Mississippi Woman Charged with TennCare Fraud

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A Mississippi woman is charged with TennCare fraud in for falsely reporting to the state that she lived in Shelby County, Tennessee, in order to obtain healthcare care insurance benefits.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG), with the assistance of the Gulf States U.S. Marshal’s Task Force and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, today announced the arrest of Dinah R. McNeal, 36, of Southaven, Mississippi.

McNeal is charged with TennCare fraud and theft of property over $10,000. A Shelby County indictment accuses her of obtaining TennCare benefits by intentionally misrepresenting that her family lived in Tennessee when they actually lived in Mississippi.

“When people cross state lines to enroll in TennCare, they are taking services away from Tennesseans who may need health care insurance,” Inspector General Manny Tyndall said.  “If anyone hears about someone crossing state lines to enroll in TennCare, we need to know about it.”

District Attorney General Amy T. Weirch is prosecuting. TennCare fraud is now a Class D felony, raising the maximum penalty from two to four years in prison.

The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to more than $3 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of more than $163.6 million for TennCare, according to latest figures. To date, 2,689 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.

Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or visit the website and follow prompts that read “Report TennCare Fraud.”