GOVERNOR LAMONT SIGNS LEGISLATION PROTECTING SENIORS FROM FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he has signed into law legislation implementing procedures into state statutes that protect seniors from suspected cases of financial fraud, scams, and exploitation by a person who is taking care of an older adult. Specifically, this law authorizes financial institutions to temporarily suspend or hold transactions involving an account of an adult over the age of 60 if there is a reasonable suspicion of financial exploitation, which is defined as taking advantage of an eligible adult by another person or caretaker for monetary, personal, or other benefit, gain, or profit. When such cases occur, the financial institution should disclose the suspected abuse to the Connecticut Department of Banking or the Connecticut…

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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. https://youtu.be/egDALxxO2yo

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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…

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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@9:40pmBridgeport 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.

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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,…

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