the failure do collect the cash resulted in an election that should not have occurred
the inspector general of the us dept of health and human services now looks into the teamsters relationdhip and busineess dealings with teamsters local 707 unless carl campanile beats em to the story
Brooklyn ambulance service overbilled feds by millions: audit teamster local 707 represents ambulance eorkers &past union election was rerun fixed because company did not send union cash/dues, because?, fairy tales abound but campanile or the feds will ink it up first, happy new year
A Brooklyn ambulance service took taxpayers for a ride, overbilling the federal government by more than $19 million for transporting Medicare patients, according to an audit released Friday.
The inspector general of the US Department of Health and Human Services examined 100 bills from Midwood Ambulance Service during 2014-2015 for “non-emergenc
y” transport services and rejected 89 as non-compliant.
y” transport services and rejected 89 as non-compliant.
“For 82 claims, Midwood billed for services for beneficiaries whose conditions did not meet Medicare medical necessity requirements (requiring ambulance transport for doctor’s visits),” the audit said.
For 49 claims, Midwood failed to obtain doctors’ written certification in a timely or proper manner to justify ambulance transport of patients.
Based on the sample audit, the IG disallowed most of the 114,138 claims Midwood filed — or $19.2 million of the $23.5 million in payments.
Midwood challenged the findings based on statistical sampling.
“Midwood cannot simply accept the OIGs findings and make such an exorbitant refund without the ability to further investigate individual claims … Midwood is not convinced a $19 million overpayment refund is warranted,” Midwood president Al Rapisarda said in a written response to the IG.
Rapisarda also said Midwood was sold in September and is basically broke.
“The sale was necessary because Midwood was losing money and had extensive debts. The business was sold at a loss, with barely enough to cover existing debts,” he told the feds.
Kevin McCaffrey, Suffolk County legislator, gets revote in contested Teamsters election
Suffolk County Legis. Kevin McCaffrey speaks beside Legis. Robert Trotta during a news conference at the William Rogers Legislature Building in Hauppauge Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015. Photo Credit: Barry Sloan
National Teamsters union officials have decided to allow ballots to be counted in a union election in which Kevin McCaffrey, minority leader of the Suffolk County Legislature, is seeking to regain his post as president.
The Washington D.C.-based executive board of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters had impounded ballots in a revote of a Local 707 election that McCaffrey lost in November, said Kara Deniz, spokeswoman for the national union.
The winning slate of candidates had opposed repetition of the election.
The board voted last Friday to reject the appeal by the victors and allow the election to go forward. The new ballots will be opened on Wednesday, said Susan Oddo, the Nassau local’s new recording secretary.
McCaffrey and other incumbents ousted in the November election had asked for a new vote because 92 ballots had not been delivered to workers of a Midwood ambulance company. A new election was held, but ballots were impounded because of the appeal
The ousted slate should have been aware the ballots had not been delivered, and also did not seek a revote in a timely manner, Oddo said.
Local 707 represents 2,400 workers in the trucking and food service industries, along with employees of Nassau Regional Off-Track Betting Corp.
McCaffrey, a Lindenhurst Republican, lost the union election in November to John Kelder by six votes. McCaffrey had held the $106,000-a-year union post since 1994.
The union last year cut pension benefits for retirees after it reported the fund has only $34.6 million to pay $47.6 million in benefits this year. The pension fund receives $7.5 million in contributions a year. Pensions eventually could be cut by up to two-thirds, McCaffrey said.
McCaffrey critics have blamed him for the pension cuts.
McCaffrey said job reductions in the trucking business and contract concessions during the Wall Street meltdown led to the shortfall.
McCaffrey, who was running a heated legislative re-election race at the time of the union election, said he was optimistic about his chances to regain the presidency of the Teamsters local.
Midwood is still in business, but a rep at its administrative office declined to comment.
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