A substance-abuse rehabilitation facility in South Jersey has agreed to pay almost $20 million to resolve allegations over its treatment program for veterans.
The payment by Seabrook will include approximately $3.5 million for a whistleblower who sued the Cumberland County-based organization under the federal False Claims Act, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey.
Seabrook allegedly lacked licenses and contracts for a veterans program at its Upper Deerfield facility, yet billed federal and state agencies for its services, the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement.
Seabrook also tried to keep state inspectors unaware that veterans were participating in its program for short-term residential treatment and partial hospitalization care, according to claims in a settlement agreement.
"On the dates of scheduled state inspections, Seabrook staff took these residents on outings, so state inspectors would remain unaware that these patients were receiving services Seabrook could not legally provide," it says.
The agreement also alleges that Seabrook employed too few licensed caregivers for the services billed to the government, instead relying on interns “who were not properly credentialed or supervised.”
Further, it claims Seabrook falsely claimed to provide "specialized care" to veterans.
The institution admitted no liability in settling the allegations about its operations from...
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