Justice Dept. to start fast-tracking benefits fraud enforcement

The federal government plans to speed up the review of certain whistleblower complaints related to fraud against benefit programs like Medicare, federal officials told CBS News exclusively Wednesday. The officials said the move will help to fast-track fraud enforcement, a Trump administration priority. The U.S. Department of Justice reviews whistleblower complaints made under the False Claims Act, which is the main federal statute used to fight cases of alleged fraud against government programs, including Medicare and grants. These programs are federally funded and administered by states. Now, the DOJ Civil Division says it will prioritize these complaints to decide if it will continue with litigation, investigate further or dismiss within a 60- to 120-day window. Sources said it is unusual to make a decision to decline a claim in less than 120 days. DOJ says it is working to provide CBS News with more information on the current timeline for decisions on cases that move forward. Many of these cases start as complaints, known as qui tam actions, made by private individuals, who are also called relators. After the initial review, the Department of Justice will either allow the relator to continue with the litigation, investigate further or decide the complaint should be dismissed. …