SALEM — Two individuals have been charged in connection with a scheme to fraudulently bill MassHealth, the state Medicaid program, for personal care attendant (PCA) and applied behavioral analysis (ABA) services that were never provided, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.
Jessica Parisella, 42, of Danvers, was indicted Monday by an Essex County Grand Jury on charges of Medicaid False Claims and Larceny over $1,200. Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Mental Health Counselor Donald Martel, 67, of Georgetown, was also indicted on charges of Medicaid False Claims and Larceny over $1,200. The two defendants are set to be arraigned on January 24 in Essex Superior Court.
The MassHealth PCA program helps people with chronic or long-term disabilities live independently in the community by providing medically necessary physical assistance with personal care needs. Through the consumer-driven MassHealth PCA program, eligible MassHealth members employ PCAs to assist them with their activities of daily living. These services are paid for by MassHealth through a fiscal intermediary.
ABA services are prescribed therapies provided to people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. MassHealth covers ABA therapy to children under age 21; the treatments include professional, counseling, and guidance services that are necessary to develop, maintain, and restore, to the maximum extent practicable, the functioning of an individual.
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