A longtime contractor at the Hanford Site has come to an agreement with the Federal Government over allegations that the company was fraudulently billing the Department of Energy(DOE). The investigation into Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) began two and a half years ago after a whistleblower came forward.
The whistleblower alleged that WRPS' management knew that more hours worked were being reported to DOE than actually were being worked. It included hours that WRPS employees were not scheduled to work or were give enough work to fill that time. All of those dollars paid out were federal tax dollars.
Where things really got ugly was when allegations of WRPS directing employees to fraudulently fill out and submit time cards were leveled. Those actions run afoul of the False Claims Act. Unfortunately, this is the first time Washington River Protection Solutions has found themselves in violation of the False Claims Act
In 2017 WRPS agreed to pay $5.275 million to settle claims that they knowingly submitted false claims to DOE between October 2008 and July 2013. They admitted to not following their own internal audit processes and submitting false timecards with regard to overtime hours and premium pay.
This time around, WRPS will pay $6.5 million to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to settle similar claims. As part of the deal, WRPS admits between October 1, 2017, and December 31, 2024, they submitted and received...
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), an independent body that reviews scientific evidence to recommend which groups should receive vaccines and when, rarely makes headlines. Bu...