California Charges 103 IHSS Providers With Felonies in Statewide Medi-Cal Fraud Enforcement
LOS ANGELES — California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on October 22 that the California Department of Justice has filed felony charges against 103 individual In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) providers for allegedly defrauding the Medi-Cal program of more than $4.5 million, the results of a statewide enforcement effort over the past year targeting fraud in the IHSS program.
According to the Department of Justice, the providers allegedly billed Medi-Cal claiming hours for care while the member was admitted to an acute care hospital or skilled nursing facility, also paid for by Medi-Cal. The department worked with the California Department of Health Care Services, which administers Medi-Cal, reviewing referrals generated through program integrity activities including data analytics and claims review. The members in the cases lived in 17 counties: Butte, Contra Costa, Fresno, Kern, Lake, Los Angeles, Napa, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma, and Tulare.
Funded through Medi-Cal, IHSS serves more than 900,000 seniors and individuals with disabilities each year, allowing them to remain in their homes rather than enter long-term nursing facilities; the Department of Justice said the home-based model reduces public spending by approximately $100,000 per person annually compared with nursing facility care, and the IHSS budget is about $30 billion. Bonta said IHSS provides a vital lifeline for families across the state: "This isn't a political game for us. This is about protecting taxpayer dollars, protecting the programs that sick and vulnerable Californians rely on, and protecting our state." He said the alleged fraud represents a small fraction of the IHSS budget, and that the enforcement action is meant to ensure the program's integrity.
The Department of Justice said its Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse handles such cases and recently joined federal partners in the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, alongside a series of hospice fraud prosecutions. The department noted that the charges are only allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Fresno 一名居家护理人员协助长者做康复活动（资料图）。照片：Ronaro56，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / A home care worker assists a senior with rehabilitation exercises in Fresno (file photo). Photo: Ronaro56, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
