Senate Bill S10680

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   10680
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              August 14, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  MURRAY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to  the  handling  of
   tips  received  through the office of the Medicaid inspector general's
   Medicaid fraud hotline
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. Subdivisions 4, 5 and 7 of section 32 of the public health
 law, subdivisions 4 and 7 as added by chapter 442 of the  laws  of  2006
 and  subdivision  5 as amended by section 110 of part E of chapter 56 of
 the laws of 2013, are amended to read as follows:
   4. to solicit, receive and investigate complaints related to fraud and
 abuse within the medical assistance program. THE OFFICE'S MEDICAID FRAUD
 HOTLINE SHALL BE THE OFFICIAL MEDICAID FRAUD HOTLINE OF THE STATE OF NEW
 YORK. WHEN A  TIP  IS  RECEIVED  THROUGH  THE  OFFICE'S  MEDICAID  FRAUD
 HOTLINE,  THE  INSPECTOR SHALL FOLLOW PROCEDURES OF THE OFFICE TO DETER-
 MINE IF SUCH TIP IS A CREDIBLE ALLEGATION AND, IF A TIP IS DETERMINED TO
 BE A CREDIBLE ALLEGATION, ALL INFORMATION  CONTAINED  IN  SUCH  CREDIBLE
 ALLEGATION  SHALL  BE SHARED WITH THE MEDICAID FRAUD CONTROL UNIT OF THE
 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND  WITH  ANY  PROSECUTOR  OF  COMPETENT
 JURISDICTION;
   5.  to  keep the governor, attorney general, state comptroller, tempo-
 rary president and minority leader of the senate, the  speaker  and  the
 minority  leader of the assembly, and the heads of agencies with respon-
 sibility for  the  administration  of  the  medical  assistance  program
 apprised of efforts to prevent, detect, investigate, and prosecute fraud
 and  abuse within the medical assistance program, and to provide a quar-
 terly briefing to the legislature on activities of the office.   AT  THE
 END OF EACH CALENDAR YEAR, THE INSPECTOR SHALL COMPILE A REPORT CONTAIN-
 ING  INFORMATION  ON  ALL  TIPS  THAT WERE RECEIVED THROUGH THE OFFICE'S
 MEDICAID FRAUD HOTLINE. THE PURPOSE OF SUCH REPORT SHALL BE TO DETERMINE
 HOW MANY TIPS WERE RECEIVED THROUGH SUCH HOTLINE, HOW MANY TIPS RECEIVED
 THROUGH SUCH HOTLINE WERE INVESTIGATED, WHO CONDUCTED THE  INVESTIGATION
 ON EACH TIP THAT WAS INVESTIGATED, AND THE OUTCOMES OF ANY SUCH INVESTI-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD16283-01-6
 S. 10680                            2
 
 GATIONS.  SUCH  REPORT  SHALL BE PROVIDED TO THE GOVERNOR, THE TEMPORARY
 PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY, THE MINORITY LEAD-
 ER OF THE SENATE, THE MINORITY LEADER OF THE ASSEMBLY AND  THE  ATTORNEY
 GENERAL;
   7.  to  make  information  and evidence relating to suspected criminal
 acts which [he or she] SUCH INSPECTOR may obtain in carrying out [his or
 her] SUCH INSPECTOR'S duties available to  appropriate  law  enforcement
 officials  and  to consult with the deputy attorney general for Medicaid
 fraud control, the welfare inspector general, and other state and feder-
 al law enforcement officials for coordination of criminal investigations
 and prosecutions.
   The inspector shall refer suspected fraud or criminality to the deputy
 attorney general for Medicaid fraud control and make any other referrals
 to such deputy attorney general as required or contemplated  by  federal
 law.  At  any  time after such referral, with ten days written notice to
 the deputy attorney general for Medicaid fraud control or  such  shorter
 time  as  such  deputy  attorney  general consents to, the inspector may
 additionally provide  relevant  information  about  suspected  fraud  or
 criminality  to  any  other federal or state law enforcement agency that
 the inspector deems appropriate under the circumstances.
   NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF THIS SUBDIVISION TO THE CONTRA-
 RY, IF THE INSPECTOR DETERMINES THROUGH PROCEDURES OF THE OFFICE THAT  A
 TIP  RECEIVED  THROUGH THE OFFICE'S MEDICAID FRAUD HOTLINE IS A CREDIBLE
 ALLEGATION, ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED IN SUCH CREDIBLE ALLEGATION  SHALL
 BE  SHARED  WITH  THE  MEDICAID  FRAUD CONTROL UNIT OF THE OFFICE OF THE
 ATTORNEY GENERAL AND WITH  ANY  PROSECUTOR  OF  COMPETENT  JURISDICTION.
 WITHIN  THIRTY  DAYS  OF SUCH INFORMATION BEING SHARED WITH THE MEDICAID
 FRAUD CONTROL UNIT OF THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND ANY  PROSE-
 CUTOR  OF  COMPETENT  JURISDICTION, THERE SHALL BE A DETERMINATION AS TO
 WHETHER SUCH CREDIBLE ALLEGATION WILL BE INVESTIGATED AND, IF SO,  WHICH
 JURISDICTION  WILL  LEAD SUCH INVESTIGATION. SUCH DETERMINATION SHALL BE
 SHARED WITH THE INSPECTOR. UPON THE  COMPLETION  OF  SUCH  INVESTIGATION
 INTO  SUCH  CREDIBLE  ALLEGATION, THE INSPECTOR SHALL BE NOTIFIED OF THE
 OUTCOME OF SUCH INVESTIGATION;
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.