “So why are we not taking full advantage of this opportunity?”

“That’s a missed opportunity and it is frustrating for all of us,” Sen. Hwang said. “I have nothing but praise and admiration for the men and women who work in this industry and the difficult work they do, but we need to make that work available. These construction jobs make our economic engine hum. We must create momentum and keep that momentum going. At the same time, we must continue to expand the skilled-labor employment pipeline from technical high schools to this vital industry.”

Sen. Hwang said he plans to meet with the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s commissioner and municipal leaders to discuss action steps and progress timelines in order to get projects up and running and “shovel ready”.

Sen. Hwang learned about Tilcon’s internship program, which provides students the opportunity to attain a solid understanding about the company in a short timeframe. The Tilcon Connecticut internship is a robust experiential learning program and generally begins in May and runs through mid-August.

“Many of our former interns are now enjoying successful careers working for the Tilcon Connecticut family,” Cavalcante said.

Sen. Hwang also learned how companies like Tilcon put a priority on environmental protection. 

“Preserving our precious natural resources, like watershed land, is top of mind for Tilcon,” Sen. Hwang said. “So, as they build and strengthen our infrastructure, they are also prioritizing environmental stewardship and clean water.”

Sen. Hwang said he would take what he heard and share it with lawmakers, the Governor’s Workforce Council, and the Lamont administration.

“CCIA and Tilcon Connecticut need to be heard at our State Capitol,” Sen. Hwang said. “Their feedback can help us accelerate job growth and our talent pipeline while improving our roads and bridges and protecting our environment. We need to listen – and we must act.”

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