Justice Department to Accelerate Review of Whistleblower Complaints on Benefits Fraud

The U.S. Department of Justice will speed up its review of whistleblower complaints filed under the False Claims Act that allege fraud against benefit programs such as Medicare. Federal officials told CBS News the policy change will set a 60- to 120-day window for deciding whether to continue litigation, investigate further, or dismiss the complaints.

The False Claims Act is the primary federal statute used to address alleged fraud against government-funded programs, including Medicare and state-administered grants. Many of these cases begin as qui tam actions brought by private individuals known as relators.

Under the updated process, the DOJ Civil Division will prioritize these complaints to reach a decision more quickly than the previous standard, which often exceeded 120 days. Officials said the shorter timeline is intended to identify and address emerging fraud schemes sooner.

A DOJ statement said the reforms will allow the department to move quickly on meritorious qui tam cases, maximize enforcement resources, and focus on dismantling schemes that exploit taxpayer-funded programs.

The department has previously announced the creation of a Fraud Division. A separate task force has also been established to address fraud in federally funded programs. CBS News has examined hospice operations in Los Angeles County and found that more than 700 of roughly 1,800 hospices triggered multiple state-defined red flags for potential fraud.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta stated that his office has filed criminal fraud cases against more than 100 defendants and about two dozen civil cases in the hospice sector. " — Assistant Attorney General Brett A.