Roanoke Home Health Care Attendant Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud

ROANOKE, Va. - A home health care attendant pled guilty today to fraudulently billing Medicaid for services she did not provide.

Vicki Lynn Dowdy, 55, of Roanoke, Virginia, pled guilty today to healthcare fraud. At sentencing, Dowdy faces up to 10 years in federal prison. In addition, Dowdy was ordered to pay $24,760 in restitution to the Virginia Medicaid program.

According to court documents, Dowdy was hired as a home health attendant (HHA) to provide home health care and respite care services to Medicaid recipients in the greater Roanoke region. Specifically, Dowdy was contracted to provide home health care and respite care services to two recipients of Medicaid, Individual 1 and Individual 2.

From January 16, 2021 through March 30, 2022, Dowdy submitted fraudulent timesheets and billed Medicaid for 1,970.5 hours of personal home health care and respite services that were not rendered to Individual 1 and Individual 2.

As a result, Medicaid issued $24,760 in total payment to Dowdy for services she never performed.

Robert N. Tracci, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares made the announcement.

The Virginia Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the United States Department of Health and Human Services is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlene R. Day and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Terry, a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General's Office, are prosecuting the case.