The State of Connecticut Enacts Its Own False Claims Act

On October 5, 2009, the Governor of Connecticut signed into law Connecticut’s False Claims Act (“CFCA”), Connecticut General Statutes §§ 17b-301, et seq.  The CFCA is modeled after the federal False Claims Act, although it is narrower in scope.  It prohibits the presentation of a false for fraudulent claim for payment or approval to medical-assistance programs administered by Connecticut’s Department of Social Services, such as State-Administered General Assistance, HUSKY B, and Charter Oak.  In addition, the act provides for penalties of $5,000 to $10,000 per false claim and authorizes the recovery of up to triple the amount of actual damages sustained by the State as due to the false claims.  The CFCA’s whistleblower reward provisions also track the federal False Claims Act:  affording the whistleblower 15% to 25% of the State’s recovery in cases in which the State intervened and 25% to 30% of the State’s recovery in cases in which the State did not intervene.  Connecticut now joins the list of at least twenty other states that have enacted their own false claims act.

Tags: Government Programs Fraud