49.49(4)(b)
(b) A person who violates this subsection is guilty of a Class H felony, except that, notwithstanding the maximum fine specified in
s. 939.50 (3) (h), the person may be fined not more than $25,000.
49.49(4m)
(4m) Prohibited conduct; forfeitures. 49.49(4m)(a)(a) No person, in connection with medical assistance, may:
49.49(4m)(a)1.
1. Knowingly make or cause to be made any false statement or representation of a material fact in any application for a benefit or payment.
49.49(4m)(a)2.
2. Knowingly make or cause to be made any false statement or representation of a material fact for use in determining rights to a benefit or payment.
49.49(4m)(a)3.
3. Knowingly conceal or fail to disclose any event of which the person has knowledge that affects his or her initial or continued right to a benefit or payment or affects the initial or continued right to a benefit or payment of any other person in whose behalf he or she has applied for or is receiving a benefit or payment.
49.49(4m)(b)
(b) A person who violates this subsection may be required to forfeit not less than $100 nor more than $15,000 for each statement, representation, concealment or failure.
49.49(5)
(5) County collection. Any county may retain 15% of state medical assistance funds that are recovered due to the efforts of a county employee or officer or, if the county initiates action by the department of justice, due to the efforts of the department of justice under
s. 49.495. This subsection applies only to recovery of medical assistance that was provided as a result of fraudulent activity by a recipient or by a provider.
49.49(6)
(6) Recovery. In addition to other remedies available under this section, the court may award the department of justice the reasonable and necessary costs of investigation, an amount reasonably necessary to remedy the harmful effects of the violation and the reasonable and necessary expenses of prosecution, including attorney fees, from any person who violates this section. The department of justice shall deposit in the state treasury for deposit in the general fund all moneys that the court awards to the department or the state under this subsection. The costs of investigation and the expenses of prosecution, including attorney fees, shall be credited to the appropriation account under
s. 20.455 (1) (gh).
49.49 Annotation
The only state of mind requirement for a violation of sub. (1) (a) 1. is the intentional making or causing the making of a false statement that appears in an application; that anyone actually received a medical assistance benefit need not be proved. State v. Williams,
179 Wis. 2d 80,
505 N.W.2d 468 (Ct. App. 1993).
49.49 Annotation
Sub. (3m) and related rules require medical assistance providers to refund only the amount paid by the medical assistance program on behalf of retroactively eligible persons. A private pay patient subsequently found retroactively eligible does not have a federally protected right to reimbursement from a medical assistance provider for the amount originally paid by the patient in excess of the medical assistance reimbursement. Keup v. DHFS, 2004 WI 16,
269 Wis. 2d 59,
675 N.W.2d 755,
02-0456.
49.49 Annotation
Nursing home guarantor agreements may violate sub. (4) after a resident becomes certified Medicaid eligible.
76 Atty. Gen. 295.
49.493
49.493
Benefits under uninsured health plans. 49.493(1)(a)
(a) "Department or contract provider" means the department, the county providing the medical benefits or assistance or a health maintenance organization that has contracted with the department to provide the medical benefits or assistance.
49.493(1)(b)
(b) "Medical benefits or assistance" means medical benefits under
s. 49.02 or
253.05 or medical assistance.
49.493(1)(c)
(c) "Uninsured health plan" means a partially or wholly uninsured plan, including a plan that is subject to
29 USC 1001 to
1461, providing health care benefits.
49.493(2)
(2) The providing of medical benefits or assistance constitutes an assignment to the department or contract provider, to the extent of the medical benefits or assistance provided, for benefits to which the recipient would be entitled under any uninsured health plan.
49.493(3)
(3) An uninsured health plan may not do any of the following:
49.493(3)(a)
(a) Exclude a person or a person's dependent from coverage under the uninsured health plan because the person or the dependent is eligible for medical assistance.
49.493(3)(b)
(b) Terminate its coverage of a person or a person's dependent because the person or the dependent is eligible for medical assistance.
49.493(3)(c)
(c) Provide different benefits of coverage to a person or the person's dependent because the person or the dependent is eligible for medical assistance than it provides to persons and their dependents who are not eligible for medical assistance.
49.493(3)(d)
(d) Impose on the department or contract provider, as assignee of a person or a person's dependent who is covered under the uninsured health plan and who is eligible for medical benefits or assistance, requirements that are different from those imposed on any other agent or assignee of a person who is covered under the uninsured health plan.
49.493(4)
(4) Benefits provided by an uninsured health plan shall be primary to medical benefits or assistance.
49.495
49.495
Jurisdiction of the department of justice. The department of justice or the district attorney may institute, manage, control and direct, in the proper county, any prosecution for violation of criminal laws affecting the medical assistance program including but not limited to laws relating to medical assistance contained in this subchapter and laws affecting the health, safety and welfare of recipients of medical assistance. For this purpose the department of justice shall have and exercise all powers conferred upon district attorneys in such cases. The department of justice or district attorney shall notify the medical examining board or the interested affiliated credentialing board of any such prosecution of a person holding a license granted by the board or affiliated credentialing board.
49.496
49.496
Recovery of correct medical assistance payments. 49.496(1)(b)
(b) "Home" means property in which a person has an ownership interest consisting of the person's dwelling and the land used and operated in connection with the dwelling.
49.496(1)(d)
(d) "Recipient" means a person who receives or received medical assistance.
49.496(2)
(2) Liens on the homes of nursing home residents and inpatients at hospitals. 49.496(2)(a)(a) Except as provided in
par. (b), the department may obtain a lien on a recipient's home if the recipient resides in a nursing home, or if the recipient resides in a hospital and is required to contribute to the cost of care, and the recipient cannot reasonably be expected to be discharged from the nursing home or hospital and return home. The lien is for the amount of medical assistance paid on behalf of the recipient that is recoverable under
sub. (3) (a).
49.496(2)(b)
(b) The department may not obtain a lien under this subsection if any of the following persons lawfully reside in the home:
49.496(2)(b)2.
2. The recipient's child who is under age 21 or is disabled.
49.496(2)(b)3.
3. The recipient's sibling who has an ownership interest in the home and who has lived in the home continuously beginning at least 12 months before the recipient was admitted to the nursing home or hospital.
49.496(2)(c)
(c) Before obtaining a lien on a recipient's home under this subsection, the department shall do all of the following:
49.496(2)(c)1.
1. Notify the recipient in writing of its determination that the recipient cannot reasonably be expected to be discharged from the nursing home or hospital, its intent to impose a lien on the recipient's home and the recipient's right to a hearing on whether the requirements for the imposition of a lien are satisfied.
49.496(2)(c)2.
2. Provide the recipient with a hearing if he or she requests one.
49.496(2)(d)
(d) The department shall obtain a lien under this subsection by recording a lien claim in the office of the register of deeds of the county in which the home is located.
49.496(2)(e)
(e) The department may not enforce a lien under this subsection while the recipient lives unless the recipient sells the home and does not have a living child who is under age 21 or disabled or a living spouse.
49.496(2)(f)
(f) The department may not enforce a lien under this subsection after the death of the recipient as long as any of the following survive the recipient:
49.496(2)(f)3.
3. A child of any age who resides in the home, if that child resided in the home for at least 24 months before the recipient was admitted to the nursing home or hospital and provided care to the recipient that delayed the recipient's admission to the nursing home or hospital.
49.496(2)(f)4.
4. A sibling who resides in the home, if the sibling resided in the home for at least 12 months before the recipient was admitted to the nursing home or hospital.
49.496(2)(g)
(g) The department may enforce a lien imposed under this subsection by foreclosure in the same manner as a mortgage on real property.
49.496(2)(h)
(h) The department shall file a release of a lien imposed under this subsection if the recipient is discharged from the nursing home or hospital and returns to live in the home.
49.496(3)(a)(a) Except as provided in
par. (b), the department shall file a claim against the estate of a recipient for all of the following, subject to the exclusion of any amounts under the Long-Term Care Partnership Program established under
s. 49.45 (31), unless already recovered by the department under this section:
49.496(3)(a)1.
1. The amount of medical assistance paid on behalf of the recipient while the recipient resided in a nursing home or while the recipient was an inpatient in a hospital and was required to contribute to the cost of care.
49.496(3)(a)2.
2. The following medical assistance services paid on behalf of the recipient after the recipient attained 55 years of age:
49.496(3)(a)2.b.
b. Related hospital services, as specified by the department by rule.
49.496(3)(a)2.c.
c. Related prescription drug services, as specified by the department by rule.
49.496(3)(ag)
(ag) The affidavit of a person designated by the secretary to administer this subsection is evidence of the amount of the claim.
49.496(3)(am)
(am) The court shall reduce the amount of a claim under
par. (a) by up to the amount specified in
s. 861.33 (2) if necessary to allow the recipient's heirs or the beneficiaries of the recipient's will to retain the following personal property:
49.496(3)(am)1.
1. The decedent's wearing apparel and jewelry held for personal use.
49.496(3)(am)3.
3. Other tangible personal property not used in trade, agriculture or other business, not to exceed in value the amount specified in
s. 861.33 (1) (a) 4.
49.496(3)(b)
(b) A claim under
par. (a) is not allowable if the decedent has a surviving child who is under age 21 or disabled or a surviving spouse.
49.496(3)(c)1.1. If the department's claim is not allowable because of
par. (b) and the estate includes an interest in a home, the court exercising probate jurisdiction shall, in the final judgment or summary findings and order, assign the interest in the home subject to a lien in favor of the department for the amount described in
par. (a). The personal representative or petitioner for summary settlement or summary assignment of the estate shall record the final judgment as provided in
s. 863.29,
867.01 (3) (h) or
867.02 (2) (h).
49.496(3)(c)2.
2. If the department's claim is not allowable because of
par. (b), the estate includes an interest in a home and the personal representative closes the estate by sworn statement under
s. 865.16, the personal representative shall stipulate in the statement that the home is assigned subject to a lien in favor of the department for the amount described in
par. (a). The personal representative shall record the statement in the same manner as described in
s. 863.29, as if the statement were a final judgment.
49.496(3)(d)
(d) The department may not enforce the lien under
par. (c) as long as any of the following survive the decedent:
49.496(3)(e)
(e) The department may enforce a lien under
par. (c) by foreclosure in the same manner as a mortgage on real property.
49.496(3)(f)
(f) The department may contract with or employ an attorney to probate estates to recover under this subsection the costs of care.
49.496(4)
(4) Administration. The department may require a county department under
s. 46.215,
46.22, or
46.23 or the governing body of a federally recognized American Indian tribe administering medical assistance to gather and provide the department with information needed to recover medical assistance under this section. The department shall pay to a county department or tribal governing body an amount equal to 5% of the recovery collected by the department relating to a beneficiary for whom the county department or tribal governing body made the last determination of medical assistance eligibility. A county department or tribal governing body may use funds received under this subsection only to pay costs incurred under this subsection and, if any amount remains, to pay for improvements to functions required under
s. 49.78 (2). The department may withhold payments under this subsection for failure to comply with the department's requirements under this subsection. The department shall treat payments made under this subsection as costs of administration of the Medical Assistance program.
49.496(5)
(5) Use of funds. From the appropriation under
s. 20.435 (4) (im), the department shall pay the amount of the payments under
sub. (4) that is not paid from federal funds, shall pay to the federal government the amount of the funds recovered under this section equal to the amount of federal funds used to pay the benefits recovered under this section and shall spend the remainder of the funds recovered under this section for medical assistance benefits under this subchapter.
49.496(6)(a)(a) The department may recover amounts under this section for medical assistance benefits paid on and after August 15, 1991.
49.496(6)(b)
(b) The department may file a claim under
sub. (3) only with respect to a recipient who dies after September 30, 1991.
49.496(6m)
(6m) Waiver due to hardship. The department shall promulgate rules establishing standards for determining whether the application of this section would work an undue hardship in individual cases. If the department determines that the application of this section would work an undue hardship in a particular case, the department shall waive application of this section in that case.
49.496(7)
(7) Installment payments. If a recovery under
sub. (3) does not work an undue hardship on the heirs of the estate, and if the heirs wish to satisfy the recovery claim without selling a nonliquid asset that is subject to recovery, the department may establish a reasonable payment schedule subject to reasonable interest.
49.496 Annotation
Preserving the Homestead of the Small Estate: Wisconsin's Medical Recovery Law. Gilbert. Wis. Law. July 1992.
49.497
49.497
Recovery of incorrect Medical Assistance or Badger Care payments and of unpaid employer penalties. 49.497(1)(a)(a) The department may recover any payment made incorrectly for benefits provided under this subchapter or
s. 49.665 if the incorrect payment results from any of the following:
49.497(1)(a)1.
1. A misstatement or omission of fact by a person supplying information in an application for benefits under this subchapter or
s. 49.665.
49.497(1)(a)2.
2. The failure of a Medical Assistance or Badger Care recipient or any other person responsible for giving information on the recipient's behalf to report the receipt of income or assets in an amount that would have affected the recipient's eligibility for benefits.
49.497(1)(a)3.
3. The failure of a Medical Assistance or Badger Care recipient or any other person responsible for giving information on the recipient's behalf to report any change in the recipient's financial or nonfinancial situation or eligibility characteristics that would have affected the recipient's eligibility for benefits or the recipient's cost-sharing requirements.
